I have had this project in my to-do queue since ages. It is the popular Inga bag (I know that is not the name of the bag, but I prefer to call it Inga which is easy to type and pronounce) which looks stunning and apparently easy to make. You make a dozen or so granny squares and stitch them up as it says in the pattern. What could be so hard in that, right?
When one of the Ravelry groups announced a Bag KAL, I thought it to be the right time to work on my Inga. I had all the right materials and I started on my very first granny square. After a bazillion attempts and much frogging and recrocheting with a generous amount of cursing, I successfully crocheted my very first granny square.
It turned out to be too tight (so I was told by a crochet expert, I am sure she knew what she was talking about). For my second granny square, I decided to use a bigger hook. After making the first square, you would think I would have gotten a fair bit of practice and the second would be relatively smoother. Wrong. The second attempt was an utter failure. I had only 11 “sun spokes” the first time around. And the second time miraculously had 13 of them. I needed 12, but always ended up with a number which was definitely not 12. Now, if this was a knitting project, I could have done a k2tog or a kfb to get the right stitch count, but alas crocheting is not same as knitting the last time I checked. I made so many mistakes, I had to cut the yarn at one place because I somehow managed to create a knot while crocheting. I sincerely tried for two whole days and at the end of the second day when I did not have anything looking like a granny square, I finally gave up.
I can tackle complex knitting techniques. Throw at me intarsia, fair isle, purl 3 together through the back loop and I will master it (it might take a while but I will get there), but as soon as you say crochet, my mind closes up. After this incident, I have finally come to the conclusion that my brain doesn’t have the cells required to process crochet. I cannot follow a simple pattern and neither can I read what I have crocheted. So, the verdict is out. I am crochet illiterate.
AFFIKNITY 
Sorry to hear of your difficulties with crochet. Admire the fact that you can do fair isle knitting. I have yet to master that but then I do spend more time with crochet these days. I have ended up with the wrong number of clusters in the past through inattention. The secret to getting it right is to count the number of stitches before you start the row and if they are the wrong number to correct it. Slip stitching together so you get the right number of loops to crochet into is important.
Thanks for the tips. I will keep these in mind if I muster up the courage to try crochet again. Fair Isle just looks scary but is very easy. It is super fun too.
I find I can’t get fair isle even some of the stitches are always pulling.
It is difficult to get the tension right when you are dealing with multiple yarns. The good news is, uneven stitches get smoothened out during blocking.
Must try that on a sample. I don’t normally block things. Thank you for your advice.
As a fellow confident-knitter-cum-awkward-crocheter, I feel your pain! But the bag is going to be gorgeous. I love those blues together.
I have the same problems with crochet that you do! Somehow I can make my brain work with two needles, but fumble when it’s just the one hook! There must be a crochet2tog right? Your square is really lovely!
Sweet blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Thank you
Don’t give up on crochet! You may be able to intarsia, fair isle, p3tog, etc in knit, but I’m sure you didn’t start with those techniques. I learned the opposite way – crochet first and then knit. At first I was frustrated with how uneven my knit stitches were and how hard it seemed to work with two needles. But I kept reminding myself that it took a while to feel truly comfortable in the one craft and like any talent I just needed to keep practicing. Crocheting (or knitting) too tightly is a common mistake for beginners but fortunately my mother emphasized keeping things very loose in the beginning. Too tight and you just get frustrated; you can always learn to tighten up your stitches later after you’ve learned the techniques.