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	MoEZ FAQs & Tips (continued from previous page)

Lefties

     I taught some lefties at work how to do this stitch and really you may want to try it right handed. The right hand only balances the hook. The left hand does all the work, that is why it was easier for them to do it right handed than left handed. However, if you want to do it left handed just follow the graphs from the bottom left corner instead of the bottom right corner. Otherwise, it is only a slip stitch, I'm sure you won't have any problem. If you are ordering all 9", the 9" are finishing hooks, the 18" are the ones for making the afghans. You need to keep all the loops on the hook at one time, with the 18" you can do up to a queen size all at once. Just be sure to hold it all the way to the end. Even though you may think this will be awkward it balances really nicely with the weight of the afghan on the other end of the hook.
     If you are left handed this stitch works just as well for you. Just follow the patterns from the bottom left instead of the bottom right corner. I have taught many lefties to crochet right handed with the "MoEZ" hooks, because the left hand does all the work, the right hand just balances the hook. So you may want to try it this way first. Either way at first it will seem awkward, but it doesn't take too many practice stitches to become a pro. -- Val

     A lefty can either work the afghan stitch with their right hand (this is what the ones that I taught preferred because the left hand does all the work they found it easier to use their right hand like everyone else) or they can use their left hand and work the graph patterns from the bottom left instead of the bottom right corner. The line by lines (row counts) posted they would work left to right starting with the right end of the line and working back to the left. Hope this helps. -- Val

Links for Lefties

Crochet sites for Lefties:

1. CGOA Crochet Lessons for Left-Handers: http://www.crochet.com/lessons/lessonl/lessonl.html
   They also have lessons for right-handers, too.
2. Tips, Tricks and Suggestions: http://ckglorac.tripod.com/thecrochetenthusiast/id4.html
   Not all for lefties
-- Trish H.

Loose Stitches

     Some suggestions on what to do/try if you are having trouble with loose stitches when crocheting in the afghan/tunisian stitch:

1.     I think the loose stitches are just part of the moez charm. If you want tighter stitches, you might want to try a narrower hook.
       I got some hooks for Christmas, and I just love them. I have been putting my first stitch (right hand side) on a safety pin to keep the right and left edges about the same tension. I moez across, and when I get back to the right hand side, I slip the safety pin out, and the stitch back onto the hook, and then crochet it off the same as usual. -- Kathy


2.     Val mentioned about Tunisisan stitch, it is very common for left side is loose and right side is tight. She told me that I need to tight on left side should be same as right side. Because left side look like shape of b and right side look like shape of U together. You need insert on b will become look like shape of U together on left side. It will be same tight equal on left and right side. -- Debra Messer


3.     It is natural for the stitches to be looser than regular crochet. It takes some getting used to. What I do at the beginning and end is just to pull a bit tighter on the yarn. And the border brings it together better also. -- Linda in NY


4.     The MoEZ hooks are going to give you a big, loose, airy stitch. As you keep working the yarn seems to fill in the gaps. I have found that when I first start and for the first four or five rows my work is looser , making these rows wider than the rest of the afghan. On the afghan I am doing now, I did the first 5 rows with the black hook and then switched to the red hook . You can't tell the difference. The first 5 rows are the same width as the rest. -- Jan (SC)


5.     Pull your stitches just a little tighter and it should help with them being too loose. -- Erica


6.     To tighten up that loose edge and make it look like the other edge you need to go through the 2 last loops together. If you look at that last vertical stitch that you pick up, you will see another vertical one behind it, go through both of them together and 'wallah' the edge is as neat as the other one. -- Jacqui

Making A Pull Skein or Yarn Winder/Swift

     For those who don't know how to make small pull skeins from a skein of yarn, there is a good tutorial at:

Once Upon A Pattern: http://www.onceuponapattern.com/
for
How To Make A Pull Skein: http://www.onceuponapattern.com/custom/pullskein.html
(Since URLs and/or page names/links do change, I'm giving both URLs and how to find it at the site just as a precaution. One of my aunts taught me how to do something similar to this when I first started knitting. Make sure you don't wrap the yarn into a ball too tight or your yarn will be too stretched out when you use it. -- Cheryl)

1.      Scroll down and click on the link for "Free Stuff" which should bring up another page that you scroll down the left side, and click on the link for "How To Make A Pull Skein" This is also useful for storing remnants of yarn that are unwound and constantly tangle. Hope this helps someone. -- Bridget



2. You might also want to read Make Your Own Power Yarn Winder by Vicky R. Peterson to learn how to make your own yarn winder using an electric mixer.
   Here is another link to make your own yarn winder using Legos:
   Home-made Winder 1 and Home-made Winder 2 (Photos)
   
   -- Cheryl (a.k.a. Cinnaminn)



3. You can also try making your own yarn swift Make Your Own Yarn Swift by Anne Kuo Lukito who made a web page for how to make your own yarn swift without any special and fancy tools (no power tools) in just one evening.
   I also found these instructions for a different kind of yarn swift - Homemade Yarn Swift by Dave Zucker.
   FYI - A yarn swift is an adjustable device with jointed arms (which may look kind of like an umbrella) that opens out to adjustable circumferences to fit various sized yarn hanks/skeins. It clamps on a table or another surface and can usually be used in either a horizontal or vertical position.
   -- Cheryl (a.k.a. Cinnaminn)



4. For some more help with ball/skein winding & handling, try reading the information available on this page - Yarn Ball Handling by Earth Heart Designs.
   FYI - If you want to see pictures/photos of yarn swifts and/or winders, just go to Google Image Search and type in "yarn swift" or "yarn winder" in the text box and you are bound to see all kinds of them!
   -- Cheryl (a.k.a. Cinnaminn)

Miscellaneous

I'm not sure where to put the following just yet so for now I'll leave it here in miscellaneous until I figure/find out!

     You always go under the front vertical strand as usual but when you get to the end the way to make it the same as the right side is to insert it under the front vertical strand and also go under the short strand right behind it. If you turn the afghan to the right so you can see the side of the last stitch, you will see the front bar and if you tug on that strand you will see a short stand just left of the other strand you are tugging on and it will move, these are the strands that you go under and pull up a loop. Now your left side will look like the right side. If you don't want to edge later, you don't have to. -- Val

The first row up & back, is as usual then add a different yarn on the other end and do the same. You work the second yarn into the loops of the first. I usually make a loop on the second thread to start, crochet one row up & back then again pick up the yarn on the other end (first yarn) and continue, use a light and dark color until you get use to seeing the difference. Rotate until you have what you need. -- Wilma Walker

Also known as cro-hooking. : ) You would turn the first couple of rows and make sure that you have a double ended hook to do this. -- Val

What is Mocheting?

     Mocheting is nothing more than Tunisian crochet (also known as the afghan stitch) but it is done with the MoEZ hooks. Mo stands for Monte and EZ because they are so much E Z er. Monte one day coined the phrase..."why crochet when you can Mochet?" I told the list and it stuck. -- Val

MoEZ URLs

MoEZ Unlimited: http://www.moezunlimited.com/

General info & Links: http://community-2.webtv.net/CrochetIt/ICrochetItWithMoEZ/

To Buy Hooks: http://www.moezunlimited.com/hooks/default.html

To Learn Stitch: http://www.crochetcabana.com/specialty/tunisian.htm

For Cast-on Instructions (to put the first row of loops on):
http://www.dnt-inc.com/barhtmls/knit/dblco.html

For Stitch Varieties: http://hischild64.tripod.com/index.html and/or https://www.angelfire.com/planet/hischild1964/

For Row Counts (Linda): https://www.angelfire.com/ny5/diznemom/ and/or http://www.geocities.com/ldiznemom/

Many MoEZ hints are available on Angie's sites at Tripod & her new one at Angelfire as well as at both of Linda's sites at Angelfire and Geocities.

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