Flexible Tape Measures
Corrina FergusonDescription
Once you’ve learned the crochet basics, there are a few extra tools that you’ll need to complete your projects. In this video, Corrina Ferguson discusses flexible tape measures and their uses in your projects. A tape measure is one of the most important notions you can have in your crochet bag, so you’ll want to know all about them and how to choose the right one for you.
Flexible tape measures come in a variety of lengths and types. The retractable tape measure is useful because it doesn’t take up a lot of space in your crochet bag, and the tape measure won’t become tangled in your yarn or project. If you need to measure something that’s much longer, like the wingspan of a shawl or large afghan, you might find a traditional flexible tape measure useful. These tape measures are typically much longer in length, making it easy to measure your large project. Like many crochet notions, it’s about personal preference and finding the tape measure that works best for you.
Corinna notes that flexible tape measures can become stretched out, meaning that they won’t be able to take an accurate measurement. It’s important to check the flexible tape measure against a ruler occasionally to make sure that it is still measuring accurately.
One secret weapon that Corrina uses for measuring on the go is US currency. She uses a $10 bill to measure, noting that it is almost 6 inches. The bill can be folded to take smaller measurements, although these measurements become less accurate. While this method can’t measure your crochet project precisely, it’s a great tool when in a pinch!
One of the things you'll find out quickly when you're learning to crochet is that you gotta have a way to measure your work. Hi, I'm Corrina Ferguson, and in this video, we'll talk about measuring tapes, measuring your work, and a sneaky tip to measure on the go. So let's take a look at flexible tape measures. And when we say flexible tape measures, we just mean measures or rulers that are made of a fabric, or I think these are actually kind of vinyl and stuff, and they're super easy to use and carry around when you're working with your crochet work. You can just lay them out and say, "Oh, my washcloth is 5 3/4 inches," gotta stretch it a little bit there. And they come in this format, which is a lot of times you'll see these in sewing kits or sewing boxes. And then they come in the retractable kind. So this one has a little button, you pull it out, you make your measurement. Hey, do we get the same measurement? Hopefully we do. And they're very nice if you have something that is not straight or flat, 'cause you can wrap the tape measure around it. So these are the kind of rulers that I suggest that you keep in your crochet to-go kit. One of the things, though, about these flexible ones is they can stretch out, so it's a good idea every so often to take an immovable ruler such as my metal one here, and say "Okay, it's five inches, five inches on here." So we lay it up and we're like, "Yep, we're good. It hasn't stretched out." And you should do that every so often with flexible ones just because they can stretch out, and a little tiny bit's not gonna make a huge difference in your work, but if it gets super stretchy and you're trying to be precise, it could be a problem. The other thing I want to show you about flexible tape measures or measuring your work on the go is my secret weapon. My secret weapon does not cost $10. My secret weapon could also be a $1 bill. It was amazing to me how much I had to hunt around to find any cash in our home. We don't carry cash anymore. But it's a good idea to always have a dollar with you as part of kind of your on-the-go crochet kit, because a dollar bill is almost exactly six inches. It's just a little smidge over. We get maybe a 1/16, 1/8 over, and it's really, really nice if you are on the go in the car, your significant other is driving you down the road, and you want to measure how far you've gotten on the sleeve or whatever, you have a buck, any kind'll do, you know they're all the same size. And it tells you, for example, we know that this washcloth is about 5 3/4 inches. So yeah, that makes it, and then you can fold it in half and be like, Oh, here's three inches. And when you get down to like the inch, if you go like this, it's not quite as precise, but it's very close, and it's a good little keep one in your wallet just for any measuring emergencies. Thank you so much for joining me to learn about measuring your work. Check out our website for more great videos.
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