As you can probably tell, I love crochet. It’s so much fun, and there are so many pretty stitches to use, and you can make pretty much anything! It’s a skill that every crafty person should learn, in my opinion.
To newcomers, all the stitches, hooks, gauges, and types of yarn can be confusing and overwhelming. But don’t worry! It’s super easy once you get the hang of the basics. All it takes is a little practice, and some help from the internet.
Supplies
Let’s talk about what is essential to get started crocheting: yarn and hooks. And eventually scissors. That’s it!
For beginners, I recommend grabbing a pack of aluminum hooks, like these Susan Bates hooks. I always start off with budget-friendly supplies when I’m learning something new. That way if I don’t like it for some reason, I haven’t wasted money on the most expensive tools on the market.
As far as yarn choices, I would start with a worsted weight yarn (such as Big Twist Value Worsted Yarn). It’s easy to hold and produces defined stitches, and value yarn usually has hefty skeins (Big Twist linked above is about 371 yards of yarn) for lots of practicing.
Getting Started: Chain Stitch
So you’ve got your yarn and your hook and you’re ready to start! But how do you start? Well I’ll tell you! It’s very easy.
To start, make a slip knot, leaving a loop of yarn, and insert the hook into the loop.
Next, yarn over the hook and pull the yarn through the slip knot loop.
You’ve made your first chain!
Note: There should only be one loop on the hook at a time when chaining. Yarn over again and pull through the loop on the hook.
For this example, repeat until your chain consists of 12 stitches (not including the loop on the hook).
Basic Stitch: Single Crochet
Now you’ve got your chain started and you’re ready to work your first practice row!
The first stitch that we’ll start off with is single crochet. Single crochet is a basic stitch, used frequently in patterns. It’s a very versatile stitch, and it’s included in a bunch of other stitch combinations as well. Single crochet is usually abbreviated in patterns as SC.
To make your first single crochet, insert the hook into the top of the second stitch from the hook.
You should now have two loops on the hook.
Using the hook, pull the yarn through the first loop on the hook.
Next, grab the yarn with the hook and pull through both loops on the hook. You will now have only one loop on the hook.
Insert the hook into the next stitch, and repeat the steps listed above.
Your single crochet stitches should look something like the photo above. Continue to the end of the row and sc in the last stitch.
To turn and begin the next row, you will need to chain one at the end of the row.
In patterns, this step will be listed as “ch 1, turn.” Next, turn your work. Your work should look like the following image:
Working a New Row
Insert the hook into the second stitch from the hook, not including the chain stitch. In this tutorial, the chain stitch acts as the first stitch of the row. This helps keep rows straight.
In this tutorial, we will insert the hook into both parts of the second stitch. Inserting the hook into the top loop (the loop closest to you/your hook) and inserting into the bottom loop (the loop closest to the first row) will give your rows a different look and texture. None of these techniques are wrong, and you can choose which way you prefer as you go along. I personally like to use the top loop, but it depends on the pattern or stitch specifications.
Next, pull the yarn through the first two loops on the hook. You should have two loops on the hook.
Draw the the yarn through both loops on the hook. Next, sc until the end of the row.
The last stitch in this row will be your chain 1 from the previous row. Insert your hook and make a single crochet, then chain one again to turn.
And that’s it! That’s the basic single crochet stitch. Single crochet is used to make so many different items and stitch variations, and creates a thicker fabric as opposed to some other stitches (like treble/triple crochet, which I will explain how to do in another post!).
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments! Happy crocheting!
