Mar
okay so first you need to get your supplies
I’m gonna tell you straight up what you actually need because most tutorials make this seem way more complicated than it is. You need a crochet hook and yarn. That’s literally it to start. I remember sitting in my apartment in summer 2024 trying to learn this because I was bored out of my mind and Netflix wasn’t doing it for me anymore, and I way overthought the supplies thing at first.
For your first project get a size H/8 (5mm) hook. Don’t get a tiny one because you’ll hate yourself. I used whatever was at Michael’s that day – I think it was a Boye hook? The aluminum ones are fine. Some people love those fancy ergonomic handles but honestly just get the basic one for like $4.
Yarn wise, Red Heart Super Saver is actually perfect for learning even though people online act like it’s garbage. It’s cheap, it comes in a million colors, and it’s thick enough that you can see what you’re doing. I used the “Soft Navy” color for my first thing. Avoid the really fuzzy yarn or anything called “eyelash yarn” because you won’t be able to see your stitches and you’ll want to throw it across the room.
the actual basic stitch everyone starts with
So the foundation of everything is the chain stitch. This annoyed me SO MUCH at first because my chains were all different sizes and looked drunk. But whatever, they don’t need to be perfect.
Make a slipknot first – loop the yarn, pull another loop through it, put that on your hook. Pull it snug but not tight. Now you’re gonna yarn over (wrap the yarn over your hook) and pull it through the loop. That’s one chain. Do that like 20 times to practice.
Hold the hook like a pencil or a knife, whatever feels normal. I hold mine like a pencil but my coworker holds hers like she’s about to stab something and her stuff turns out fine so there’s no one right way really.
single crochet which is the most basic actual stitch
Once you have your chain – let’s say you made 15 chains – you’re gonna work back across it. Skip the first chain (the one closest to your hook) and look at the second chain. You’ll see it has like a V shape on top and a little bump in back.
Insert your hook under that V. Both loops, not just one. Yarn over and pull through – now you have 2 loops on your hook. Yarn over again and pull through both loops. That’s a single crochet.
Do that in each chain across. When you get to the end, chain 1 and turn your work around. Now you’re going back the other way. Keep going back and forth until you have a little rectangle thing.
My first rectangle was a disaster honestly, it looked like a trapezoid because I kept missing stitches at the ends, but that’s normal. You’ll do that. It’s fine.
what the instructions actually mean when they say stuff
Patterns use abbreviations that seem like a secret code at first. Here’s what you’ll see constantly:
- ch = chain
- sc = single crochet
- dc = double crochet (confusingly, this is taller than single crochet)
- sl st = slip stitch
- yo = yarn over
- sk = skip
When a pattern says something like “sc in next 3 sts” it means do single crochet in the next 3 stitches. The “sts” is stitches. When it says “repeat from * to end” you’re gonna repeat everything after that asterisk symbol until you run out of row.
double crochet because you’ll need it pretty quick
Double crochet is taller and works up faster. You start with a yarn over BEFORE you insert the hook. So: yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through (now you have 3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through 2 loops (now you have 2 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through the last 2 loops.
It feels really awkward at first and I kept losing track of which step I was on. I was watching The Bear while trying to learn this and I had to keep pausing because I couldn’t focus on both things at once.
When you start a row of double crochet, you chain 3 at the beginning instead of chain 1. That chain-3 counts as your first double crochet, which is confusing but just… that’s how it works.
tension problems everyone has
Your tension is gonna be inconsistent. Some stitches will be loose, some tight. The yarn is supposed to slide through your fingers with even pressure but that takes time to figure out. I wrap the yarn around my pinky and over my index finger – some people do it totally different. Just find what keeps the yarn from flying everywhere but doesn’t give you a hand cramp.
The one thing that really annoyed me about learning this whole thing was how the yarn would split. Like you’re going along fine and then suddenly your hook goes THROUGH the yarn instead of under the stitch and everything gets messed up. This happens less with better quality yarn but it still happens. When it does you just gotta pull it out and redo it.
your first actual project should be a dishcloth
Forget amigurumi, forget complicated blankets. Make a dishcloth. It’s just a square. You can mess it up and it still works for dishes.
Chain 25. Single crochet in second chain from hook and in each chain across. Chain 1, turn. Single crochet in each stitch across. Repeat that last row until you have a square. When it’s square shaped, cut your yarn leaving like 6 inches, pull it through the last loop. Done.
I made probably five of these in summer 2024 and gave them to people who probably threw them away but whatever, I learned how to crochet.
For dishcloths you can use cotton yarn instead of acrylic. Lily Sugar’n Cream is the classic one everyone uses. It comes in solids and stripes and it’s cheap. The “Hot Green” color is actually really nice if you’re into bright stuff.
reading patterns without losing your mind
Patterns are written in a specific format that makes sense once you crack the code. They’ll usually tell you what size hook and how much yarn. Then they’ll list any special stitches. Then the actual instructions.
Here’s an example of what you might see:
Row 1: Ch 20, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (19 sc)
That number in parentheses is your stitch count. You should have 19 single crochets when you finish that row. Count them. I know it’s boring but count them because otherwise you’ll be on row 10 and suddenly have 30 stitches when you should have 19 and you won’t know where it went wrong.
When patterns say “repeat rows 2-5” they literally mean do those rows again in order. Then again. However many times they tell you.
working in the round vs working in rows
Everything I’ve talked about so far is working in rows – back and forth. Working in the round is different. You make a circle and go around and around in a spiral or in joined rounds.
For a basic circle: Chain 4, slip stitch to first chain to make a ring. Chain 1 (doesn’t count as stitch), make 8 single crochet into the center of the ring. Put a stitch marker in your last stitch so you know where the round ends.
Next round: 2 sc in each stitch around. (16 sc)
Next round: *sc in next st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around. (24 sc)
You’re increasing evenly to make it lay flat. This is how you start hats, amigurumi, all that stuff.
fixing mistakes without ripping out everything
Sometimes you’ll notice you missed a stitch three rows back. You can either rip back to that point (pull your hook out and pull the yarn to unravel it – called frogging because you “rip it rip it”) or you can just… keep going and ignore it if it’s not that noticeable.
I’ve done both. For a dishcloth? Keep going. For something you’re actually gonna wear or give someone? Probably rip it back.
My cat kept attacking my yarn while I was trying to learn this which made everything take three times longer. I had to shut her out of the room eventually.
what yarn to buy and what to avoid
Acrylic yarn is fine. It’s cheap and washable and good for learning. Red Heart Super Saver like I mentioned, or Caron Simply Soft which is a little nicer feeling. Bernat Blanket yarn is really thick and squishy if you want to make something fast, but it’s harder to see your stitches in it.
Avoid really cheap yarn from the dollar store because it can be splitty and annoying. Also avoid anything that sheds a lot or has weird texture until you know what you’re doing.
Cotton yarn like Lily Sugar’n Cream or Aunt Lydia’s is good for dishcloths, market bags, that kind of thing. It doesn’t stretch like acrylic.
Wool is expensive and you don’t need it yet. Same with fancy hand-dyed stuff that costs $30 a skein.
understanding yarn weight numbers
Yarn comes in different thicknesses called weights. The label will have a number:
- 1 = super fine (sock yarn, really thin)
- 2 = fine
- 3 = light (DK weight)
- 4 = medium (worsted weight – this is what you want for learning)
- 5 = bulky
- 6 = super bulky
- 7 = jumbo
Stick with 4 (medium/worsted) for your first projects. It works with that H/8 hook I told you to get and it’s not so thin that you can’t see what you’re doing or so thick that it’s hard to manipulate.
common problems and what’s actually happening
Your rectangle is getting wider: You’re probably adding stitches by accidentally working into the chain-1 turning chain or by making 2 stitches in one spot without meaning to. Count your stitches each row.
Your rectangle is getting narrower: You’re missing the last stitch of each row. The last stitch is always hard to see. Make sure you’re working into it.
Your edges are loose and loopy: You might be chaining too loosely when you turn, or your tension is off. This fixes itself with practice honestly.
You can’t find where to put your hook: Make sure you’re going under both loops of the V at the top of each stitch. Sometimes they hide.
Everything is curling: If you’re making a circle and it’s ruffling up, you increased too much. If it’s cupping, you didn’t increase enough.
specific things patterns might tell you that are confusing
Front loop only (FLO) or back loop only (BLO): Instead of going under both loops of the V, you only go under the front loop or the back loop. This creates a ridge effect.
Working in the back bump of the chain: When you make your foundation chain, instead of working under the V, you work under that bump on the back. It looks cleaner but it’s also harder to see what you’re doing.
Invisible decrease: For amigurumi, instead of doing a regular decrease which leaves a little hole, you do this thing where you insert your hook through the front loop of two stitches, then yarn over and pull through both front loops, then yarn over and pull through both loops on hook. It’s smoother looking.
Magic ring: Instead of chaining 4 and slip stitching to make a ring, you do this adjustable ring thing. There’s videos for this because it’s hard to explain in text, but basically you wrap the yarn around your fingers in a specific way that lets you pull it tight after you work your first round so there’s no hole in the center.
how long stuff actually takes
A dishcloth takes maybe an hour once you know what you’re doing. When you’re learning, maybe three hours because you’ll mess up and redo stuff.
A simple scarf might take 5-10 hours depending on length.
A blanket is like… 20-100 hours depending on size and stitch. Don’t start with a blanket. Everyone wants to start with a blanket and it’s a mistake because you’ll get bored halfway through and then you’ll have this unfinished thing judging you from the corner.
where to find patterns
Ravelry is the big database of patterns. You need a free account but then you can search by skill level, yarn weight, project type, all that. Filter for “free” if you don’t want to pay.
YouTube is honestly better for learning than written patterns at first. You can watch someone do it and pause and rewind. Look for videos that show the person’s hands clearly and don’t have a ton of talking over it that’s distracting.
Just googling “easy crochet patterns for beginners” will get you a million blog posts with free patterns. Most are fine, some are poorly written. You’ll figure out which is which.
gauge and why patterns mention it but you can ignore it at first
Gauge is how many stitches and rows you get per inch with a specific yarn and hook. Patterns will say something like “16 sc and 18 rows = 4 inches”. This matters a lot for fitted clothing because if your gauge is off, your sweater will be the wrong size.
For dishcloths, scarves, blankets – gauge doesn’t really matter that much. It’ll just be slightly bigger or smaller than the pattern intended. So don’t stress about it yet.
When you do want to check gauge, you make a little square swatch, measure it, and if it’s not matching the pattern you either change hook size or just accept it’ll be a different size.
weaving in ends which is the worst part
When you finish a project you’ll have yarn tails hanging off it. You need to weave these in so they don’t come undone. Thread the tail through a yarn needle (big plastic needle with a blunt tip) and weave it through the backs of your stitches for a few inches, changing direction once. Then cut it close.
I hate doing this part. Everyone hates this part. But you gotta do it or your thing will fall apart eventually.
joining new yarn when you run out
When you’re running out of yarn – leave at least 6 inches before you run out completely – just start using a new ball. Leave a tail on the old yarn and a tail on the new yarn, and start crocheting with the new one. Later you’ll weave both tails in. Some people tie knots but that can create bumps, so I just crochet over the tails a bit to secure them and then weave in the ends.
Okay that’s most of what you need to know to actually start making stuff. The rest is just practice and learning more stitches which are all variations of what I already explained – half double crochet is between single and double, treble is taller than double, all that. But you can make tons of stuff just with chain, single crochet, and double crochet honestly.
