Beginner’s Guide to Crochet: Start Here

Crochet looks hard from the outside, but the whole craft is built from one loop, one hook and a handful of stitches. This guide gives you everything you need to make your first square and to read the patterns on this blog with confidence.

What you need to start

• A hook: a 4 mm (G-6) hook is a good first size. Aluminium hooks are smooth and fast; wooden or bamboo hooks grip the yarn more.
• Yarn: choose a light-coloured smooth cotton or acrylic in worsted weight (also called medium or 4). Dark and fuzzy yarns hide the stitches and make learning harder.
• Basic tools: scissors, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends, stitch markers and a tape measure.

The five things to learn first

1. Slip knot: the loop that starts every project. It sits on your hook and is not counted as a stitch.
2. Chain (ch): pull a new loop through the loop on your hook. A row of chains is your foundation.
3. Single crochet (sc): insert the hook into a stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through both loops. It makes a tight, flat fabric.
4. Half double crochet (hdc): a little taller and softer than sc.
5. Double crochet (dc): yarn over before you insert the hook. It is taller, faster and makes a drapey fabric, so most bedspread squares use it.

US and UK terms are different

The same stitch has different names in the US and the UK, which is a common reason beginners get lost. All patterns on this blog use US terms.

• US single crochet (sc) = UK double crochet (dc)
• US half double crochet (hdc) = UK half treble (htr)
• US double crochet (dc) = UK treble (tr)
• US treble (tr) = UK double treble (dtr)

Turning chains and counting stitches

When you reach the end of a row you make a few chains before turning, so the new row starts at the right height. For sc this is usually 1 chain, for hdc 2, for dc 3. In many patterns the turning chain counts as the first stitch of a double crochet row, so always check what the pattern says. Count your stitches at the end of every row; if the number is wrong, fix it now, because it never gets easier later.

How to read a pattern

• Abbreviations: every pattern lists them at the start (ch, sl st, sc, dc and so on).
• Repeats: text inside asterisks or brackets is repeated, for example “[2 dc, ch 1] 4 times”.
• Numbers in brackets at the end of a round tell you how many stitches you should have. Check them.
• Rounds vs rows: motifs like hexagons and granny squares are worked in rounds, joined with a slip stitch or worked in a spiral.

Your first project

Make a flat square: chain 21, work sc in the second chain from the hook and in each chain across, then chain 1, turn and repeat until it is square. A 20-stitch square teaches tension, turning and counting. When you are happy with it, try the Pastel Granny Square Blanket or the Navy and Ivory Flower Bedspread, both marked Easy.

Common beginner mistakes

• Gripping too tight. If the hook hardly moves, relax your hand or go up a hook size.
• Adding or losing stitches at the edges. Count every row and mark the first stitch with a marker.
• Skipping the swatch. A small test square saves a lot of unpicking later.
• Splitting the yarn. Insert the hook under both loops of the “V” unless the pattern says otherwise.

Next, read our yarn guide before you buy for a big project. Questions? Get in touch.