Feb
Starting With the Actual Basics Nobody Tells You
So you need to know that crochet hooks come in different sizes and honestly the first time I went to buy one I stood in the craft store for like twenty minutes because the packaging doesn’t make any sense. Get a 5mm hook (sometimes labeled as H/8) because it’s middle-sized and works with most yarns you’ll find. I started with a smaller hook once and my hands cramped up so bad I couldn’t text properly for two days.
For yarn, just grab Red Heart Super Saver or Caron Simply Soft from any big box store. They’re like $3-4 a skein and if you mess up who cares. I remember in January 2023 I was making my first real project—just a basic scarf—while binge-watching The Last of Us, and I probably ripped out the first six rows about fifteen times. Used this dusty rose colored Caron and my cat Freddie kept trying to attack the working yarn which made everything take twice as long.
The Chain Stitch Is Where Everyone Starts
You’re gonna make a slipknot first. Take your yarn, make a loop, pull another loop through it, put that on your hook. Then you chain—literally just wrap yarn over the hook and pull it through the loop that’s already there. Do this like 20 times to practice.
The thing that annoyed me so much about learning chains is that everyone says “keep your tension even” but nobody tells you what even tension actually FEELS like. My first chains looked like a snake that swallowed different sized rats. Some stitches super tight, some loose and floppy. You just gotta make like a hundred chains before your hands figure it out, there’s no shortcut.
Free Pattern Sources That Don’t Suck
Ravelry is the big one—it’s free to join and has thousands of patterns you can filter by skill level. The beginner tag is actually helpful there. YouTube is honestly better than written patterns when you’re starting because you can see what the hook is supposed to be doing. I learned mostly from videos anyway since I never took a class or anything.
Look for patterns that say:
- Dishcloths or washcloths
- Simple scarves (no fancy stitches)
- Granny squares
- Basic beanies worked in rounds
Avoid anything that mentions “lacework” or “thread weight” or “filet crochet” because that stuff is… well it’s not beginner friendly no matter what the pattern says.
Single Crochet Is Your Foundation
After you can chain, single crochet is next. You make a foundation chain, then insert your hook into the second chain from the hook (not the first one right next to your hook, the one before that), yarn over, pull through—now you have two loops on your hook. Yarn over again, pull through both loops. That’s one single crochet.
Do an entire row of these. When you get to the end, chain one and turn your work around. Keep going back and forth. This makes a dense, sturdy fabric that’s good for dishcloths and stuff.
I made probably six dishcloths before attempting anything else because they’re small and if you mess up it doesn’t matter since it’s just gonna clean your kitchen. Used Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton for those, the label comes off easy in the wash which is nice.
Reading Patterns Won’t Make Sense at First
Crochet patterns use abbreviations that look like alphabet soup. ch = chain, sc = single crochet, dc = double crochet, hdc = half double crochet. There are charts you can find online that list all of them but honestly just keep a tab open on your phone with the abbreviations until you memorize them.
Most beginner patterns will write out instructions like: “Ch 25, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (24 sc)”
That number in parentheses at the end tells you how many stitches you should have. COUNT YOUR STITCHES. I cannot stress this enough. I’ve gotten halfway through projects before realizing I was gaining or losing stitches each row and the whole thing was turning into a wonky trapezoid.
Double Crochet Works Up Faster
Once you’re comfortable with single crochet, try double crochet. It’s taller so your projects grow faster. Yarn over first, THEN insert hook into the stitch, yarn over and pull through (three loops on hook now), yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over again and pull through the last two loops.
I made a blanket with just double crochet stitches in like… March 2023 I think? Used Bernat Blanket yarn which is super chunky and soft. It’s basically impossible to mess up because the stitches are so big you can see everything clearly. The blanket turned out kinda ugly honestly—I did random stripes with colors that didn’t quite match—but it’s warm.
Actual Good Beginner Projects
Start with a dishcloth. Seriously. Chain 25, single crochet in rows until it’s square shaped. Done. You made something functional.
Next try a simple scarf—just keep making rows until it’s long enough to wrap around your neck. No increasing or decreasing or shaping, just a long rectangle. I made one during that breakup period and it was weirdly therapeutic to just do the same stitch over and over while watching TV or whatever.
Granny Squares Are Everywhere for a Reason
Granny squares seem complicated but they’re actually just clusters of double crochets with chains between them, worked in rounds instead of rows. There are about ten million free patterns for these online. Once you make one square you can make a hundred and sew them together into a blanket.
The traditional granny square starts with a magic ring or chain 4 and join. Then you do: ch 3, 2 dc in ring, ch 2, *3 dc in ring, ch 2* repeat three more times, join to top of beginning chain. That makes the center.
Each subsequent round you’re putting clusters of 3 dc in the chain spaces and making corners with (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in each corner space. It sounds like gibberish but when you watch someone do it on video it clicks.
Tension and Gauge Don’t Matter Until They Do
Most beginner projects don’t require specific gauge—that’s the measurement of how many stitches fit in a certain space. But if you’re making something that needs to fit like a hat or a sweater, gauge matters a lot. If your stitches are tighter than the pattern expects, your finished thing will be too small.
I never bothered with gauge swatches for my first year of crocheting because I was just making blankets and scarves. The first time I tried to make a hat though it came out sized for like… a five-year-old maybe? Even though I followed the pattern exactly. Turns out I crochet pretty tight.
Common Mistakes You’ll Definitely Make
Forgetting to work into the first stitch of a row because it’s hard to see. This makes your work gradually narrower.
Working into the chain at the end of a row thinking it’s a stitch. This makes your work wider.
Splitting the yarn with your hook instead of going through the actual stitch. Makes everything look messy.
Not counting stitches and just hoping for the best. Never works.
Using yarn that’s too dark to see your stitches clearly. Black yarn is the enemy when you’re learning.
Tools You Actually Need
Get a basic hook set—you can find them for like $10-15 with sizes from small to large. Aluminum or bamboo, doesn’t matter much at the beginning. I started with a random set from Amazon that came in a purple case.
Scissors. Regular ones are fine.
Yarn needle for weaving in ends—it’s a big plastic needle with a blunt tip. You’ll need this because every project has yarn tails hanging off it that need to be hidden.
Stitch markers help you keep track of where rounds begin if you’re working in the round. Safety pins work too.
That’s it really. You don’t need fancy stuff. Those yarn bowls and ergonomic hooks and whatever else—that’s for later if you get really into it.
Where to Actually Find Free Patterns
Ravelry has the biggest database but the interface is kinda clunky. Use the filters.
YouTube channels: Bella Coco, Jayda InStitches, The Crochet Crowd. They have video patterns where you follow along.
AllFreeCrochet website has tons of patterns organized by category.
Pinterest links to patterns but half of them are broken links or take you to sites trying to sell you stuff, so it’s hit or miss.
Yarnspirations has free patterns and they’re usually well-written since they’re from the actual yarn companies—Bernat, Caron, Red Heart patterns are all on there.
Working in Rounds vs Rows
Rows go back and forth—you chain and turn at the end of each row. Rounds go in circles without turning. Hats, amigurumi (stuffed animals), and some blankets are worked in rounds.
When you work in rounds you either join each round with a slip stitch and chain up, or you work in a continuous spiral. Continuous spiral is easier but you need a stitch marker to track where your round starts or you’ll get completely lost.
I find rounds more confusing than rows honestly because you have to pay attention to whether you’re working into the front loops, back loops, or both loops of stitches, and which direction things are facing gets weird. But hats require rounds so you gotta learn it eventually.
Increasing and Decreasing Shapes Things
Increasing means adding stitches—usually by putting two stitches in the same stitch from the previous row. This makes your fabric wider.
Decreasing means reducing stitches—you work two stitches together into one. This makes your fabric narrower.
Patterns will tell you where to increase or decrease. For a basic beanie you increase in early rounds to make the circle bigger for the crown, then stop increasing and work even for the sides, and you don’t decrease at all because it needs to fit over your head.
I made a really lopsided beanie once because I thought I was supposed to decrease at the end but… anyway that’s trial and error for you.
Fixing Mistakes Without Starting Over
If you spot a mistake a few stitches back, just rip out to that point. Literally pull your hook out and unravel the yarn until you get to where the mistake is, then put your hook back in and continue. It’s not a big deal even though it feels devastating the first few times.
If the mistake is way back and the project isn’t something that needs to be perfect, sometimes you just leave it. I have a scarf with a random extra stitch about halfway through that makes it slightly wider on one side. Still functions as a scarf.
Dropped stitches—where you accidentally skip a stitch—are easier to prevent than fix. Just count your stitches every few rows.
Yarn Weight Actually Matters
Yarn comes in different thicknesses called weights. The label will have a number 0-7 usually:
- 0-1: Lace, thread (don’t bother as a beginner)
- 2: Sport weight
- 3: DK or light worsted
- 4: Worsted or medium (THIS IS WHERE YOU START)
- 5: Bulky
- 6: Super bulky
- 7: Jumbo
Most beginner patterns use worsted weight (4) because it’s easy to work with and your stitches are visible. Red Heart Super Saver, Caron Simply Soft, Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice—all worsted weight.
The label also tells you what hook size to use. For worsted weight it’s usually that 5mm I mentioned earlier, or sometimes 5.5mm.
Just Pick a Simple Pattern and Start
Stop researching and just make something. Search “easy crochet dishcloth pattern free” and pick literally any of the first results. Get your hook and yarn and make the thing. It’ll probably look wonky. That’s fine. Make another one. It’ll look better.
I spent like two weeks watching tutorials and reading about crochet before actually trying it and that was kind of a waste because you don’t really understand anything until the hook is in your hand and you’re physically doing it.
The muscle memory takes time. Your hands will feel awkward and you’ll drop the hook and the yarn will twist wrong and you won’t know if you’re holding things correctly. Doesn’t matter. Just keep going. After like 5-10 hours of actual crocheting it starts to feel less weird.
Also your hands might hurt at first—take breaks. I gave myself a repetitive strain thing in my wrist once from crocheting for like four hours straight without stopping because I was determined to finish this stupid… I don’t even remember what it was. A potholder maybe.
