Mar
Starting with Dishcloths Because They’re Actually Useful
Okay so dishcloths are honestly where you should start and I made like fifteen of them in spring 2022 when I was basically living at my apartment alone after my roommate moved out. They’re just squares. That’s it. You make a square and suddenly you have something that actually works in your kitchen instead of another decorative thing sitting around.
The pattern is literally just chain however many stitches you want – I usually did like 25 or 30 – and then you single crochet back and forth until it’s square shaped. You don’t even need to count rows because you can just eyeball it. When it looks square, you’re done.
I used Lily Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn because that’s what everyone uses for dishcloths and it’s like three dollars at Walmart. The 100% cotton ones, not the acrylic ones because acrylic melts if it gets too hot and also doesn’t absorb water properly which defeats the whole purpose. Peaches & Crème is the same thing basically, different brand name but same type of yarn.
What annoyed me was that my edges kept getting wavy and uneven because I kept accidentally adding or losing stitches. You’re supposed to count but who actually wants to count 30 stitches every single row? Not me. Eventually I just accepted that my dishcloths were gonna be slightly wonky rectangles instead of perfect squares and honestly they still worked fine.
The Chain Stitch Thing Everyone Has to Learn First
You can’t make anything without knowing how to chain so that’s step one. Make a slipknot, put it on your hook, then yarn over and pull through. That’s one chain. Do it again. That’s two chains. Keep going until you have a row of what looks like tiny connected loops.
I remember sitting on my couch watching The Office for the millionth time and just practicing chains while Jim was doing another prank on Dwight or whatever. My cat kept trying to attack the yarn which was… not helpful but also kind of entertaining.
Your chains are probably gonna be too tight at first. Everyone does this. You gotta relax your hands and let the yarn move through more loosely. If your chains look all scrunched up and tight, they’re too tight. If they’re all loose and loopy with big gaps, they’re too loose. Somewhere in the middle is what you’re aiming for.
Single Crochet Is Your Best Friend
Once you can chain, single crochet is the next thing. Insert your hook into a stitch, yarn over, pull through the stitch so now you have two loops on your hook, yarn over again, pull through both loops. That’s one single crochet.
It sounds more complicated than it is. After you do it like fifty times it becomes automatic and you don’t even think about the steps anymore. But those first few rows are gonna be slow and you’re gonna mess up and that’s just part of it.
For dishcloths you just single crochet in every stitch across, chain one at the end, turn your work around, and single crochet back the other way. Over and over until it’s done. The chain one at the end is important because it gives you the height you need to start the next row – if you skip it everything gets weird and tight.
Scarves Are Boring But Easy
After dishcloths I made a scarf in summer 2024 which was stupid timing because who needs a scarf in July but I wanted to make something longer. Same concept as a dishcloth basically – chain a bunch, then single crochet forever until it’s scarf length.
I used Red Heart Super Saver in some blue color, maybe it was called Ocean or Delft Blue or something like that. Red Heart is acrylic and kinda scratchy when you first make something but it softens up after you wash it a few times. It’s also really cheap which matters when you’re making a scarf because scarves take SO MUCH YARN.
The annoying thing about scarves is they take forever and they’re boring. You’re just doing the same stitch over and over and over for like six feet of fabric. I got maybe two feet in and was already tired of it but I kept going because I wanted to finish something that wasn’t just a square.
Some people say to make skinny scarves so they go faster but then they don’t keep you warm so what’s the point? I made mine about 8 inches wide which meant I chained like 20 stitches to start? Maybe 25? I don’t remember exactly.
Granny Squares Seem Scary But They’re Not
Granny squares are worked in rounds instead of rows which feels different at first but they’re actually pretty forgiving. You start with a circle basically – chain 4, slip stitch to connect it into a ring, then chain 3 which counts as your first double crochet.
Wait I should probably explain double crochet. It’s taller than single crochet. You yarn over BEFORE you insert the hook, then insert into the stitch, yarn over and pull through so you have three loops on the hook, yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over again and pull through the last two loops. It makes a taller stitch that works up faster.
For granny squares you do clusters of double crochets with chain spaces between them. The traditional pattern is like… three double crochet in the ring, chain 2, three more double crochet, chain 2, and repeat until you have four groups with chain 2 spaces at the corners. Then slip stitch to join the round and start the next round.
I made my first granny square while I was supposed to be working from home and needed something to do with my hands during boring video calls where I didn’t need to talk. Just kept my camera angled so they couldn’t see my hands moving and made probably six squares during one particularly long meeting about quarterly projections or whatever.
The nice thing about granny squares is you can make a bunch of them and then connect them into a blanket later. Each square only takes like 15-20 minutes once you get the hang of it, so you can make one and feel accomplished instead of working on one giant project forever.
What Yarn to Actually Buy
For learning just get cheap acrylic. Red Heart Super Saver, Caron One Pound, Big Twist from Joann Fabrics, whatever’s on sale. Don’t spend money on fancy yarn until you know what you’re doing because you’re gonna make mistakes and mess things up and it’s better to mess up three dollar yarn than fifteen dollar yarn.
Medium weight yarn is called worsted weight or sometimes just “4” because yarn has this number system from 0-7 where 4 is right in the middle. That’s what you want. Not the skinny stuff, not the super bulky stuff, just the regular medium stuff. It’s easier to see your stitches and easier to work with.
Colors don’t really matter but lighter colors are easier to see what you’re doing. I learned on dark blue yarn and could barely see my stitches which made everything harder. Cream or light grey or pale blue would’ve been smarter choices.
Simple Coasters Because You’ll Actually Use Them
Coasters are just tiny dishcloths basically. Chain like 12 stitches, single crochet back and forth until it’s square. Takes maybe 30 minutes. You can make a set of four in one evening while watching TV.
I made a bunch of these as gifts in… I think it was winter 2023? My friend kept putting wet glasses directly on her coffee table and I was gonna buy her coasters but then thought I could just make them instead. Used Lily Sugar’n Cream again because cotton is better for absorbing water than acrylic.
You can do them in different colors to make a set. Or all the same color if you don’t wanna deal with changing yarn colors. Changing colors is kind of annoying when you’re starting out because you have to weave in all these loose ends afterward and – actually weaving in ends is probably the most annoying part of crochet in general. You finish the thing and then you still have to use a yarn needle to hide all the tail ends so they don’t show.
Headbands for When You Want Something Wearable
Headbands are good because they’re small but also something you can actually wear. You measure around your head, chain that length minus like an inch because it’ll stretch, then single crochet maybe 5-8 rows until it’s as wide as you want.
Then you sew the ends together to make a circle. Or you can do it in the round from the beginning but that requires learning magic circles and working in continuous rounds which is a bit more complicated for a first project.
I used Red Heart Soft yarn for mine because it’s less scratchy than Super Saver and you’re wearing it on your head so you want it to be comfortable. The regular Super Saver would probably be itchy. Red Heart Soft is still acrylic and still cheap but it’s got a nicer texture.
The thing about headbands is you really do need to measure and make sure it fits. I made one that was too small and it gave me a headache after like ten minutes of wearing it. Made another one too big and it just slid off my head constantly. The third one finally fit right.
Water Bottle Holders That Are Actually Practical
This is basically just crocheting a tube. You can either make a flat rectangle and sew up the side, or you can work in the round. For beginners the flat rectangle is easier.
Measure around your water bottle, chain that length, single crochet rows until it’s as tall as your bottle. Sew up the side seam. Done. You can add a strap if you want but honestly I never did because that requires figuring out how to attach it properly.
I made one of these for my Hydroflask in spring 2023 because the bottle would get all condensation on the outside and drip everywhere. The crocheted cover absorbs the water and also keeps it from clanging around when I put it in my bag.
Used Caron Simply Soft which is another acrylic but softer than Red Heart. It comes in a million colors. I did mine in grey because I was trying to be practical but you could do whatever color you want obviously.
The Hook Size Thing Nobody Explains Well
Hooks come in different sizes measured in millimeters. For worsted weight yarn you usually want a 5mm or 5.5mm hook, sometimes written as H-8 or I-9 in US sizing because we gotta make everything complicated with two different measurement systems.
The yarn label tells you what hook size to use. Just look at the wrapper and it’ll have a picture of a hook with a number. Use that size or close to it. If your fabric is coming out really stiff and tight, go up a hook size. If it’s all loose and holey, go down a hook size.
I started with a 5.5mm hook because that’s what came in the beginner kit I bought at Michaels. It had a hook, some yarn, and a little instruction booklet. The kit was probably overpriced compared to buying things separately but it was convenient and I didn’t have to figure out what to get.
Washcloths vs Dishcloths Basically The Same Thing
You can use the same square pattern for washcloths if you make them with cotton yarn. Same as dishcloths. Just a square. Use it in the bathroom instead of the kitchen.
I made a bunch in different colors so I could tell them apart – like blue for face, green for body, whatever. Probably didn’t matter but it made me feel more organized.
Cotton is important though. Don’t use acrylic for anything that touches your face or deals with water and heat. The acrylic can melt and also it doesn’t absorb anything so it just pushes water around instead of actually cleaning.
Pot Holders That You Probably Won’t Actually Use
Pot holders are another square project but here’s the thing – crocheted pot holders aren’t actually that great at protecting your hands from hot pots. The holes between stitches let heat through. You’d need to make them really thick or double layer them or add a fabric lining.
But they’re easy to make so people suggest them for beginners anyway. Just make a square, maybe do two squares and sew them together for extra thickness. Add a loop in the corner if you want to hang it up.
I made exactly one pot holder and never used it because I didn’t trust it to actually protect my hand. It’s sitting in a drawer somewhere. But it was good practice for making a square shape and keeping my tension even.
Why You’ll Probably Abandon Your First Project
Real talk – you’re probably gonna start something, get frustrated, and abandon it. That’s normal. I have like three unfinished scarves in a bag somewhere that I started and never completed because I got bored or messed up and didn’t wanna rip it out and start over.
This is why starting with small quick projects is better. A dishcloth takes like two hours max. A scarf takes forever. If you start with the scarf you might quit before you finish anything and then you don’t get that satisfaction of completing something.
Make the small stuff first. Make a bunch of dishcloths and coasters and washcloths until you’re comfortable with the basic stitches. Then move on to bigger projects once you know you can actually finish things.
The other thing is don’t try to follow complicated patterns at first. Just do simple shapes with basic stitches. All those fancy patterns with abbreviations and special techniques can wait until you’re comfortable with the fundamentals. You gotta be able to single crochet consistently before you start trying to do shells and popcorn stitches and whatever else.
