As the air gets cooler and everyone puts on their winter clothes, you may notice a surplus of crocheted items. Hats, scarves, gloves, and even sweaters have been a favorite of crocheters for centuries. Although the intricate weaving may appear difficult, it only takes a few principles to learn how to crochet. 

Hooks and Yarn

Your bread and butter when crocheting. Unlike knitting, you only use one hook to crochet. There are different weights of yarn. For every weight (indicated on the packaging), there is a hook (indicated on the handle). You hold the hook in your right hand and feed it yarn with your left. Hold the hook like you are holding a pencil, so that you can move the end with dexterity. 

Understanding Crochet

Seeing a finished crochet project, it’s not intuitive how they’re formed. Most projects start with the slipknot.. From this base, the project will work in a side-to-side fashion, moving up as they do. Think of reading a page, except your eyes move up. Almost all projects are some variation of a rectangle.

The Slipknot

The slipknot is simple. Locate the end of your yarn. Make a loop, putting the “end” section of your yarn under the section that comes from the ball. Using the top thread, loop it under the circle you’ve made. Weave your needle into the circle and out again, so that only this central thread is on top of your needle. Then pull both on the thread and the needle. You have yourself a slipknot!

The Chain

Almost every project will ask that you “chain” (CH) at some point. With your slip knot, hold the yarn with your left hand and the needle with your right. Loop the yarn (attached the the yarn ball) counter-clockwise over the needle once. Pull this thread through the loop, and pull the thread taut so that it’s secure, but not too tight. Repeat this as many times as a project calls for. Typically you’ll see a project say “Ch #.” Chains are counted by the “space” between the two threads, so count the air.

Turning

When you get to the end of your chain, you will need to turn to make the project thicker. There are many ways to do this, but for now we will focus on turning with a “single crochet” stitch (SC/SCS). You will chain one, then go back to the second-to last stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch. Feed the hook your yarn, and pull through. You should have a loop on the end of your hook. Now continue to do this with the rest of the piece. When you turn a second time, make sure to chain one extra, and also to insert your hook under both of the threads that comprise a stitch.

Finishing

When you’re finished, you will go as if you’re going to chain into the air. You will pull through the thread, but instead of finishing, cut the yarn. Pull the now-loose end through. This should form a knot. You can weave the loose end into the piece, or cut it down to a little stub. Congrats! Your first crochet project!

Crochet is a craft that builds off of older skills. Once you’ve mastered the single crochet, you’ll be able to attempt harder stitches like double crochet, slip stitch, and treble crochet. Don’t worry about mistakes, you can always unravel your piece. Happy crocheting!