Want To Learn To Crochet?
Easy Step By Step Guide for Absolute Beginners
So you want to learn crochet because of all those unbelievably beautiful crochet projects you've seen around on TikTok and the rest of the web?
Are you one of those people who remember someone teaching you crochet as a child, but then it somehow fell by the wayside?
Are you now considering picking up your crochet hooks and giving that wonderful hobby another shot?
Well if you are, then you're on to a great yarn adventure!!
Because you just landed on the blog post that will teach you all you need to know to learn crochet.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the Start Crochet links. Please see my disclosure for more details.
Crochet is one of those hobbies our moms or grandmothers tend to teach us when we’re kids, but many people have been able to pick up this wonderful skill just by watching online tutorials from crochet blogs and YouTube nowadays.
I personally fall into both of these categories.
My grandma taught me when I was about 6 years old, but I remember getting frustrated because my stitches were too tight and the yarn hurt my fingers!
I picked up this trending hobby again much later as an adult when I was pregnant with my daughter.
I had this urge to create something with my own hands for my soon-to-be born baby and so I watched YouTube videos and crocheted a cute baby blanket that carries so many sweet memories till today.
My first baby blanket I crocheted for my daughter
Along my crochet-learning journey, I not only discovered how enjoyable this hobby is, but that this artful skill has the most amazing benefits too! Crochet is good for you! Bonus Yay!!
I truly admire what crochet can do for moms specifically.
The ‘becoming a mom’ chapter of your life is a huge personal transition and so many factors suddenly change in our lives!
Being pregnant, our whole bodies are changing: our hormones are a mess, we gain weight (sometimes considerably!), we might get varicose veins, stretch marks, sore breasts, puffiness, mood swings, you name it, things are happening inside of us that we have no control over!
Finding a hobby like crochet is a life-saviour when it comes to pregnancy... and beyond, of course.
Healthy Crochet Benefits
Want to know why crochet is good for you? Well, crochet can help you relax when you’re stressed out. The repetitive stitching and counting is meditative and distracts from any negative thoughts, worries or feelings.
You’ll feel more mindful and calm after a bit of crocheting. This is super important for moms.
You can release tension and anxiety through crochet. We all know how we mothers constantly worry about a thousand things. It’s just part of being a mom.
But other than the therapeutic effects of crochet, I find this hobby so satisfying because the process of creating a crochet project is so exciting AND you have a finished product at the end that you can either use yourself, gift to your kids or your loved ones, or donate to charity, even.
Crochet is such a versatile hobby too.
You can take your projects with you in a small bag wherever you go (not like lugging around a sewing machine for sewing projects).
If you’re waiting around somewhere, it’s easy to whip out your crochet project and get working on it some more.
I always have a project with me in my handbag for when I’m watching the kids play at the playground or I’m waiting at a doctor’s office or a bank or something.
It makes you feel like you’re making good use of your time!
What is Crochet?
Crochet has been referred to as “Shepherd’ Knitting” and traces its origins to 19th century Europe.
It is a skill or hobby where you use yarn to create fabric, which you can turn into many different things.
Beginner Crochet Hook Size
You use a crochet “hook” as a tool. These hooks come in different sizes, materials, and lengths.
The Anatomy of a Crochet Hook
The basic materials of crochet include a crochet hook, some yarn and a pattern.
Crochet hooks come in different sizes, lengths and materials. They can be made of metal, plastic, wood, bamboo etc.
If you are a beginner crocheter, it's probably best to start with a beginner crochet hook size, a somewhat larger hook than a very small one. I'd recommend a 5mm or 6mm hook size to start off with.
Knitting vs. Crochet
Some people confuse crochet with knitting.
Knitting is a similar yarn-based craft, but uses 2 ‘knitting needles’ instead of just one ‘crochet hook’.
Knitting
Crochet
In Knitting, you cast all your stitches on the needle as you work your project. You then work them back and forth across the needles. If one stitch falls off, it can fall down which makes it difficult to fix.
In Crochet, you only have one stitch on your hook at a time (depending on the number of loops for that stitch), which means that if you lose a stitch, it’s easy to rip it off and backtrack your work. No problem!
Are you just learning how to crochet? Have a look at these awesome crochet kits, perfect for beginners! I wrote a complete hands-on review on The Woobles Kits for you 🙂
Knitting only has 2 types of stitches (knitting and purling). Crochet, on the other hand, has five basic stitches: slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, and triple crochet. These basic crochet stitches can be combined into a variation of about 200 other stitch types which makes for some very interesting and never-ending multi-directional project possibilities.
Crochet also tends to be faster than knitting. Some projects can be finished in just under an hour. There are lots of projects that are ideal for beginner crochet.
Crocheting generally uses up more yarn than knitting, but the sky’s the limit with what you can create with crochet! Clothes, toys, blankets, carpets, bags, beanies, scarves, jewelry, home decor, you name it!
Looking for some inspiration? Check out the Start Crochet Pinterest Boards
Conclusion
I personally prefer crochet because there is such a wide variety of stitches I can experiment with that give different outcomes and also, crocheting seems to be a wee bit faster than knitting, so I can actually create a finished project in a day or just a few hours sometimes.
Is It Easier To Learn Crochet Or Knitting?
Some people tend to believe that knitting is easier than crochet just because it only uses 2 types of stitches (knitting and purling).
I guess it’s a matter of preference, but I prefer crochet because it’s easier to fix a problem (if you lose a stitch, for instance), and it’s much more interesting for me because it has so many more stitches one can learn, use and combine, creating the most fascinating patterns.
All it takes is a bit of practice and once you’ve mastered a stitch, you’re ready to learn the next one.
How Can You Start To Learn Crochet Today!
It’s so easy to get started with crochet. All you need is:
Tips for Success in Crochet
Tip 1.
Learning to crochet is a process, just like you learned to tie your shoes as a child. It just takes a little bit of practice and once you get the hang of it, you’re good to go!
Tip 2.
Take it easy and have some patience when you’re first getting started with learning to crochet. Sit quietly with yourself, loosen up and practice, practice, practice! You’ll find yourself moving forward in now time at all!
Tip 3.
Try not to pull too tightly on the yarn and let it glide gently through your fingers as you’re moving along your stitches. You’ll know when you’re tension is too much when it’s difficult to insert your hook into the next stitch. In the beginning, I think it’s better to be too loose than too tight.
Tip 4.
To thread your tapestry needle: take yarn, fold over tapestry needle, pinch tightly, slide needle out, then push eye of the needle over the pinched folded yarn. If you find it impossible to get your yarn into the eye of the tapestry needle, then try a bigger needle. If you don’t have a tapestry needle, you could try substituting with a bobby pin instead. Just be careful with the second point of the bobby pin while stitching.
Tip 5.
To keep your ball of yarn from running all over the place, just place it in a colander and pass the yarn through one of the colander holes to stay in place.
Tip 6.
Pass a paperclip through your last stitch if you’re going to leave your work unattended, especially if you’ve got kids or furry creatures living with you!
Tip 7.
Organize your work in ziplock bags. Put your unfinished project, its yarn (including yarn tag just in case you need to buy more of it later on), hook and printed pattern in a ziplock bag to keep it all in one place so you can get back to it and continue working at any time. Mark where you stopped on your printed pattern so you can take it from where you stopped.
Tip 8.
When you’re done with your project, always leave about 10 cms of yarn to weave in at the end. If you cut them too short, your whole project can unravel.
Once you decide you'd like to get started with crochet, you'll have to start understanding the terms and abbreviations used in crochet patterns. Here's a little cheat sheet for you to get started.
CROCHET TERMINOLOGY &
STITCH ABBREVIATIONS
Free Printable
Learn Crochet: The Last Thing You Need to Know
Learning to crochet as a mom is such a beautiful thing!
If you have the urge to learn crochet online, and an internet connection, it’s really really easy to get that off your bucket list!
There are so many crochet websites, blogs with tutorials and YouTube videos out there that make an excellent job of teaching how to crochet, especially for beginners.
I'd recommend heading over the Bella Coco, Sewrella or Sigoni Macaroni.
Sigoni has a FREE Masterclass to Learn Crochet, which is really awesome!
So I can assure you, you’ll find it super exciting to get started with your new crochet hobby.
One of the best things of crochet is that it’s really affordable.
You only need to spend a couple of bucks for some crochet hooks and yarn. If you really want to be frugal, you could even go to a thrift store to source your hooks, yarn, tapestry needle and scissors.
Why not ask your family, friends or neighbours if they have a stash of yarn they don’t need? I asked once and got TONS of stuff right away!
Yarns or wool also come in thousands of different colours, textures, chunkiness, materials (and price ranges).
Clueless about yarn types? Here's a quick infographic to explain:
Like this infographic? Save it to Pinterest!
You can download this Yarn Fibers Printable in the "Printables" Page.
Beginner Crochet Projects
There are so many free patterns out there.
You don’t even have to spend any money at all getting a hold of some awesome crochet patterns you can follow step by step.
Check out some of my Free patterns here:
I recommend something really simple like crochet worry worms to start with.
You can take your crochet projects with you wherever you go and get some stitches done while waiting around.
If you have kids, know people who have kids, or just want to get a head start making pretty things for the babies you’ll have one day, start creating cute crochet baby beanies, baby blankets, toys, mobiles, headbands, or whatever tickles your fancy!
These make awesome personalized gifts.
It’s the most amazing feeling when you see someone you adore wearing something you personally made with your own two hands.
You put your time, effort and talent into creating a loving gift. Go on, give it a try! You’ll be so proud of yourself!
So, have I been able to convince you to try this new hobby?
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions I haven’t covered here.
I’ll be happy to answer them for you.
Want to Simplify Your Crochet Experience?
I've designed many printables you can download for FREE that'll help you with your crocheting. You'll find simple sizing templates, project trackers, free gift tags, crochet terms explained and much more. Head on over to the Start Crochet's Printables Page and download what you need.
One Last Thing... Free Online Courses
To Learn Crochet!
If you are keen on taking an online course to get you going with your crochet skills, you can get 2 months FREE on Skillshare!! Or check out more Online Crochet Classes here.
Take FREE Crochet Courses For 2 Months on SkillShare and help us earn $10 when you sign up!
