Beginner Crochet Instructions
- A selection of various sized crochet hooks is essential for every crocheter. Yarn hooks are composed of lightweight aluminum, vinyl or plastic, with a handle approximately 6 inches long. The curved end, or hook, creates larger or smaller stitches depending on the depth of the curve. A size is assigned to the hook based on the hook depth, aiding in creating the correct finished stitch size. Sizes range from letter B, the smallest, to Q, the largest. B hooks are approximately 2.25 mm, generally used for making detailed crafts and some clothing items. To create rugs or work with chunky yarn, the 15 mm Q hook forms the necessary large stitches.
- The language of crochet is a clever blend of acronyms, symbols and abbreviations that create a road map (called a pattern) for artists to follow. "Beg", the abbreviation for beginning, "prev" (previous), "cont" (continue) and "grp" (group) all refer to a specific set of stitches within the instructions. "Bet" (between), "sk" (skip) and "sp"(space) indicate where to place the following stitch. "Tog" (together) instructs the crocheter to work stitches as one unit, while "WS" (wrong side) and "RS" (right side) indicates the work facing away from you or towards you. Finally, "R" or "Rs" refers to row or rows, indicating the current line of stitches you are creating.
- Start by practicing a basic chain stitch, connecting them in a row until you are comfortable managing the hook and yarn together. Pull an end from your yarn and give about 2 feet of slack. Make a slip knot with a loop large enough to put the hook through. Hold the hook in your dominant hand and the slip knot in the other. Lightly pinch the knotted loop and the tail end with your thumb while working to hold it in place. Insert the hook through the loop, set the yarn over the hook from back to front, and pull the yarn on the hook through the loop. You have made your first chain stitch (st). It is from this basic stitch that all crochet projects are made.
- Once you have a row (R) of chain stitches, you are ready to build a second row. With the finished line of chain stitches in your non-dominant hand, insert your crochet hook through the front loop of the first stitch (closest to the hook) in your finished row. Set the yarn over the hook, gently pinching the slack with your fingers to keep it in place, and pull the yarn through the loop. Now yarn over (yo) once again and pull through both loops on the hook. This is the first stitch of the second row in single crochet. Continue across the row until the end. When you reach the final stitch, chain stitch one loop and turn to the wrong side (WS) of your work. This side now becomes the right side (RS) as you continue single crocheting across. The basic single crochet can be modified to create different patterns and combinations of stitches.