How to Start Crocheting: Tools and Your First Stitches

Want to learn crochet but are not sure where to begin? With a suitable hook, easy-to-see yarn and a few simple movements, you can make your first practice swatch. This guide takes you from a slip knot to your first rows of single crochet.

What you need

• A hook that suits your yarn. Check the size on the yarn label. A 4–5 mm hook is a comfortable starting point for many medium-weight yarns.
• Light-coloured, smooth yarn. Stitches are easier to see than with dark, fluffy or novelty yarn. One ball is enough for practice.
• Scissors and, optionally, a stitch marker to mark the beginning of a row.

Hold the hook comfortably and keep your grip relaxed so your fingers can move freely.

1. Make a slip knot

Photo: Postmodest, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

1. Make a loop, leaving a tail about 10 cm (4 in) long.
2. Insert the hook through the loop and catch the yarn connected to the ball.
3. Pull that strand through the loop, then gently tug both strands to adjust the knot.

The knot should hold without gripping the hook. The loop must still slide along it.

2. Crochet a starting chain

Photo: Stilfehler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

A starting chain is often the foundation of a crochet project.

1. Bring the working yarn over the hook. This is called a yarn over.
2. Pull the yarn through the loop already on the hook.
3. Repeat until you have 11 chain stitches. Do not count the loop on the hook.

Keep the chains even. If they are too tight, relax your grip or use a slightly larger hook for the chain.

3. Make your first single crochet stitches

Photo: Stilfehler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

With a chain of 11, make 10 single crochet stitches. This is US terminology; the same stitch is called double crochet in UK patterns.

1. Starting from the hook, skip the first chain and insert the hook into the second.
2. Yarn over and pull up a loop. You now have two loops on the hook.
3. Yarn over again and pull through both loops.
4. Repeat in each chain to the end. You should have 10 stitches.

4. Continue in rows

Single crochet swatch: Kawan856, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Chain 1, turn your work, then make one single crochet in each stitch of the previous row. In this exercise, the chain 1 does not count as a stitch. You should still have 10 stitches at the end of each row.

Count your stitches before turning. A marker in the first or last stitch can help you keep track of the edges.

Helpful tips

• If your edges narrow, you may be missing a stitch at the end of a row. Count before turning.
• If the starting chain is hard to work into, loosen your grip and try again.
• Names and symbols vary between patterns. Check the pattern key before you begin.

Take your time and count your stitches. A steady rhythm comes with practice.