Looking for some new tops to wear this summer? Don’t want to spend a lot of money? Looking for a new hobby to pick up that’ll wow your friends? Well, do I have something to teach you!
Crochet is becoming more popular these days, especially on Etsy. I have been creating crochet projects for ten years now! This is a hobby I would recommend to anyone because of how low the cost can be, and you get to make pieces you can show off to others! Below, I have created an easy-to-follow tutorial that will teach you how you can make your own creations at home!
First off, what do you need to start crocheting?
Well, the main things are a crochet hook, yarn, and scissors. Yarn and hooks come in many different sizes, but what I would recommend to those who are just starting out is to get medium-weight yarn (number 4) as well as a hook that’s between 4.00-5.00mm. This will ensure that you are able to clearly see the loops that you are making and that you’re not starting off with something that’s too challenging. As for scissors, any kind will do if they’re sharp enough to cut through the yarn!
Okay, so you have your materials and are ready to start looping…what now?
The first step is to create a slip knot, while you could make any kind of looped knot that you like, it’s easiest to use a slip knot because you can tighten or loosen the yarn to your liking. To make a slip knot, first, pick the yarn up close to the end of the strand. Twist it clockwise to create a loop with the yarn. Reach through the center of the loop and grab the end of the strand heading towards the ball of yarn. Pull the strand through the center of the circle and carefully tighten the loop. Perfect! Now you should have a slip knot that widens and tightens as you pull it.
Next, we’re going to learn how to hold the crochet hook. Take the hook in your dominant hand. You can either hold it the same way you would a pencil or hold it the way you would a knife. With the hook facing towards your body, slip it into the slip knot you just made and pull the yarn snugly around the hook. The yarn should be snug, but not tight. You want to make sure you can easily maneuver the hook and the yarn together.
Now you’re ready to start crocheting your first chain! This part can be kind of tricky to figure out at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be making projects left and right! So, with the hook through your slip knot, take your non-dominant hand and hold the yarn like so: over your little finger, underneath your ring and middle finger, and over your pointer finger. This keeps the strand tight and easy to grab with the crochet hook. With the yarn in one hand and your hook in another, begin by wrapping your hook underneath your yarn, hooking it at the top of the crochet hook. You now have two loops on your hook. Take the top loop and gently pull it through the center of the second loop, you should now only have one loop on your hook and the beginning of a chain. Repeat this step again, and wrap underneath the yarn to make two loops on the hook. Pull the top loop through the center of the bottom one. Just like that, you now have a second chain to your project! Continue this for however long you’re looking to make the chain. While you’re just figuring out how to work with the yarn and hook, I would suggest just making a simple square. To do this, chain between 15-20 chains. Trust me, starting out with something as easy as this truly helps you to understand the technique and continue to more difficult projects.
Now, I’m going to teach you how to make a single crochet stitch, this is how you will grow length in your project. With your completed chain, you’re going to hold the yarn and hook so that your non-dominant hand is holding the chain tightly. With your hook, skip the first stitch (the one that your hook is currently in) and insert the hook into the stitch right next to it. Don’t wrap any yarn when you initially go into the stitch, this will create two loops on your hook. One from the last loop in your chain and the other being a part of the chain. Now, wrap underneath the string of yarn with your hook. You’ll have three loops on your hook. Pull the first loop only through the second loop on the hook. Now you’ll have two loops. Wrap the yarn once more and pull the first strand through the other two loops on your hook. You’ll be left with one loop on your hook. Continue this sequence in every stitch till the end of the row.
Once you have reached the last stitch in your chain, you’re going to have to go back the other way to continue making more rows. To do this, you’ll wrap the yarn once around your hook and pull the first loop through the second on the hook. This will have made a single chain and will be the beginning of your next row. Flip your work so that the chain is now resting towards your non-dominant hand rather than your dominant one. Take your hook and go into the first stitch of the row. (This will be the same stitch you just looped a single chain in.) Complete the same sequence as you did in the previous row. Slip the hook into the stitch, wrap once, pull through one loop, wrap again, and pull through two loops. Congratulations! You now know how to crochet!
For those who want a challenge, and to make their project go by faster, you could also create a half-double crochet stitch. While there are four different kinds of crochet stitches (single, half-double, double, and treble), I’m only going to teach the half-double crochet because it is one of the easiest and once you become more advanced, you can start working on your technique with the other kinds of stitches.
For half-double crochet, you’re going to make a chain the same way you did before. However, when you go to start making the stitches, you’re going to wrap the yarn once before inserting it into the chain stitch. So, wrap the yarn once, and insert it into the chain stitch. You’ll have three loops on your hook. Wrap the yarn again and pull through two loops. Now you’ll have two loops left on your hook. Wrap the yarn once more, three loops will be on the hook and pull through the remaining two loops. Amazing! You’ve just learned how to do half-double crochet!
Now that you know the basics of crochet, get out there and start practicing! I highly recommend going to YouTube or Etsy to find instructions on how to make certain pieces as you’ll be able to physically see what the teacher is doing and be able to compare it to your technique. There are so many amazing things that you can create with crochet! Plus, you’ll wow your friends with the trendy clothes you’re designing!
I hope this tutorial helps you all out and that you can start a new hobby! Thanks for reading! :)