I started my journey of learning how to crochet just a few months ago in September because I was trying to find a hobby to fill up my free time between class, homework and my organizations. I wanted the hobby to be relaxing and rewarding. I’d heard about crocheting through new friends as fun facts, on Pinterest with tutorials and on TikTok as people showed what new things they had made recently. When I saw the variety of crocheted projects––wall decoration, clothing, accessories and even stuffed animals––I knew it’d be a hobby for me. I knew how to sew, but crocheting seemed like a less difficult way to make clothes, which was what I was most excited to make.
Materials You’ll Need
To begin your crocheting journey, you’ll obviously need the supplies to do it. My suggestions are:
Yarn
Find a medium hue colored yarn. Dark-colored like black or navy and light-colored yarn like white make it difficult to see your stitched, an essential part in learning how to crochet.
To shop for yarn, my mom recently brought to my attention the clearance and sale bins that are typically up in craft stores like Michael’s and JOANN Fabrics. They even have these marked online so you can have them delivered to you or ready available for pick up. You don’t need to have any fancy yarns unless you have them easily available to you. You’ll mess up a lot your first few projects and you don’t want to spend a lot on yarn that you’re going to unravel and cut a lot.
Crochet Hook
If you know that your hands get tired easily from holding things (think of writing long essays with a pencil), you should consider purchasing a hook with a grip. If you’re confident that you’ll continue crocheting into the future, then you can get a pack of multi-sized hooks for projects that require smaller or larger width yarns. You can find packs of six hooks from sizes 3.75mm to 6.5mm.
These two simple items are all you need to get started! Some beginner’s guides may convince you to buy stitch markers and a yarn needle, but I never needed these items when I started learning. They may help and even speed up the process, but until you’re established and doing more complicated projects, you don’t need additional items.
Terminology to know
Many tutorials use abbreviations once you’re a few steps into the project that can get confusing very quickly if you’re not used to them. Here are common ones that you should know:
- CH – chain
- DC – double crochet
- HDC – half double crochet
- REP – repeat
- SC – single crochet
- SK – skip
- SL ST – slip stitch
- ST – stitch
- YO – yarn over
Easy projects to start with
Some projects that I believe are quick, easy and would help you learn some terminology include a granny square pot holder, a tube top and a tote bag. Granny squares are a very basic style of crochet and will help you learn how to combine multiple squares together for a final look. Tube tops are quite simple since they work in the round. A tote bag is another good option because there are so many styles and designs to choose from and plenty of options on how to make it. There are plenty of tutorials on Youtube and patterns available on the Internet (some are for free but most you have to pay for). You also can find inspiration on Pinterest or Tiktok to get you motivated!
I wish you the best of luck on your journey to learning how to crochet!