Learn crochet

Start with your first loop, or go straight to the stitch, join or problem in front of you.

From your first loop to a finished project

How to crochet for beginners

Learn to hold the yarn, make a starting loop, and crochet a small, straight practice strip.

Crochet supplies for beginners

Buy enough to learn comfortably. Add specialist tools when a project gives them a job.

How to read a crochet pattern

Find the stitch language, follow repeats and check your count before a small misunderstanding becomes a whole row.

First crochet washcloth: a simple square

Make a small cotton cloth in single crochet, count every row and stop when its measured height matches its width.

Finger crochet: make a chain with no hook

Finger crochet uses your index finger as the hook. Make a slip knot on your finger, then pull the working yarn through that loop again and again to make a chain. Chunky or super bulky yarn works best.

Decide whether crochet is for you

Knitting vs crochet: which is easier to learn?

For most beginners crochet is quicker to start and easier to fix: one hook, one live loop, and a mistake only unravels to that loop. Knitting uses two needles and keeps a whole row of live stitches, and makes a thinner, stretchier fabric that suits close-fitting garments.

What is crochet? A craft made with one hook and a loop

Crochet is a way of making fabric from yarn or thread with a single hook. Each stitch pulls a loop of yarn through another loop, so the work grows one stitch at a time; in standard crochet only one live loop stays on the hook between stitches.

Types of crochet: the methods and what each makes

Most crochet is standard crochet worked in rows or rounds. The other methods change the hook, the yarn path or the chart: Tunisian, corner to corner, filet, tapestry, mosaic, amigurumi, Irish lace and micro crochet.

Is crochet hard to learn? What the first week looks like

Crochet is not hard, but the first hour feels awkward: holding the yarn with steady tension takes practice. A good first evening is a chain and a row of single crochet; a small washcloth makes a good first project to finish over the next week or two of short sessions.

Crochet history: from shepherd’s hooks to granny squares

Crochet as we know it is about 200 years old. The first published patterns appeared in a Dutch magazine in 1823; the craft spread across Europe in the 1840s, Irish crochet lace grew during the famine years, and granny squares took off in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Crochet for kids: what age, which hook and first projects

The Craft Yarn Council’s teaching guide starts children with a hook from about 6; younger children can begin with finger crochet. Start with a 5 to 6 mm hook, smooth medium or bulky yarn in a light color, and a chain or a small square they can finish in one sitting.

Crochet slang and terms: frogging, WIP, yarn chicken and more

Crocheters have their own words: frogging is pulling out your work (“rip it, rip it”), a WIP is a work in progress, and yarn chicken is racing to finish a row before the ball runs out. Here are the ones you will meet in patterns and forums.

Shape, change yarn and join the pieces

Crochet increases and decreases

Shape crochet by changing how many new stitches you make from the old row. Count where the hook goes in separately from the loops on the hook.

How to crochet in the round

Choose a center, mark the first counted stitch and decide whether each round joins or continues in a spiral.

How to finish and join crochet

Fasten off, weave in the ends, and join two motifs without pulling their edges out of shape.

How to change colors in crochet: finish with the new yarn

Make the last pull-through of the old color with the new color. The next stitch then begins with the new yarn already on the hook.

How to join new yarn in crochet: secure the tails

Join a new ball on a stitch’s final pull-through. Keep both tails long enough to weave through the fabric, and check the join before trimming.

Foundation single crochet: chain and stitch together

Make a chain at the bottom of each foundation single crochet, then finish the single crochet above it. Keep the base chain separate from the stitch’s final pull-through.

Foundation double crochet: build the base as you go

Create a base chain before the two double-crochet pull-throughs. Each repeat adds one base chain and one double crochet.

How to join crochet squares with a flat sewn seam

Match the square edges stitch for stitch. Sew beneath corresponding inner loops with the right sides facing up, then draw the seam together without gathering it.

Crochet seams: choose a sewn, slip-stitch or raised join

Use a sewn seam for a flatter meeting edge, slip stitch for a crocheted join, or single crochet when you want the seam to stand above the fabric.

Crochet borders: keep sides flat and corners square

Start with an even single-crochet foundation border. Space stitches along row ends by how the edge lies, then treat each corner separately.

Right side and wrong side in crochet: how to tell them apart

The right side (RS) is the face that will show. In rounds, it is the face toward you as you work. In rows of single crochet the two sides look alike, so mark one; in taller stitches the stitch posts look different on the two faces.

Try another way of crocheting

Amigurumi basics: spheres, cones, stuffing and safety eyes

Amigurumi are small stuffed toys worked in tight single-crochet spirals. Increase 6 stitches a round to grow a flat circle, work even rounds for height, decrease 6 a round to close, and stuff before the opening gets small.

Tunisian crochet: the long hook and the two passes

Tunisian crochet keeps a whole row of loops on a long hook. Each row has a forward pass that picks up loops and a return pass that works them off two at a time; you never turn the work. The fabric is dense and looks woven or knitted.

Corner to corner (C2C) crochet: blocks on the diagonal

Corner to corner crochet builds a blanket from small blocks, each a chain 3 and three double crochets, worked on the diagonal from one corner. Increase a block at each end until the shorter side, then decrease to the far corner. Each block is one pixel of a chart.

Filet crochet: lace pictures from blocks and spaces

Filet crochet is a grid of open spaces (a double crochet and chain 2) and filled blocks (double crochets), worked from a chart. The blocks draw a picture or a pattern on the open mesh.

Tapestry crochet: colorwork with the yarn carried inside

Tapestry crochet changes color within a row and carries the unused color inside the stitches, so there are no floats on the back. It is usually worked in tight single crochet from a chart, and makes a dense fabric for bags, rugs and baskets.

Mosaic crochet: one color a row, dropped stitches

Mosaic crochet uses one color per row, so no yarn is carried across a row. Single crochets in the back loop make the background, and double crochets dropped down into the row two below draw the pattern. The result is a crisp geometric fabric.

Micro crochet: tiny stitches with fine thread

Micro crochet uses very fine thread and steel hooks of about 1 mm and smaller to make jewelry, miniature amigurumi and lace. The stitches are the same as ordinary crochet; only the scale changes.

Choose yarn, hooks and useful tools

How to choose a crochet hook

Choose diameter for the fabric, then choose a handle and head shape that fit how you work.

How to substitute yarn in crochet

Match the fabric and the finished gauge, not just the number on the yarn label.

How to measure crochet gauge

A swatch is a small trial of the fabric you intend to make. Measure stitches and rows after the care that the finished item will receive.

Do you need a yarn ball winder?

A winder turns yarn into a manageable package. A swift keeps a hank open while you wind it.

How to use crochet stitch markers

Use removable markers to keep row edges, round starts and repeated groups easy to find.

Yarn weight chart: categories 0 to 7

Categories 0 to 7 drawn side by side, with each one’s crochet hook, gauge, wraps per inch and UK and Australian names.

Crochet hook anatomy and types: head, shaft and grip

Read the millimeter size on the shaft, then compare head shape, throat and handle. Those parts affect how you hold the tool; they do not guarantee comfort or even tension.

Crochet blocking tools: what each one does

Use a flat measuring surface and supports that suit the yarn’s care method. Buy boards or pins only when the project needs controlled shaping.

How to store yarn and crochet tools: keep labels together

Keep dry yarn with its fiber, color and dye-lot label. Separate sharp tools from loose strands, and leave unfinished work with a note of the hook and next row.