crochetguideStep 1 Insert the hook into the next stitch, under both strands of its top V. On the first row, go into the next chain.
Step 1 Insert the hook into the next stitch, under both strands of its top V. On the first row, go into the next chain. Step 2 Yarn over and pull up a loop; two loops are on the hook. Step 3 Yarn over and draw through both loops.
Every crochet stitch is a version of this: wrap the yarn, pull a loop through, and keep one loop on the hook.
How crochet works
You start with a slip knot on the hook, make a chain of loops, and then work stitches into that chain, row by row or round by round. In standard crochet, every stitch ends with one loop left on the hook. The basic stitches differ only in how many times you wrap the yarn and pull it through: chain, slip stitch, single, half double, double and treble crochet.
Because standard crochet keeps only one live loop between stitches, it can grow in any direction: back and forth in rows, around in a spiral, or outward from a center ring. That is why it makes granny squares, toys and lace as easily as blankets. Tunisian crochet and broomstick lace work differently: they keep a whole row of loops open, on a long hook or a large needle, before working them off.
Where the name comes from
The word crochet is French for a small hook. The first published instructions that used the word for the craft as we know it appeared in the Dutch magazine Penélopé in 1823, with patterns for crocheted purses. Crochet spread quickly through Europe in the 1840s.
What people make with it
Blankets and throws, granny squares, scarves, hats and shawls, bags and baskets, amigurumi toys, dishcloths and coasters, lace doilies in fine thread, and edgings for knitted or sewn pieces. You need a hook, yarn, scissors and a yarn needle to begin.