How To Crochet For Beginners: The Ultimate Guide

If you have always wanted to learn crochet, our easy-to-follow guide on How To Crochet For Beginners will walk you through each step of the process.

Starting with the basics of how to hold your yarn and hook and progressing to more advanced techniques like working in colors and in the round.

Our easy-to-follow tutorial is packed with tips and plenty of photos to guide you along.

And by the end of this guide, you will be able to make a sample swatch using the single crochet stitch.

With these basics, you will then be able to move on to beginner crochet patterns and then on to a wide range of other patterns as your skills improve.

1. What is Crochet?

Crochet is a form of needlework that uses a crochet hook and fiber, such as yarn, thread, rag yarn, or twine, to create interlocking loops to make fabrics for items like clothing and accessories.

Crochet is not hard to do, and with some practice, it is quick to learn, and you only need a few simple things to get you started.

2. Essential Crochet Supplies For Beginners

Here is what you need to learn how to crochet:

Crochet Hooks

Crochet hooks come in many different sizes and shapes and can be labeled with numbers, letters, or letters and numbers to indicate their size. 

The size hook you use will depend on the thickness of the yarn needed for a project, and patterns will usually indicate the hook size needed.

Read more in our how to crochet for beginners tutorial on crochet hook sizes.

Yarn

Crochet yarns can be synthetic fibers, natural fibers like cotton or wool, or a blend of fibers. And each of these yarns will have different softness, firmness, and stretch.

Yarn also comes in varying weights and they start at a lace weight which is super fine yarn and go right to very thick yarn called jumbo. 

Crochet patterns will recommend the type and size of yarn to use. 

Additional Crochet Supplies

Once you move onto crochet projects, you will want to get a few other supplies like:

• Stitch markers - these are small removable markers that are used to mark specific stitches or rows in a project. You can buy stitch markers or use bobby pins, or even paper clips as stitch markers.
• Yarn needle, tapestry needle, or darning needle these needles have big eyes and a blunt tip and are used to weave in the loose end of the yarn to finish a project.
• Small sharp scissors 
• See our full list of crochet supplies for beginners here.

3. How to Crochet For Beginners Step by Step

Now that you know what is needed to crochet, we will teach you beginner crochet stitches and techniques that form a part of every crochet project.

In this section, you will:

• Learn how to tie a slip knot
• How to hold a hook
• How to hold yarn for crocheting 
• How to yarn over
• How to make a foundation chain 
• The first row - how to make stitches in the foundation chain
• How to start the next row with turning chains
• How to work the second and more rows
• And how to fasten off

If you want to follow along with the step by step tutorial below, I recommend that you start with:

• A mid-size hook such as I-9 (5.5 mm), J-10 (6 mm), or K-10 ½ (6.5mm),
• Use a worsted weight yarn (12-ply) that is light in color and smooth in texture. 

This is because using a mid-size hook and thick light-colored yarn will give you large stitches you can see and work into.

So let's get started!

How To Tie A Slip Knot 

All crochet starts with a slip knot, and you may already know how to make a slip knot, which you might like to use.  

If you are using your preferred method for a slip knot, start the slip knot about 10 inches (26 cm) from the start of the yarn to create a tail.

And if you don't know how to tie a slip knot, see our instructions below:

How to make a slip knot step by step

1. Unwind a length of yarn from the ball and hold the yarn in your right hand between your thumb and first finger about 10 inches (26 cm) from the start of the yarn, this will leave a tail hanging down.  
2. With your left hand pick up the yarn tail between your thumb and first finger about 4 inches (10 cm) down from the yarn in your right hand. Next, bring the tail yarn in your left hand to meet the yarn in your right hand crossing the yarn at the top to form a circle. 
3. Pinch the crossover point between the fingers in your right hand and let the tail fall behind the formed circle.
4. Use your thumb and first finger on your left hand to pull the tail through the circle to form a loop (but don't pull it all the way through).
5. Gently pull the yarn (the length coming from the ball) in your right hand to tighten the yarn around the loop in your left hand.
6. Then slip the loop from your left hand onto the hook and gently pull on the tail to tighten the loop on the hook. 

Read more information on the crochet slip knot here.

How to Hold A Crochet Hook

Now that you know how to make a slip knot and get it onto the crochet hook, you will need to know how to hold a crochet hook.

There is no right or wrong way to hold a hook, and most people will instinctively pick it up with their dominant hand and hold it in a way that is comfortable to them, either in a pencil grip or knife grip.

The pencil grip 

With the pencil grip, you hold the hook like a pencil. Your thumb should be on the hook's thumb rest which is a flat section on the hook. And your pointer finger rests on top, and your middle finger acts as a support.

The knife grip

This is where you hold the hook like you would hold a knife in the palm of your hand. Your thumb should sit firmly on the hook's thumb rest. And the pointer finger should rest on top.

Experiment with both grips holds to see which you like best.

How to Hold Yarn When Crocheting

Next, you will want to get comfortable with holding the yarn and like holding a hook there is no right or wrong way to do this. 

The main thing though is that it should feel comfortable and it is held in a way that you can give tension to the yarn as you crochet.

Here is how I hold the yarn:

1. After making a slip knot and are ready to crochet, hold the hook in your right hand and slip your left pointer finger between the two yarn strands hanging from the hook. 
2. The tail strand should be on the palm side of the finger (the front), and the working yarn should fall to the back of the pointer finger. 
3. Then close your fingers and have your left palm open and facing you. You should see the working yarn run along the base joints of your middle finger, ring finger, and pinkie. Fold these three fingers toward the palm and over the yarn, if you like you can wind the yarn around your pinkie to give more tension to the yarn as you work. 

See our how to crochet for beginners tutorial page on how to hold yarn when crocheting for more ways.

How to Yarn Over

Now that you know how to make a slip knot and hold the crochet hook and yarn, you will need to learn how to yarn over.

What is yarn over?

Yarn over means placing the yarn over the hook. It is abbreviated in crochet patterns to yo in American crochet and yoh in UK crochet.

Yarn over is a technique you will need to know and is used to make basic crochet stitches like foundation chains, single crochet, double crochet, and more. 

Here is how to yarn over (yo)

1. Make a slip knot and place it on the hook. Hold the hook in your right hand and the yarn in your left hand, so that the working yarn (the yarn from the ball) is behind your hook. 
2. Use your left thumb and pointer finger to grip the tail yarn close to the slip knot. Then use your right hand to slip the hook under the working yarn from the front to the back of the yarn and catch it under the hook.. You have now made a yarn over (YO).

How To Make A Foundation Chain (Or Starting Chain)

Now that you know how to make a slip knot, and how to yarn over (YO), you are ready to make a foundation chain. 

A foundation chain is a set number of crochet stitches that forms the base of any crochet project.

Your crochet pattern will tell you how many chains to make to start the project.

The abbreviation for a chain stitch is ch in both US and UK patterns. 

How To Make A Crochet Foundation Chain

1. Make a slip knot and place it on the hook. Hold the hook in your right hand and the yarn in your left hand, so that the working yarn (the yarn from the ball) is behind your hook. 
2. YO (yarn over hook) and catch the working yarn under the hook.
3. Draw the hook with the yarn back through the loop on the hook.
4. You have now made one chain stitch. Repeat steps 2-3 as many times as needed to make the number of chains stitches required.

As you make the chains, try to keep them even in size (this will take some practice), and don't make them too tight because it can make it hard to work the stitches of the first row into them. 

Learn more on our how to crochet for beginners tutorial page about the crochet chain stitch.

Now it is your turn to grab your hook and yarn and practice some chain stitches because this will give you the feel of how to hold the hook and yarn.  

After some practice, make 15 chain stitches and move on to the next step and learn how to work into stitches into the starting chain.

Tip: When counting the number of chains made, do not count the slip knot or the loop on your hook - only count the stitches between these.

Working Into The Foundation Chain

After making a foundation chain, stitches could be worked into rows or rounds as outlined in your chosen pattern. 

In this section, we will show you how to work in rows, and later in the tutorial, we will show you how to work in rounds. 

More about the foundation chain

When looking at a foundation chain, you will notice that the front of the chain will look like a series of Vs with the back of the chain looking bumpy. 

Generally, the first row is worked into the front of the foundation chain and into the center of the chained Vs, by pushing the tip of the hook through the center of the V to the back of the work. 

However, some patterns will ask you to work the first row into the back bump of the chain. Working in the back bump gives a nice neat finish and will look similar to the top of the last row of your work.  

For this tutorial, we will show you how to make the first row into the front of the foundation chain through the Vs using a single crochet stitch.

The First Row - How to Make Stitches In A Foundation Chain 

We will use the single crochet stitch to demonstrate how to work stitches into a foundation chain and make the first row, but the principle will be the same for just about any crochet stitch.

A single crochet stitch is abbreviated to SC in the US and is known as a double crochet (DC) in the UK.

Working Single Crochet (sc) Into A Foundation Chain

1. Start by making a foundation chain - for this tutorial make 15 chain stitches.
2. To start a single crochet the first stitch starts in the second chain from the hook.
3. Push the hook through the front of the chain stitch to the back.
4. Next, yo (yarn over hook from the back to the front),
5. Then pull the yarn back through the loop. 
6. You will have two loops on the hook.
7. Next, yo again.
8. And pull the yarn through both loops on the hook.
9. You will have one loop on the crochet hook and have made a single crochet stitch.
10. Repeat steps 3 - 8 in each of the remaining thirteen chains, and when you have finished the first row, there should be 14 single crochet stitches. 

You can find more about single crochet stitches on our how-to single crochet page.

How Start The Next Row With Turning Chains

Now that you have made the first row learn how to start a second row.

To start another row, you need to turn your work and make one or more chain stitches to get a corresponding height to match the crochet stitches you are working into the row - this will help to keep your rows nice and even.

How to turn the work

When you have come to the end of a row and have no more stitches to work into, keep holding your hook in the right hand and use the left hand to pivot the work 180 degrees (clockwise), to position the stitches so that you are holding them in your left hand.

You are now ready to make a turning chain or chains depending on the crochet stitch you are making and continue with the row.

Use this as a guide for the number of chain stitches needed for a particular stitch:

• Single crochet make a turning chain with one chain stitch
• Half double crochet make a turning chain with two chain stitches
• Double crochet make a turning chain with three chain stitches
• Triple crochet make a turning chain with four chain stitches
• Double treble crochet make a turning chain with five chain stitches
• Triple treble crochet make a turning chain with six chain stitches
• Quadruple treble crochet make a turning chain with seven chain stitches

You can make a turning chain before or after rotating the work, but the main thing is to be consistent and turn it the same throughout the project. 

So, if you turn the work before making the turning chain, keep doing this until the end of the project.

The abbreviation for a turning chain in crochet patterns is tch or t-ch.

Depending on the pattern, the turning chain(s) may or may not be counted as a stitch.

How To Work The Second And More Rows

Now that you know about turning chains, let's put it into practice and make another single crochet row on the swatch you just made.

1. Turn your work and make one ch (chain stitch).
2. Push the hook under the two loops of the last stitch of the previous row and yo (yarn over hook)
3. Pull the yarn through the stitch to form a loop. You will have two loops on the hook.
4. YO (yarn over hook)
5. Pull the yarn through both loops on the hook. You will have one loop on the hook and have made a single crochet stitch.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 in each of the remaining thirteen chains, and when you have finished the first row there should be 14 single crochets in it. Then repeat steps 1 - 6 to make more rows in the swatch. 

How to Fasten Off

1. After working your last row on the swatch, cut the yarn to create a tail about 6-8 inches (15 - 20 cm) away from the loop on the hook.
2. Then use the hook to pull the yarn tail up and through the last loop, and when though, gently pull on the tail end to tighten and close the crochet stitch.

After fastening off and finishing the project, you will want to neaten the work by weaving the ends into the stitches to secure them into place.

4 More Basic Crochet Stitches

If you are ready to learn more crochet stitches, try your hand at these:

Half Double Crochet 

A half-double crochet stitch is a basic crochet stitch that is a bit taller than a single crochet stitch but shorter than a double crochet. 

The half-double crochet is abbreviated to hdc in the US. In the UK this stitch is known as a half treble stitch (htr).

It is easy to learn because it is a build-up on a single crochet stitch.

Use it to make warm scarves, blankets, hats, amigurumi, and dishcloths. 

A half double crochet stitch (hdc) is made by:

1. YO (yarn over hook) and insert the hook from the front to the back of a designated stitch or space.
2. Then yo (yarn over hook) to pick up a loop as you pull the hook back through the designated stitch or space. There will be three loops on the hook.
3. Next, yo (yarn over hook) to pick up another loop as you draw the hook back through all three loops on the hook to leave one loop on the hook.

Go to our how to crochet for beginners tutorial and learn step by step how to make the half double crochet stitch.

Double Crochet 

Double crochet is another easy stitch to learn and is a bit taller than half double crochet stitches and shorter than the treble stitch.

The double crochet is abbreviated to dc in the US. In the UK this stitch is known as a treble stitch (tr).

A double crochet stitch (dc) is made by:

1. YO (yarn over hook) and insert the hook from the front to the back of a designated stitch or space.
2. Then yo (yarn over hook) to pick up a loop as you pull the hook back through the designated stitch or space. There will be three loops on the hook.
3. Then yo (yarn over hook) as you pull the hook through the first two loops, there will now be two loops on the hook.
4. Next, yo (yarn over hook) again and pull the hook through the two loops on the hook, leaving you with one loop on the hook.

You can see how to make the double crochet stitch in this video by Crochet With Delight on youtube.

Treble Crochet 

Treble crochet or triple crochet stitch is taller than any of the previous stitches you have learned so far. Because it is a tall stitch is often used to create an open airy effect in fabrics and can be used to create lacy crochet fabric.

Treble crochet is abbreviated to tr in the US. In the UK this stitch is known as a double treble stitch (dtr).

A treble crochet stitch (tr) is made by:

1. Yarn over your hook twice, by wrapping the yarn over the hook from back to front twice.
2. Next, insert the hook from the front to the back of a designated stitch or space.
3. Then yo (yarn over hook) as you pull the yarn through the stitch or space. You will have four loops on the hook.
4. Next, yo (yarn over hook) again, and pull the yarn through the first two loops on your hook. Now there will be three loops on the hook.
5. Again, yo (yarn over hook) and pull the yarn through the first two loops on your hook. Now there will be two loops on the hook.
6. Finally, yo (yarn over hook) and pull it through the two loops on the hook to leave you with one loop.

See how to make a treble crochet in this video by Bernat Yarns on youtube.

Slip Stitch 

Slip stitch is used to join rounds or pieces together or create a smooth edge. It can sometimes it is used to give a pattern a decorative effect.

Slip stitch is abbreviated to sl st in the US, and in the UK it is abbreviated to ss.

How to make a slip stitch (sl st)

1. Insert the hook into a designated stitch or space.
2. YO (yarn over hook) and then pull the yarn through the stitch or space and at the same time through the loop on your hook.

See our how to crochet for beginners tutorial on how to make a slip stitch.

5. More Beginner Crochet Techniques 

Now you have learned the basic steps for crocheting, expand your crochet knowledge even further with these helpful articles.

How To Read A Crochet Pattern

Learning how to crochet not only means learning about hooks, yarn, and basic crochet stitches, but it also means you should be able to read a crochet pattern. 

By learning to read crochet patterns, you can confidently take on any crochet pattern you like without any worries.

Crochet Abbreviations In Patterns

Crochet patterns can be written and abbreviated in US standard terms or UK terms, and you must be aware of this before you start working on crochet patterns.

And there is a difference between US and UK stitches even though they have similar names and abbreviations for example:

• The US single crochet (sc) is called a double crochet stitch (dc) in the UK
• And the US double crochet (dc) is known in the UK as treble crochet (tr)
• And the US treble crochet (tr) is known in the UK as double treble crochet (dtr)

As you can see from above, if you get the US and UK crochet stitches mixed up, your crochet project could look different from what you expected.

Learn more about these on our crochet terms and abbreviations page. 

Pro Tip: Most patterns will tell you if they are US or UK terms. But, if they don't, here is how to tell the difference:

You can look at the pattern instructions, and if you see the term for single crochet "sc" in it, the pattern is in US terms.

Understanding Gauge In Crochet

Gauge in crochet refers to the number of crochet stitches and rows that should fit into a specific measurement, about 4 inches (10 cm) square.

If the pattern you are using gives you a gauge, make a swatch with the recommended hook and yarn size, and if the gauge matches, you are good to start the project. 

However, if more stitches are in the gauge, your crocheting is too tight, make a gauge swatch again using a bigger hook.

And if there are fewer stitches in the gauge, your crochet is too loose, so go down a hook size.

By working to the correct gauge, your finished work will be similar to the pattern that you are following.

See our how to crochet for beginners tutorial on crochet gauge to learn more.

Joining Yarn In Crochet

Learning how to join yarn is a technique that allows you to continue your project in the same color when you come to the end of a ball and need to start another. 

It will also allow you to add new colors to your work to create patterns and designs.

Also, learning how to join yarn correctly is a way to make the joins look seamless without creating unsightly knots in your work, and they should be secure enough not to break open over time.

See our how to crochet for beginners tutorial for more ways to join yarn in crochet

How To Change Yarn Color

Learning how to change yarn color is another technique you should learn because it adds interest and variety. 

Color changes in crochet are a great way to create stripes and patterns for your projects.

See our how to crochet for beginners tutorial for the best ways to change yarn colors in crochet.

Counting Crochet Rows And Stitches

Learning how to count rows and stitches is something you should know how to do, especially if you have lost track of where you are in a pattern.

It can also help you keep track of the progress you are making and help you identify any mistakes you may have made along the way.

Read more in our how to crochet for beginners guide on how-to-count crochet rows and stitches.

Working In The Round

Crochet can be worked in two different ways, in flat rows and rounds.

Flat rows are great for making blankets, scarves, and other similar items. 

With round crochet, you can make flat circular projects like granny squares, doilies, oval mats, or dimensional work like amigurumi and other crochet toys.

Learn how to crochet a flat circle.

6. More Beginner Crochet Tutorials

• How To Crochet A Magic Ring (Magic Circle Tutorial)
• How To Crochet A Granny Square
• How To Make A Heart Granny Square
• Sunburst Granny Square

7. Free Crochet Patterns For Beginners

• Easy rectangular crochet shawl
• Daisy granny square blanket
• Easy Crochet Dishcloth
• Sunflower coasters with basket
• Granny Square Patterns