Looking for a new hobby? Try crochet! This craft is perfect for folks of all ages, whether you’re familiar with other yarn crafts or not. All you need to get started is a crochet hook and some yarn and you can start creating beautiful projects. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by all the crochet information out there, check out these quick tips to get you started.
1. Start with Worsted Weight Yarn
There are a total of 8 yarn weights, from lace (which is very, very thin) to jumbo (which is super thick and chunky). Worsted weight yarn, which is classified by the Craft Yarn Council as a Medium/4, is a great place to start. It’s not too thin, not too thick—it’s just right. When shopping for your yarn, look for the yarn weight symbol on the yarn label to know you have a worsted weight yarn.
You can use worsted weight yarn to make just about anything. It’s great for beginner-friendly dishcloth patterns and can be used to make crocheted baby items and sweaters. The sky is the limit with this versatile yarn!
2. Try Different Hooks
Just like there is a wide variety of yarn out there to choose from, the same goes for crochet hooks. They vary in style and materials, and you might find that you prefer one style or brand over another. If you plan to get serious about your crochet hobby, it’s important to take a little time and try different hooks to find the ones you like best!
3. Keep Things Loose
When learning a new skill, we tend to tense up as we concentrate. Oftentimes, with yarn-related crafts, this tension in our bodies turns into tight stitches as we crochet or knit. Do your best to stay relaxed and not to tug on the yarn too tight. Be sure that you are pulling the loops on the crochet hook up to the thickest part of the hook in order to keep the stitches even and at the proper tension.
Remember, even seasoned experts were once beginner crocheters. Practice a little bit every day and you’ll be on your way to making amazing projects!
Learning to read patterns will allow you to make anything you want.
great tips for beginners, thank you so much.
I get confused about where to pick up stitches. Also difference in single & double crochet
When I was first starting out, I would get very frustrated by the fact that I understood how to make certain stitches, but once I had a chain made, I couldn’t tell where to put my hook. Or even if I had managed to get a row of single crochet, I struggled to be able to tell the individual stitched apart so didn’t know where to put my hook. Someone told me to spend a lot of time looking at and making each stitch until I had the “anatomy”’of the stitch down! I used a yarn like Lion brand lazy days or bernat home decor and those really helped because you can see the stitches really well. I just made swatch after swatch of single crochet, then double crochet, half double and so on until I could comfortable identify all of them and count them. It really helped with being able to tell the difference between a stitch and a turning chain that doesn’t always count as a stitch. Also, stitch markers!!!! Those make a huge difference!!! Good luck! Before you know it, you’ll be be crocheting along without even thinking about it.
Also, make sure you check any patterns to see if they are using American or UK terms. The American single crochet is a double crochet in UK. YouTube and Pinterest helped a lot and I would often slow down the YouTube videos playback speed so I could watch people crochet much slower.
Katie, those are excellent tips! Also got the Bag o Day website for great tips and over a thousand simple patterns! Crystal is an excellent teacher! Her website is bagoday.com
You can also Google bag o day crochet.
Thank you.Plz give some tips to make poncho.
Thank you.I am looking forward to learn more about crochet.Plz give some tips to make poncho.
Thank you for your tips, even though I’ve been crocheting for a while now, I love getting new tips
I shared these 3 topics with my beginner class students. They were very appreciative for the concise information. Thank you
Marilyn Kesinger,Aurora Colo.
I am beginner
Thanks for the tips! I use to crochet years and years and years ago but I got out of the habit and forgot everything so I’m basically a beginner beginning again.
Great tips. I can hardly wait to get started on my first project.
A very very beginning beginner… love what little I’ve learned but I love it and so want to learn more I’m a great grandmother of 5 great grandkids and a grandmother of 25 grandkids and can’t wait to make projects that. They will treasure!! ♥️
I’d like some free crochet patterns for afghans
Hi Louise,
Thank you for contacting us.
You can browse our free patterns here: https://www.creativecrochetcorner.com/free-crochet-patterns/
This page is updated regularly so please check back if you don’t yet see what you are looking for.
If you have any further questions, please chat, email, or call Customer Service.
Sincerely,
Sarah
Creative Crochet Corner Video Membership
Great tips
Thank you. Information very basic and helpful.
Looking forward to learn more about crochet