A Basic Beginners Guide to Crocheting

In this section you will be able to review some of the basic crochet terms and abbreviations used in tutorials and patterns. You will also review the crochet hook sizing chart to familiarize yourself with both their numerical and alpha-numeric sizing descriptors.

There are many reasons why people choose to learn crocheting. Most of us (from long ago) did so because it was offered as an elective in school and of all the electives available, as women, sewing/knitting/crocheting seemed logical and an easy grade :). Little did we know, we would fall in love with how this industry has evolved. Back then, there was little to no research done ahead of time, we just bought some yarn, grabbed any  hook and began to chain. Now, it is an ART. Now, the choices of yarns is wide open. Creativity is off the charts and NEW stitches, stitch combinations, and new techniques are everywhere. Everyone is having fun with it and you can too.

With the growth potential expanding like it is (because of all the new techniques) it only makes sense that we get to know a little bit about the types of yarn(s) available to us and what "yarn weight, the least end of the yarn, and the working end of the yarn" really means in the world of crochet. Trust me, this is a BROAD category, but we will review a few of the basics to get us started. Of course as your skill level evolves, so will your understanding of a lot of the information available in this area so we don't have to know EVERYTHING before we can begin. For now, we will keep things (SS) simple and steady.

WHAT IS GAUGE?

Gauge is the number of stitches and rows per inch (or centimeter) in a pattern.

A gauge swatch is a sample of the pattern you are about to make. It will help you measure how much yarn is needed for your project. Not matching gauge isn't as important for something like a dishcloth or a bag, but for clothing that is another story.

CROCHETING A SWATCH

Most patterns offer "gauging" details and will usually require a 4 in swatch. It will tell you how many stitches you should have and how many rows in that 4 inch swatch. For example, based on the yarn tension used by the designer, using a 5 MM hook, in a 4 inch swatch (width & length) they may have 16 stitches and 10 rows. You will be trying to meet this when using their pattern.

After completing your gauge swatch, place it on a flat, hard surface with good lighting. Use a ruler to ensure you have the length of the swatch equal to your instructions.

The best practice is to count over 4", but some gauges can be smaller if the yarn is thinner. The gauge swatch should be larger than the area you need to measure, so you can use the interior stitches to measure your gauge.

Now unless you crochet with the exact same tension as the designer, your gauge won’t exactly match the pattern which is nothing to be concerned about if it happens.

If you have more stitches and rows per inch - size your hook up (larger).

If you have fewer stitches and rows per inch - size your hook down (smaller)

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I have attached a few free patterns I found that show what the gauge should be for the projects and highlighted it on the patterns for you. Look at each and familiarize yourselves with how it will appear on the patterns and what information is given in the sections.

There are many ways to secure your yarn. Here I will show you two ways of holding the yarn. You will develop your own way of holding the yarn that is most comfortable for you but I will show you a couple of ways that you can modify to your comfort.

There are two things essential to crocheting; how you hold your hook and how you hold the yarn. You can't bring forth that crocheting genius inside and create beautiful fabric, unless you first find what's comfortable for you in holding the hook and yarn. Thankfully, you have options. In this section, we will review some of the options, and if you haven't already done so, isolate the one that works best for you, or for the adventurous we can certainly learn to be proficient at more than one way of doing it :)

Supplies needed: dedicate if possible one skein of yarn to practicing your stitches.  Preferably a beige or pastel color as it shows the stitching a little better than the darker colors this will be helpful as you are just beginning. Try if possible not use the same skein when you begin working on your projects. If this is not possible, cutoff about 36 to 48 inches (3/4 feet) from the skein to use for practice only. With yarn, the more it is used it begins to unwind and will be a lot easier to snag as the head of the hook passes through it while creating your stitches. That's ok for practice but we want that beautiful braid when we create fabric :)

ALL PATTERNS begin with what is called a slip knot (you will learn this here). However, what follows it, is the start of your beautiful creation. We call it "chain" stitching and there are a couple of ways of creating your foundation chain. You will be practicing here, the standard or basic chain stitch to create the foundation chain. I have attached a CH (chain stitch) and FDC (foundation chain stitch) illustration that you may download to use offline. Downloading the resources is a great beginning to building your crochet handbook :)

So get ready to have some fun with it.

BASIC STITCH ABBREVIATIONS FOR CREATING THE FCH:

FCH - Foundation Chain

SL Knot  OR SLK - Slip Knot

CH – Chain

FSC – foundation chain using the single crochet stitch

FDC – foundation chain using the double crochet stitch

How exciting, yes! We are moving forward and ready to build on our beautiful chain stitches. Make sure to find a comfortable place to work and remember your posture while working :)

I have attached a SC (single crochet) illustration that you may download to use offline. Downloading the resources is a great beginning to building your crochet handbook :)

So get ready to have some fun with it.

Oh my we are really cooking now!! Make sure to find a comfortable place to work and remember your posture while working :)

I have attached a HDC (half double crochet) illustration that you may download to use offline. Downloading the resources is a great beginning to building your crochet handbook :)

So get ready to have some fun with it.

In this tutorial I used a bulkier yarn however I have produced this in med worsted #4 so no worries. It will come out the same :)

Your progress is amazing keep going!!

Make sure to find a comfortable place to work and remember your posture while working :)

I have attached a DC (double crochet) illustration that you may download to use offline. Downloading the resources is a great beginning to building your crochet handbook :)

So get ready to have some fun with it.

Creating the magic ring is what we also refer to as "working in the round." This will replace the foundation chain in some of the more popular patterns crocheters use. Some of the popular projects that use the magic ring (working in the round) are hats, beanies, purses, coasters, granny squares and so on. In this section, we will learn to create a "magic ring" how to work in the round continuously as well as slip stitching from round to round in the circular pattern.

For this exercise (working in the round/magic ring), we will be making a granny square. These are beautiful swatches of fabric to make many different designs with.  Now, what I truly like about them is that there are patterns at beginners level to more advanced levels of crochet. So as you build confidence and skills, the dependable granny square offers skill challenges all throughout your journey.

I have attached an illustration of working in the round that you may download to use offline. Downloading the resources is a great beginning to building your crochet handbook :)

So get ready to have some fun with it.

In this section we will create the Suzette stitch scarf using both a single and a double crochet stitch. This is a beautiful scarf that is beginner friendly and works up super quick.

Below I have attached a copy of the supply list for this project. When you are ready to begin, you can start the video tutorial. Do take advantage of the pause feature as often as you need to. The pace is slow but steady, and the instructions will be clear.

If you are ready, find a quiet comfy place to learn and let's create!