Photo by Les Bigorneaux (flickr.com)
Teachers love learning new skills too and what better time to pick up a new hobby than during the summer months. Each month we will be featuring a “Learn to” article that teaches you how to master some basic skills in a new craft or activity. This month we are starting with crochet. If it is a craft that you have always wanted to learn, but just had no one to guide you through, don’t worry! We have Rachel Choi from CrochetSpot.com here to help you learn everything from how to hold the yarn to how to complete stitches. Best of all, if you have a question, leave it in the comments below and Rachel will help. Let’s get started!
Learn to Crochet
by Rachel Choi
So you want to learn how to crochet? Great, this is going to be fun! No matter who you are or how old you are it’s never too late or early to learn. Best of all, it doesn’t take much time to get started. I bet you can learn a basic stitch in your lunch break.
Before we get into how to actually crochet, let’s go over some fundamentals and things you’ll need to know.
How to Hold a Crochet Hook – there are many, many ways to hold a crochet hook. There is no such thing as a correct or incorrect way to hold your hook. I mean, if you can hold your hook with your foot and crochet, that would be awesome! Take a look at the tutorial to see common ways of holding a crochet hook. Pick one that feels the most comfortable to you. You can always experiment with the different techniques as you crochet.
How to Hold Yarn in Crochet – Just like there are many ways to hold a crochet hook, there are many ways to hold your yarn. The tutorial will show you several techniques for holding your yarn. The best technique for you is the one that allows you to easily control the yarn by pulling/providing tension. You probably won’t know which one is right for you until you start crocheting, so let’s get you started right now!
Photo by Zyada
Basic Crochet Stitches
Here are the basic crochet stitches to get you started. Start at the top of the list and work your way down.
How to Crochet: Slip Knot – all crochet projects starts with a slip knot on your hook. This tutorial will show you how to make one so that you can start crocheting.
How to Crochet: Chain (ch) – chains are the foundation of a crochet project, but can also be used in the body of a project along with other crochet stitches.
How to Crochet: Single Crochet Stitches (sc) – single crochet stitches are like the meat of crochet stitches. It’s what I like to call the first “real” crochet stitch you’ll learn.
How to Crochet: Double Crochet Stitches (dc) – double crochet stitches are very similar to single crochet stitches. The difference is that a double crochet is double the height.
There are plenty of crochet stitches and techniques to learn, but as long as you can learn the basics, you can learn the rest as you go.
What are you waiting for? Grab a crochet hook and some yarn and start hooking! Don’t worry about your work being perfect, just have fun. Once you get the hang of it, there’s no telling how many people you can teach.
Rachel Choi is the founder of CrochetSpot.com and has published hundreds of crochet patterns and tutorials. If you ever need crochet help, you know who to ask!