Crocheting is an easy craft to master because you only need to learn a few basic stitches. Once you learn the basics of crocheting, the sky’s the limit on what you can create. As always, when you are learning to crochet, remember to keep your yarn a little loose and have fun!
I’m going to walk you through the basic steps to help you learn to crochet.
The Basics of Crocheting
The Slip Stitch (sl st)
The first stitch you will learn is the slip stitch, which is probably one of the most essential stitches. To start, make a loop with your yarn with the tail (end of the yarn) lying on top of the yarn leading to the skein (rest of your yarn). Next, you will pull the yarn (not the tail) through the loop and pull it until it is almost closed around your hook.
Chain Stitch (ch)
The next stitch, the chain stitch, will be used to create your foundation row. You will need this row for almost all of your crochet projects. Start with the slip stitch on your hook, then yarn over and pull the yarn through. Repeat this process for the amount directed by your pattern.
Single Crochet (sc)
The third stitch, single crochet, is used in my favorite type of crochet, the graphgans. After your foundation row is complete, you will insert your hook into the second loop from your hook, then yarn over and pull the yarn through the loop, yarn over again, and pull the yarn through both loops on your hook. As you reach the second row and beyond, you will insert your hook into the V shape of your work directly under your hook and repeat the same process from the first row.
Half Double Crochet (hdc)
The half double crochet stitch is only a little different from the single crochet stitch. With the half double crochet, you will yarn over and insert your hook into the V shape of your work, then yarn over and pull your yarn through, and finally, yarn over and pull through all three loops on your hook.
Double Crochet (dc)
By now, you should start seeing a pattern. The double crochet stitch is almost identical to the half double crochet stitch. However, with the double crochet, you will yarn over, insert your hook into the V shape of your work, yarn over, pull your yarn through, yarn over and pull through 2 of the loops on your hook, yarn over, pull through the remaining 2 loops.
Treble (tr)
Finally, with the treble stitch, you will yarn over twice, insert your hook into the V shape of your work, yarn over, pull your yarn through, yarn over and pull through 2 of the loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through 2 more loops, then yarn over and pull through the remaining 2 loops. On a side note, you will notice in the video that I messed up one stitch about halfway through the row, and I’ve been crocheting for more than 30 years. It’s okay to mess up because you can pull the stitches out and start from fresh!
Are you ready to practice all 6 stitches until you’ve mastered the basics of crocheting, and don’t worry if you make a mistake! Yarn is very forgiving, and you can undo as many stitches (yes, even all of them!) as you need and start again as many times as you need. Time to grab your yarn, hook, and some coffee and get crocheting!