After sending my newsletter subscribers a quick survey about what they’d like to see more of this year, the not-so-surprising response for many was “more crafts”! My kinda people 🙂 So, in the spirit of people-pleasing (in the best kind of way), I’ve begun rolling out new crafts on the blog including today’s debut: Crochet for Beginners & How to Get Started.

Okay, let’s dive right in!

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Learning Crochet As An Adult

Crochet isn’t entirely new to me. I first learned it as a child, but I never really stuck with it. I didn’t dislike it, but it didn’t fully click with me. I made a couple of doilies – mainly – under my mother’s instruction, but never picked it up again until more recently.

When I returned to it just a few years ago, I did so as a favour for a friend – she had an easy project in mind – and I thought, “I can totall do this.” And then, I quickly realized, I actually couldn’t. Oh, I remembered some basic stitches, but I had NO idea what I was doing. So, I reluctantly, had to admit defeat and gave up.

But I’m definitely not one to quit for good.

Fast forward to earlier this year: after reading subscribers share their desire to keep learning and growing as crafters, I felt inspired, too. So, in a manner of speaking, I decided to get back on that horse 😉

This time, I knew I had to start from scratch: Learning all the basic stitches (names, too), different methods of holding my hook, and practicing for hours and HOURS. Really!

There was a lot of trial and error in the beginning. Uneven stitches, awkward tension (which I STILL struggle with), restarting projects over and over again – all the very glamorous beginner crochet moments.

But somewhere in the process I realized something surprising:

I absolutely LOVE crochet.

It’s one of the most calming, meditative handcrafts I’ve ever encountered. It’s surprising just how many hours of solitude I’ve spent with my project on my lap, hook in hand, stitching the afternoon away.

If you’ve been wanting to learn a new craft that is practical, creative, and easy to pick up, let it be crochet. Here’s exactly where I’d recommend you start.

Crochet for Beginners: How To Get Started

Step 1: Basic Crochet Supplies

You don’t need much to get started with crochet – and really quickly, too.

At minimum, all you really need is:

Crochet Hook
Yarn

Crochet Hook

If you’re not sure if crochet will become a long-term hobby, just start with one crochet hook in a comfortable beginner size (around 5mm is a great size to start) that accomodates most medium weight yarn (like medium/worsted weight 4). (Tip: a hook with a soft grip along the handle like this one by Clover is extra nice to hold for beginners).

However, if you already enjoy knitting or other fibre crafts and you’re committed to learning, an inexpensive crochet hook set (like this aluminum set I have, below, can absolutely be worth it).

And you can find many others like it online HERE or HERE).

Yarn (my recommendation for beginners)

When it comes to yarn, my recommendation is that you begin with acrylic. It is hands-down the best choice for beginners.

It’s affordable, forgiving, easy to find, and much simpler to work with while learning basic stitches. Why? It is smooth with bounce-back, making it easier to hook the yarn without splitting it, and easier to identify individual stitches. Save the specialty yarns for later.

Unsure how to identify “acrylic” yarn? Just take a look at the label on the bundle of yarn and make sure it says either 100% acrylic or is a blend of acrylic and another fibre (like wool or cotton, etc). You’ll also find information on what size hook to use with that yarn on the same label – a VERY IMPORTANT detail!

***If you need some help with reading yarn labels – including how to match the right size hook with the right size yarn – I wrote all about it in this Beginner’s Guide to Reading Yarn Labels.

Because acrylic yarn is so affordable, you can find it virtually everywhere, including Michaels, Walmart, Amazon, the Dollar Store, and most local craft shops.

TIP: Avoid “fuzzy” yarn (even if it’s acrylic) – you’ll struggle seeing stitches and get frustrated quick!

BONUS Supply Suggestion

For beginners, I highly recommend using stitch markers like these.

As a beginner, it can be surprisingly hard to identify and count individual stitches (trust me!) and that’s a normal part of learning. Since crochet patterns and online tutorials depend on stitch counts, it’s easy to accidentally add stitches (making your project wider) or skip stitches (making it narrower).

Stitch markers help you keep track of your work so you don’t lose your place or your count (more on that below).

Step 2: Learn Basic Crochet Stitches (& Practice!)

When learning crochet for beginners, start with getting comfortable with a few foundational stitches. What helped me was to watch a few YouTube videos that move slowly through basic crochet stitches for newbies.

There are SO many videos, but the one instruction that I found personally helpful at the very beginning was this video: Learn To Crochet (FOR REAL THIS TIME) – gotta love that title ! – by TL Yarn Crafts. Her explanation was clear, the close ups were helpful, and her break down of each stitch type, names, etc, was superb. A true ‘teacher’ of the craft.

She also includes how to use stitch markers for newbies!

At this stage, as you learn the stitches, don’t think about making anything. Simply create swatches – or samples – of little square or rectangular rows of stitches. Don’t worry about how nice they look, just practice, practice, practice.

This is my little pile of wonky swatches – the upper half of the photo below – that I made while watching TL Yarn Crafts’ tutorial (several times) as well as a few other tutorials – later on – that interested me.

This may not sound exciting, but making lots and lots of crochet swatches is where everything really starts to click. The repetition is so important (and surprisingly relaxing) and you’ll learn a lot along the way:

Whether you crochet tightly or loosely
Why counting stitches matters
How to spot accidental mistakes
Why crochet sometimes curls (both naturally and unnaturally!)
Which fibre is better suited for beginners (acrylic was the easiest; wool curled way too much!)

While I eventually moved onto practicing specialty stitches, even a mini beanie (pictured along the bottom of the same photo), my main goals at the beginning was to get comfortable holding yarn, using the hook, and making a handful of basic stitches – over and over again.

Step 3: Choose an Easy First Crochet Project

Once you feel comfortable with the basic stitches (don’t wait for perfection), you are ready to start your first crochet project. My suggestion is that you start by following a visual tutorial – like a video instruction.

I decided my first project would be a winter hat. I wanted to find just the right instructions that my newbie crochet brain could handle. No complicated seams or fancy stitches. It took a while before landing on this Easy Crochet Ribbed Beanie Tutorial for Beginners. I also liked that the instructor accounted for adjustments that I could make, depending on size, length, etc. (For example, this beanie is intended to be fitted, but I made mine a bit more roomy).

At first, my stitch gauge felt completely inconsistent. I restarted certain rows MULTIPLE times – I figured, I was in no hurry. I would pull on the yarn to easily unravel (or “frog”) a row or two and then patiently redo them until things looked more and more even.

And eventually?

Voila.

My next project involved creating something small and practical: a crochet sachet, inspired by this video tutorial I came across for a sachet. While I liked the idea behind it, I didn’t love that it was sewn shut and couldn’t be reused or refilled once the scent faded.

So, this time – armed with a bit of knowledge and confidence in my abilities – I began to experiment on my own design. Using only the most basic stitches I’d learned, I experimented with a few samples. I wanted to create a version that could be reopened and refreshed, and I’m really happy with the look of the final design:

I hope to share a tutorial for this one (and maybe another version I’ve been thinking about) – on the blog soon 🙂

My next project (oh yes, there are more in progress!) was to make a crochet throw blanket. I decided to base it off the iconic “granny square” which I even practiced while on vacation this past winter.

Here I am by the water making my first granny square as hubby fished:

After making several little granny squares (most of which were whipped up in bed), I felt compelled to make a large version of it as a throw blanket – the ‘infinity’ granny square – which I continue to work on in my spare time (and proving to be a little trickier than I imagined).

This has been a fun project – if a little more challenging (hello uneven stitch tension!). But I keep going, working on it in my down time, cats in tow, as I wind down for the night.

Final Thoughts

Once you learn the basics, there’s an entire world of crochet projects waiting for you. And the best part? You don’t need to be perfect to enjoy it (I am proof of that).

I hope you got some ideas and direction for your first – or next – crochet project. I’ll be sharing a beginner-friendly crochet project here on the blog very soon, so stay tuned!