Crochet for Beginners: 5 Basic Stitches, the Right Hook and Yarn, and First Projects

How to crochet your first stitches, step by step

1. Make a slip knot. Make a loop in the yarn about 6 in from the end, pull the working yarn through it to form a second loop, and slide that loop onto the hook. Tighten it until it is snug on the hook but still slides.
2. Hold the hook and yarn. Hold the hook like a pencil or like a knife, whichever feels natural. Drape the working yarn over the index finger of your other hand so it feeds with light, even tension.
3. Crochet a chain. Wrap the yarn over the hook from back to front and pull it through the loop on the hook. That is one chain. Repeat to make 16 chains, keeping each the same size. Count the Vs, never the loop on the hook.
4. Work single crochet into the chain. Insert the hook into the 2nd chain from the hook, yarn over and pull up a loop so there are 2 loops on the hook, then yarn over and pull through both loops. Work one single crochet in each chain across: 15 stitches.
5. Turn and continue. Turn the work, chain 1, and work a single crochet into each stitch of the row below, going under both top loops. Count 15 stitches at the end of every row.
6. Learn half double crochet. Yarn over, insert the hook into the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop so there are 3 loops on the hook, then yarn over and pull through all 3. On a new chain, start in the 3rd chain from the hook.
7. Learn double crochet. Yarn over, insert the hook, yarn over and pull up a loop (3 loops), yarn over and pull through 2 loops (2 left), then yarn over and pull through the last 2. On a new chain, start in the 4th chain from the hook.
8. Practice the slip stitch. Insert the hook into a stitch, yarn over, and pull through both the stitch and the loop on the hook in one motion. It adds almost no height and is used to join rounds and move across stitches.
9. Fasten off and weave in. Cut the yarn leaving a 6 in tail, yarn over and pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it, then weave the tail through several stitches with a blunt yarn needle such as the Clover Chibi.

What do you need to start crocheting?

Very little. A hook, a ball of yarn, scissors and a blunt needle will take you through your first several projects. Here is a practical starter list with approximate current prices; the essentials come to about $50 with a comfortable hook set, or under $30 with a basic aluminum set.

Kits help people who learn best by following along: the Woobles kit includes pre-started yarn and video tutorials, and the INSCRAFT kit includes 9 ergonomic hooks and about 1,600 yards of yarn in 40 colors. Compare every option in the best crochet kits for beginners, or see three complete shopping lists in the beginner crochet setup.

What size crochet hook and yarn should a beginner use?

Start with medium (#4) worsted weight yarn and a hook between 5 and 6 mm. The Craft Yarn Council lists 5.5 to 6.5 mm (I-9 to K-10.5) hooks for medium yarn, and many worsted labels suggest a 5 mm (H-8): Caron Simply Soft, for example, lists 13 single crochet and 14 rows per 4 in on a 5 mm hook. Choose a smooth yarn in a light solid color. Dark, fuzzy, chenille and novelty yarns hide the stitches you are trying to learn.

Hooks are sized in millimeters everywhere, which is the reliable number. US hooks add a letter and number, and older UK hooks used a separate scale where a larger number meant a smaller hook.

See the H-8 (5 mm) hook page for the most common beginner size, or the complete crochet hook size chart.

What are the basic crochet stitches for beginners?

The core stitches differ mainly in height, which comes from how many times you yarn over before inserting the hook. Taller stitches grow fabric faster and make it softer and more open; shorter stitches make dense, firm fabric. The turning chain at the start of each row lifts the hook to the height of the stitch you are about to work.

Each stitch has a full step-by-step page with common mistakes: chain, single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet. Once those feel easy, the magic ring opens up hats, circles and amigurumi worked in the round.

What is the difference between US and UK crochet terms?

The stitches are identical, but the names shift by one step, because the two systems count loops differently. The trap is that the abbreviation dc appears in both systems for different stitches: a UK double crochet is a US single crochet. A quick test: single crochet (sc) exists only in US terms, so a pattern that uses sc is American. A pattern that mentions tension instead of gauge is usually British.

Before starting any pattern, check which terms it uses, often stated near the top, and convert every stitch before you begin rather than mid-row. The full conversion, including hook sizes, is on our US vs UK crochet terms page.

What is the easiest thing to crochet for a beginner?

Flat, straight pieces in one stitch. In rough order of difficulty:

1. A practice square or dishcloth in single crochet or half double crochet, about 6 to 8 in square. Cotton yarn makes a useful dishcloth; worsted acrylic is easier to see.
2. A scarf in half double crochet. It is long rows of one stitch; a crocheted scarf in medium weight takes roughly 475 to 675 yards.
3. A granny square, which teaches working in rounds and into chain spaces. Several squares make a pillow or a blanket.
4. A small amigurumi from a kit, which teaches the magic ring and working in a spiral.
5. A baby blanket, once rows feel easy. At about 42 x 52 in it takes roughly 1,250 to 1,500 yards of worsted; our guide to crocheting a blanket walks through it.

For any straight piece, the crochet chain calculator tells you how many chains to start with for the width you want.

Why does my crochet keep getting wider or narrower?

This is the most common beginner frustration, and it almost always comes down to the ends of the rows. Owners of beginner kits and new crocheters repeatedly describe the same handful of causes:

• Working into the turning chain by mistake adds a stitch, so the piece grows wider.
• Missing the last stitch, which hides tucked under the edge, loses a stitch, so the piece narrows.
• Counting the loop on the hook as a chain makes the starting chain one short.
• Chaining too tightly puckers the bottom edge. Chain with a hook one size larger.
• Mixing up US and UK terms turns a pattern's short stitches into tall ones.

The fix is simple: clip a stitch marker into the first and last stitch of every row, and count stitches at the end of each row until your edges stay straight on their own. Good light helps too, especially in dark yarn or in the evening. A daylight floor lamp such as the Daylight Slimline 4 Floor, at 6,000K and CRI 95+, shows the top loops clearly.

Read more in our crafting with arthritis guide and the best ergonomic crochet hooks.