Crochet for beginners

**Bournecrazy** · 01-22-2009, 03:42 PM

Is it easy to learn? as i would like it to give it a go.
does it take a while to get going i.e learning and remembering?

**thefrug** · 01-22-2009, 04:14 PM

It's not hard. You just need to follow the instructions slowly, one step at a time. I'll try to give you a link from youtube and one with just pics and instructions. I don't know how you learn, so I'll give you a couple of ways to learn. You can get a crochet hook at a Dollar General store or anywhere really. Yarn too.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fN60EVzHjI[/media]

http://crochet.about.com/od/learnbas...ner_Basics.htm

**Bournecrazy** · 01-22-2009, 05:31 PM

i have the yarn, i just need the hook - im sure ive seen one somewhere abouts... but where

**mombottoo** · 01-22-2009, 05:48 PM

I learned how to crochet as a girl (my aunt taught me) and it was fairly easy. I have never been one for learning this type of thing from a book, do you have someone who is willing to teach you? It was very easy for me to catch on watching my aunt and having her teach me the proper way to do it.

**sunshine** · 01-22-2009, 07:39 PM

You tube has great videos for learning knitting and crocheting. . . for me, the hardest part was getting the tension right, so all the stitches were even. That just takes practice. . . it will come.

I'd recommend starting with a medium sized hook and a light colored yarn, so you can see the stitches best.

**joyofsix** · 01-23-2009, 01:15 PM

I agree, youtube has great videos. I need to see it, not just read it and I have found the videos useful. Sometimes I know how to do the stitch, just not what it's called. The videos helped me say "aha".

**McD** · 01-23-2009, 09:36 PM

I learned from my mother but the author of Stich n B*tch has a book called the Happy Hooker which teaches crocheting.

**MommyTrap** · 01-24-2009, 09:22 AM

I learned from a booklet called I can't believe I'm crocheting I picked up at JoAnn's. It has lots of illustrations for both right and left handers.

**Debbie-cat** · 01-24-2009, 07:58 PM

That was the skill I wanted to learn this month and now I have been able to make scarves, hats and slippers and it is not even the end of January.

**Grainlady** · 01-25-2009, 07:50 AM

I'd suggest you avoid dark yarn (brown, black, navy), hombres (a variety of colors) or a variegated yarn (goes from light to dark of one color) for learning how to crochet. White yarn isn't much better... It's very difficult to see your stitches with those yarns when you are just learning.

Worsted-weight yarn and a G or H hook will work well. Working with fine thread and a small steel hook is more difficult - but the same things you learn on yarn, you apply to crocheting with thread. Hobby Lobby has excellent How To books and DVD's on the subject.

And always remember, no matter how experienced you get, the first row is always the hardest.

Then the dreaded, "If in doubt, pull it out", when you find a mistake you made.

I'd also suggest finding a good mentor or teacher. Learning the stitches is just the tip of the iceberg. Call your County Extension Office and see if they have classes available from a Master Crocheter or a Master Crocheter who will mentor you. As a Master Crocheter myself, I work one-on-one with people because not everyone can attend a series of classes.

When I teach classes, we go through a lot of instruction about yarns and threads before we ever pick up the hook. How to judge a pattern. How to read written instructions as well as follow a chart. And post-it-notes are your friends for following a pattern. Count, count, count and make those hash marks on those post-it-notes.

I teach how to tell which way to use a yarn - from the inside of the skein out, or the outside in. There's a nap to many yarns and it will drag on your fingers when going one way and flow smoothly going the other direction.

I also teach how to finish garments (how to properly put things together) and even a lesson on backwards crochet for really beautiful edges.

I judge needle work at the County Fair, so I've seen where the details haven't been learned, and how the little things makes a BIG difference in the quality of the work. It's just as easy to do something right as it is cutting corners and doing it wrong.

Another thing I teach is how it takes just as much time, stitches and work to make something on crappy yarn as it does a quality yarn. Sweaters I've made for myself in the past were worn by my daughter and now my granddaughter. But that's because I chose better-quality yarn than inexpensive craft yarn.

**allison** · 02-04-2009, 05:56 AM

I was taught to crochet as a child and love it. I do afghans every winter for the children. My advice is to pick up the basics and then do a large granny square blanket and after that you will never forget those basic stitches. My mother forced me to do this and even though it was a huge job the repetition forced me to never forget it. Good luck, i find it very fulfilling.

**Thevail** · 02-12-2009, 04:31 AM

Originally Posted by sunshine

You tube has great videos for learning knitting and crocheting. . . for me, the hardest part was getting the tension right, so all the stitches were even. That just takes practice. . . it will come.

I'd recommend starting with a medium sized hook and a light colored yarn, so you can see the stitches best.

Amen to the light colored yarn! I started with black yarn, and thought I'd go blind. But not necessarily white. I find yellow works really well to see the individual stitches.

Your local library will also have a bunch of books, but the best super-basic ones can often be found in the kids crafts section since the pictures are really easy to understand. Many libraries even have tapes or DVDs so that you can have what amounts to a private lesson.