Have you been looking for a new hobby that is fun, relaxing, and rewarding? Have you wanted to make your own clothes, accessories, and household items that you can enjoy and give as gifts? If so, the art of crocheting is the perfect hobby for you.
There is a lot to learn about the craft as you start your beginner crochet projects. But never fear! We will share the best information and tips you need to know as you start your crochet journey.
Beginner Crochet Materials
The good news is you don’t need a lot of expensive and fancy materials to start a crochet hobby. The main tool you will need is a good crochet hook that fits comfortably in your hand.
Crochet Supplies You’ll Need:
- A crochet hook (size I-9 or H-8)
- Yarn of your choice (preferably worsted weight yarn)
- Scissors
Yarn for Beginner Crochet
Choosing the right yarn is an essential step in any crochet project. Yarn comes in several different weights (the thickness of the yarn), from super fine fingering yarn to worsted weight yarn to chunky yarn. The best type of yarn for beginner crochet is a medium weight, such as a worsted weight yarn, in wool or cotton. Acrylic is less expensive, takes dyes well, but is not breathable, anti-flammable, or insulating.
Yarn weights range from weight #0 to weight #7, getting thicker as the number gets higher. A worsted weight yarn is a medium weight, or weight #4. This common type of yarn is easily available at craft stores and easy to work with using an H-8 or 1-9 size crochet hook.
If you’re not sure which size of crochet hook to use with your chosen yarn, you can always check your yarn’s label. A yarn label should recommend what hook size to use with that specific weight of yarn. Or you can choose your preferred hook by remembering to use a larger crochet hook with thicker yarn and a smaller hook with thinner yarn.
Beginner Crochet Techniques
Once you have gathered your supplies, it’s time to get crocheting! It is helpful to read some guides on how to crochet with step-by-step instructions, as well as to watch online video tutorials to help demonstrate the techniques.
9 Beginner Crochet Steps to Work On:
- Holding the crochet hook (pencil or knife grip)
- Holding the yarn
- Tying a slip knot
- Learning how to yarn over
- Making a starting chain
- Working into the chain
- Learning to single crochet (and eventually other stitches, like double crochet, treble crochet, etc.)
- Making a slip stitch
- Fastening off
Once you have learned these basics of how to crochet, there are plenty of other helpful skills to work on. These include techniques such as increasing and decreasing stitches, working in the round, crocheting in the front or back loops, and reading a crochet pattern.
Get Started Crocheting
Although all those techniques we talked about may feel daunting, you can master them with determination and practice! Once you have built confidence in practicing your crochet hook hold and making chains and single crochet stitches in some reliable worsted weight yarn, you can move on to your first crochet project.
You can find many easy beginner crochet projects online! There are numerous free tutorials, videos, and patterns available online, as well as great patterns for purchase, too. Do some searching to find what project calls to you. Apples to Oranges is ready to supply you with high-quality materials for your crochet endeavors — and we can’t wait to see what you create!