To start crocheting, you should find how to hold the yarn and the hook that feels most comfortable to you. There are methods in what a lot of people do but, ultimately, you would decide on what is best for you.

Holding Yarn

Below are a couple of ways to the yarn (over and under each finger; over the index finger, under the middle and ring fingers, and over the pinky finger). I prefer to hold the yarn using the second method.

One method of how to hold the yarn to have the correct tension as you crochet   One method of how to hold the yarn to have the correct tension as you crochet

As you figure out the most comfortable way to hold the yarn, make sure that you are holding its tension so that you do not crochet stitches that are too tight or too loose.

Holding Hook

The hook is typically held as either a pencil or as a knife. I like to hold the hook using a modified version of the “pencil” method. It’s most comfortable for me to hold the hook as if I was holding it as a pencil but my index finger is up.

One method of how to hold the hook using the knife method  One method of how to hold the hook using the pencil method  One method of how to hold the hook using the pencil method but modified to my preferred way to hold the hook

Don’t decide on how to hold the hook on the method that will give you speed. Speed comes with practice and being comfortable with crocheting. So, find what is most comfortable with you. Speed will follow.

Slip Knot

There are several ways to make a slip knot but here’s how I like to do it:

  1. Take the tail end of the yarn and wrap it around my index and middle fingers
  2. Wrap the tail end around those two fingers again but after the first one (away from fingertips)
  3. Take the hook (hook-side down) and have it go under the first yarn and over the second yarn
  4. “Hook” the second yarn and pull through and turn the hook
  5. Tighten the slip knot around your hook

Now that you have your slip knot made, you can now make the foundation chain. In a pattern, the foundation is not considered a row.

Foundation chain

The foundation chain will be the base for your crochet project. As you make the foundation chain and crochet your project, the loop around your hook doesn’t count as a chain or as a stitch.

To make the foundation chain:

  1. Wrap the yarn around your hook once
  2. Pull through the loop that is around your hook
  3. Repeat step 1 and 2 until you have chained the number of chains you need for your project

Check out my the video below for this tutorial that I posted on my YouTube channel.

Now that you have a foundation chain, you need stitches. Depending on what the pattern calls for, will depend on which one you need. You can skip around as needed but if you are starting out, start by learning each stitch and practicing them. It will help you feel more comfortable crocheting these stitches and prepare you for following a pattern.

I’ve posted the most basic stitches (Single Crochet, Half Double Crochet, Double Crochet, Treble Crochet, and Double Treble Crochet) but keep checking my blog as I will keep adding stitches to the Learn to Crochet series as well as build a Stitch Library. There are many stitches that you can use those common 3 stitches as well as others to create another stitch and make beautiful crochet projects.

When I started crocheting, I crocheted rows and rows of the common stitches using a thick yarn. I wanted the stitches to become muscle memory so that I can familiarize myself with them and have the right tension as I crochet. Using the thick yarn did help me see the stitches in case I made mistakes (and I did make mistakes). Are you a beginner crocheter? Or have you past this stage? Let me know how your crochet journey started.

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