How Do I Learn To Crochet?

Learn to Crochet on the Internet?

Learning to crochet online is increasingly popular. You can use YouTube videos, written tutorials or a combination of both. Remember that people’s time, expertise, presentations and patterns are produced at a cost to them, which might be passed onto you depending on where you look.

Youtube Tutorials

Youtube is a fabulous learning resource and a great way to learn to crochet. Not only is it free, but it gives you a level of detail that beginners really require. As long as you pick the right channel, with an instructor who speaks clearly and has a good camera angle and background, you are away.

This is the first tutorial I ever used: How to Crochet a Mouse I had never crocheted before, and my efforts were by no means disastrous. A definite good sign of a quality tutorial.

To pick a crochet tutorial on YouTube that will work for you:

• Listen for a couple of minutes before you try to join in.
• Make sure the instructor speaks clearly and slowly.
• Ensure the background is plain or distinct from the yarn and crochet hook color?
• Look at whether the camera is focussed well.

I have a YouTube channel that i’d love you to check out, but I also highly recommend:

• Elise Rose Crochet
• TL Yarn Crafts
• Bella Coco

These are all big channels, but don’t be put off by someone’s tutorial having fewer views – make the judgement for yourself by taking a minute or so to check it out before you start. Remember, even the big viewing subscriber count channels had to start somewhere!

Where To Begin?

Good crochet YouTube tutorials for beginners are clear and simple, but not dull or too repetitive.

I wouldn’t for example suggest you made a blanket entirely of single crochets for your first piece, because you’ll get bored half way through.

Granny squares are a great crochet starter however, due to the variations. Basic amigurumi, three dimensional crochet toys, are good too. Pick a pattern with no sewing or color changes in the round for your initial project.

Written Crochet Tutorials

Crochet blogs like this one provide you with written crochet tutorials to learn from. My basic stitch guide is the best starting point for new crocheters on this site, with step by step instructions and photographs.

Not all crochet sites are equal, and some are definitely aimed more at established crocheters. Filling their instructions with abbreviations without explanation, and technical terms. These are fabulous for the experts, but can leave beginners feeling stressed and confused. What we want is for you to be relaxed and enthusiastic about carrying on. So, when I say ‘written tutorials’ I am referring here to the crochet tutorials written in full sentences, with explanations and clearly denoted as good for beginners.

You can spot these because they will have lots of pictures, often showing how to carry out the stitches required. Or links back to videos for when you get stuck with certain techniques. Once you are at home with tutorials written in clear English, you can start to deliberately look for some that also give abbreviations along with the descriptions.

Looking at them before you actually need to understand them will help to familiarise you with the concept, so that when you move on to the next stage of reading them you will feel more confident in their use.

Crochet Patterns

Beginner crochet patterns can be found online on blogs like this, or in printed pattern books. Learning to crochet from either one has it’s pros and cons.

Online patterns can be harder to follow on screen, you can’t annotate them and are more likely to misplace the page.

Written pattern books can be marked as you, but they aren’t updated so if there are mistakes you’ll likely never know and that can cause confusion.

I use both now, but as a beginner I split my time between the two. And preferred pattern books and online crochet patterns that used full terminology and lots of photographs.

Remember that some patterns will tell you what the abbreviation stands for, but not what that actually means. Which can cause problems especially for instructions that are different depending upon whether the author is using American or English terminology.

Look for instructions that give regular photos showing what your work should look like as the pattern continues, as well as giving a stitch count for each row.

Hands down some of the best things I have ever made have been from books – namely Edward’s Menagerie and Boho Crochet. These both have clear instructions for techniques and lovely photographs.

Both of these books are great for beginners, and Boho crochet has a good variety of pieces for the keen starter and more advanced practitioner.

I would however say that if you get just one of these as a beginner, go with Edward’s Menagerie. I love the way she builds up the skillset with each subsequent creature. And watch out for amusing the descriptions above each one.

Make Your Own Crochet Patterns

When you are happy and confident following patterns, a whole wide world is opened up to you. And you could happily stay in that world indefinitely, if that’s your thing.

But some of us decide to take things a step in a different direction and start to create patterns ourselves.

When you have even a basic knowledge of crochet stitches, you have the early building blocks of doing it your own way. From something as simple as switching yarn types or patterns, to working your way through to varying other people’s and finally making something brand new and all your own design.

Beginners to Crochet

When learning a new skill, the old sayings ring eternally true. In order to advance to the top of the pyramid, you need a solid and ample foundation.

I hope that this rather extensive essay has helped clear up for you the steps that I think you might enjoy taking to reach this point. Not just successfully, but in a way that means you can enjoy the journey. And hopefully avoid some common crochet mistakes too!

And don’t forget – your learning is never done. Mine certainly isn’t! There are still plenty of techniques I fumble a bit with, and stitches that fox me.

The beauty of this open information world is, I can simply go back to the start again for each new thing. Watching youtube tutorials or checking out detailed photographically enhanced descriptions as each new thing occurs.

I look forward to learning more together soon, and in the meantime you might find some of your remaining questions answered here:

• Is crocheting a very expensive hobby?
• Are stitches better done too tight or too loose?
• Does learning to crochet take ages?
• Why is my crochet attempt curling up?
• Do some stitches use less yarn than others?
• Why does my blanket lean to one side?

Happy Crocheting,

Lucy Kate x