How to Crochet?

Good Afternoon Permies!

I am here, embarrassed and humble, to admit that I am intimidated by crochet. Does anybody have any book recommendations, videos, really any resources that help break down crochet and how it is done? There is a HUGE amount of information out there but I'm having a hard time as somebody who has very little textile knowledge translating that into action. I know practice makes perfect, but I just am crashing. The PEP/BB/SKIP program has pushed me to expand my range of knowledge in many different platforms and to TRY things but this is a whole new beast.

My partner has indicated that she will be willing to teach me, but her time is valuable! If I could just get a small head start, I think things will fall into place.

Thank you for any suggestions.

I'm going to make a dishcloth if it is the last thing I do!

Craftsy.com has loads of videos (by very good teachers) & tutorials, as does youtube.  And, it's actually nothing to be intimidated about, if you have even moderate fine motor dexterity. You can often get a first year of Craftsy for less than $5, though I'd recommend undoing the 'auto-renew' in a couple days, so you don't forget... yeh. I forgot. That renewal, which doesn't come for a whole year is easy to forget, and it's a doozie.

My daughter picked up crochet a year or so ago. She especially liked this tutorial video and its part 2:



She also used this book: Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, but found the videos more useful.

This is one of the first videos I liked when I was learning crochet on youtube... 8 years ago!



In between a video of a massive black hole shredding a passing star, hamsters trained to run a tiny agility course and a video on making pickled cucumbers ;)

I could never learn to knit because I had no one to teach me.

My aunt taught me to crochet lace and since then I have done some of this or that.

I admire anyone who can learn both of these techniques on their own.

I am the same way with knitting!  Love to crochet, though!  Fun stuff!  Did you see my "gauntlet gloves"?  My boy is so patient with me...plus, he's a "gamer" so they aren't so bad!  Lol

Is there a Senior Center or Library near you?  This is a skill many people LOVE to teach.  There is a yarn shop in town that will teach anybody anything as long as they aren't too busy, and offer after-hours workshops where both guys and gals learn.

If neither of those are a good option, and you are still struggling with videos, send me a moosage  and maybe we can do a zoom call and I can walk you through =)  Whenever I teach kids OR adults, I have them all start the same: make 10 loops. Then undo it. When you can make a "pretty" chain, then I teach how to do a single crochet and practice turning. Unraveling each time, chain 10, do two rows of SC.  Do this 10 times.  When you have those muscle patterns down (this usually takes 2 or 3  30 minute sessions!) THEN  we make a wash cloth alternating SC, HDC, DC =)

I started with videos on YouTube when I learned in highschool (11 years ago)
This hat is the first thing I ever made and it's great for beginners

Since you did mention books

Most libraries will have a craft section and some books with knitting and crochet basics...often times step by step still photos and also simple line drawings with arrows, etc to show movement.  Then you can stare at a page as long as necessary....even make a copy for later reference.

All the 'how to' without the chat and distracting music and no need for electronics.....

Timothy,

As someone who dabbled with crocheting and knitting decades ago, and having a mother who could crochet just about anything, I can tell you from experience that it is best to latch on to someone who is willing to sit down with you and SHOW you how to do it.

You might be surprised at the number of people who know how. And after they learn, it is hard to forget. If you did it long enough, muscle memory kicks in and you don't even have to think about it very hard.

j

My daughter picked up crochet last year as physical therapy when she broke her wrist (rollerskating!).  She likes this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Crochet-Answer-Book-2nd-Solutions/dp/1612124062/ref=asc_df_1612124062/?

The Crochet Answer Book, 2nd Edition: Solutions to Every Problem You’ll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You’ll Ever Ask Paperback – January 27, 2015

She checked it out of the library and then asked for it as a gift since she liked it so much.

Hi,
I learned crocheting from a book many years ago. You can too!

If you are overwhelmed, please just take a breath, remeber you are intelligent and creative, and you will find a way
.

If you'd like some guidance hit me up- my email is stchrisjess@gmail.
We will do a zoom call together, and I can get you started.

What on earth is the PEP/BB/SKIP program? I do see these boxes at the bottom of people’s posts. This is some record of being in the program? Accomplishing a goal/skill???

Timothy,
  Only repetition, repetition, repetition can hone your crochet skills.  I was fortunate in that my beloved Grandmother, a very patient woman, taught me when I was only a few years old.  She showed me how to do a single crochet at first, and told me to practice continually.  I quickly used up all her yarn and made a single crochet line long enough to wrap the outside of the house about a hundred times.  When she saw how much I had done, she told me we had to unravel all that because she needed that yarn for other projects.  It trained me to properly hold the correct tension in my left hand holding the yarn, as I held the crochet hook in my right hand.  Once that was mastered I progressed to tiny thread and other types of stitches.  

  If you are brain fatigued from the effort give it a rest until you feel up to it again.  It will come, just give it a chance.  One day you will be very good at it, I promise.

Hey there, just throwing in my 2¢.

I taught myself to crochet after watching a couple videos. So, it *is* doable (by that I mean if an idiot like myself can learn then you can learn too).

Here’s what I did. I started with red heart acrylic yarn and a hook about 2 steps up from the recommended size. I wrestled my way through the first chain and the second row (single stitch). Once I got up to the fourth row, I would single stitch all the way across, then frog it out and repeat the fourth row over and over until I got somewhat proficient at doing the whole row. The whole while, I was making knots, making incredibly tight stitches, snapping fibers, and cursing (a lot).

My first completed piece was an POS uneven square of single stitches about 40 across and 30ish rows tall. It was a horrible mess, but I stuck to it until I was done.

To sum up, your first attempt should not be aimed at making a complete project, it should be about mindfully watching what you’re doing, making mistakes, figuring out what you did wrong, and learning to avoid the same mistakes as you continue.

TL;DR: have the gumption to suck at something until you learn to suck at it less. Repeat until satisfied.

Once you have the base chain, first and second row of single stitch under your belt, you will have 85% of crochet technique in your hands, the rest is just recombining those hand movements into different groupings to create almost every stitch you will use in crochet.

Why did *I* learn to crochet? My wife liked amagurumi but her visual acuity makes crochet exceedingly difficult for her. So I picked up some hooks and made them for her.

So! Just say “**** it”, jump in with both feet, and start learning. You can do it. Maybe not perfectly right out the gate but soon you’ll be onto scarves, afghans, table runners, then hats and wrist warmers, and then into the weird shapes, crochet in the round, and spending hours hooking up a single doily… 😏

Have at it and don’t give up!

Regards, Ray D.

Check your local library (and the not-so-local library, if necessary) and see if a library card includes use of the site, Creativebug.  Mine does and there are lots of crocheting and knitting demonstrations of all types there-- arm knitting, anyone?

Ray Dee wrote:Hey there, just throwing in my 2¢.

I taught myself to crochet after watching a couple videos. So, it *is* doable (by that I mean if an idiot like myself can learn then you can learn too).

Here’s what I did. I started with red heart acrylic yarn and a hook about 2 steps up from the recommended size. I wrestled my way through the first chain and the second row (single stitch). Once I got up to the fourth row, I would single stitch all the way across, then frog it out and repeat the fourth row over and over until I got somewhat proficient at doing the whole row. The whole while, I was making knots, making incredibly tight stitches, snapping fibers, and cursing (a lot).

My first completed piece was an POS uneven square of single stitches about 40 across and 30ish rows tall. It was a horrible mess, but I stuck to it until I was done.

To sum up, your first attempt should not be aimed at making a complete project, it should be about mindfully watching what you’re doing, making mistakes, figuring out what you did wrong, and learning to avoid the same mistakes as you continue.

TL;DR: have the gumption to suck at something until you learn to suck at it less. Repeat until satisfied.

Once you have the base chain, first and second row of single stitch under your belt, you will have 85% of crochet technique in your hands, the rest is just recombining those hand movements into different groupings to create almost every stitch you will use in crochet.

Why did *I* learn to crochet? My wife liked amagurumi but her visual acuity makes crochet exceedingly difficult for her. So I picked up some hooks and made them for her.

So! Just say “**** it”, jump in with both feet, and start learning. You can do it. Maybe not perfectly right out the gate but soon you’ll be onto scarves, afghans, table runners, then hats and wrist warmers, and then into the weird shapes, crochet in the round, and spending hours hooking up a single doily… 😏

Have at it and don’t give up!

Regards, Ray D.

 This is how I learned to crochet.  I was really bad at first.  Kept going.  As your hand muscles get used to it, you improve.  It takes practice.  Squares are perfect...as is the cheaper acrylic yarn for learning.  You can do this Timothy!

Ya'll are really incredible you know that? I have had so many people now offer me a hand both publicly and privately and I thank you all.

I'll be giving it a try today, I'll be sure to report back how it goes.

The nice thing about a crocheted washcloth is that it can be very wonky and still work for its intended purpose. If I'm teaching a friend to crochet, that's usually the project I start with. Hopefully, that brings the intimidation level down.

For beginner yarn recommendations, a lot of people start with acrylic yarn because it's cheap, easy to find, and easy to work with. However, acrylic yarn is made of plastic and the washcloth BB specifically says to use natural material. You'll be better off using a cotton yarn like this: https://www.walmart.com/browse/arts-crafts-sewing/yarn/lily-sugar-n-cream/1334134_7780827/YnJhbmQ6TGlseSBTdWdhciiduIENyZWFt. It's also very easy to find, cheap, and easy to work with. 100% cotton will give you a better result for your washcloth and be BB compliant.

Dude! A crochet-along video is exactly what you need. Here's a specific washcloth one.

It is far from perfect, but it is good practice. I feel so clumsy but I'm starting to feel a rhythm. You might be able to teach an old dog a new trick after all!

https://thecrochetcrowd.com

They have tons of free and easy tutorials as well as a huge library of free patterns.

You are brave to use such a small crochet hook in order to learn! I was going to add that you should begin with a large size hook but you are already using a smaller one. I learned as a young teen from a diary (I think it was called "The Schoolgirl's Diary") but the pictures were obviously lacking as my aunt told me I was doing it wrong after which I did it right. Since then I have crocheted many granny squares, afghans and dishcloths and used to begin squares for my grandmother who never did learn how to change her original circle into a square. I think my next project will be a bird, a jay, as Mr Ara asked me if I could crochet one as a present for his sister in law. The two of them have a running competition to see who can give the most interesting present and he didn't think she would like the taxidermied one he spied in a shop recently.