How to Crochet for Beginners

BeginnerTechniques Updated 2026-10-28

What you need

• Worsted weight (4, Medium) yarn in a smooth, light colour; cotton or acrylic both work
• 5 mm (H-8) crochet hook, or the size printed on the yarn label
• Scissors
• Tapestry (yarn) needle with a large eye
• 2–4 stitch markers (a safety pin or scrap of yarn also works)

Your first crochet session

1. Get the right starter suppliesChoose a smooth yarn you can see each stitch in. Avoid black, very dark, fuzzy, bouclé or glittery novelty yarn for now. The hook size in mm matters more than the letter; see the hook size chart and the yarn weight chart.
2. Make a slip knotAbout 15 cm (6 in) from the end, cross the yarn over itself to make a loop. Reach through the loop, pull a bit of the working yarn (the end coming from the ball) through it to form a new loop, and put that loop on the hook. Gently pull the two yarn ends to snug it around the hook: firm, but loose enough to slide.
3. Hold the hook and yarnHold the hook in your dominant hand like a pencil or like a knife; both are correct. With the other hand, wrap the working yarn over your index finger and hold the work just below the hook with your thumb and middle finger. The index finger controls tension. Left-handed crocheters mirror everything and work from left to right.
4. Crochet a chainYarn over (wrap the yarn over the hook from back to front) and pull it through the loop on the hook. That is one chain. Make about 15. Keep them even and not too tight, because you will work into them next.
5. Work your first row of single crochetSkip the first chain next to the hook and insert the hook into the second chain from the hook. Yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both loops. That is one single crochet. Work one in each chain to the end.
6. Turn and keep goingAt the end of the row, ch 1 and turn the work. The chain 1 does not count as a stitch. Work 1 single crochet into each stitch of the row below, starting in the first stitch. Count your stitches every row; the number should not change.
7. Fasten offWhen the piece is as long as you want, cut the yarn with a 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tail, pull it through the loop on the hook, and weave the ends in with a tapestry needle. See how to fasten off and hide ends.
8. Learn to read a patternPatterns are written in abbreviations like sc, inc and (sc 2, inc) ×6 (24). Check whether the pattern uses US or UK terms, then read our guides to written patterns and crochet charts.

What is crochet?

Crochet is a way of making fabric from yarn with a single hook. You pull loops of yarn through other loops, one stitch at a time, and there is only ever one live loop on the hook, so a mistake is easy to undo: pull the yarn and the stitches come out. The same few stitches make blankets, hats, bags, lace and the small stuffed toys called amigurumi.

Choosing your first yarn and hook

Start with a smooth, light-coloured worsted (medium, weight 4) yarn in cotton or acrylic, and the hook size printed on its label, usually 5 mm (H-8). A light colour lets you see each stitch; smooth yarn does not split. Leave fluffy, dark and very thin yarns for later.

Hook sizes are named differently in the US, the UK, Japan and China, but the size in millimetres is always the same. See the hook size chart, the yarn weight chart and, if you want to make toys, the best yarn for amigurumi.

The basic stitches, one by one

Every crochet pattern is built from a handful of stitches. Each one below has a short real-speed clip of a single stitch; the link takes you to the full step-by-step page with photos, common mistakes and a left-handed version. Learn them in this order: each is the one before with one extra step.

Chain (ch)

Yarn over and pull through the loop on the hook. A row of chains is the foundation of most projects, and chains also make the spaces in lace and granny squares. How to chain.

Single crochet (sc)

Insert the hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops), yarn over and pull through both. It is short and dense, and almost every amigurumi is made of it. In UK patterns it is called double crochet. How to single crochet.

Slip stitch (sl st)

Insert the hook, yarn over and pull through the stitch and the loop on the hook in one go. It adds almost no height, so it is used to join rounds and move along the work. How to slip stitch.

Half double crochet (hdc)

Yarn over first, insert, pull up a loop (3 loops), yarn over and pull through all 3. About twice as tall as single crochet. How to half double crochet.

Double crochet (dc)

Yarn over, insert, pull up a loop (3 loops), then pull through 2 loops twice. Tall and quick: granny squares, blankets and shawls. In UK patterns it is called treble. How to double crochet.

Treble crochet (tr)

Yarn over twice, insert, pull up a loop (4 loops), then pull through 2 loops three times. Used for lace, petals and tall edges. How to treble crochet.

Working in the round

Hats, coasters and toys are worked in rounds instead of rows. Most start with a magic ring: a loop of yarn you crochet into and then pull closed, so the centre has no hole. Then you grow a flat circle by adding the same number of stitches every round.

Increase and decrease

To make a piece wider, work 2 stitches into the same stitch: an increase. To make it narrower, join 2 stitches into 1: a decrease; in amigurumi the invisible decrease is neater. These two moves are all the shaping a ball, a head or a hat needs.

Front loop, back loop and other variations

Normally you insert the hook under both top loops of a stitch. Going under only the back loop or only the front loop leaves a ridge, which patterns use for texture, ribbing and to mark where a piece changes direction. See back loop only. Combining basic stitches gives the popular textured stitches: the moss stitch, the V-stitch and the blanket stitch.

How to read a crochet pattern

Patterns are written in abbreviations such as sc, inc and (sc 2, inc) ×6 (24), or drawn as symbol charts. First check whether the pattern uses US or UK terms, because the same names mean different stitches. Then see how to read a written pattern, how to read a chart and the abbreviations in 10 languages. Many lovely patterns are only published in Chinese or Japanese; our guide to Chinese crochet patterns shows how to follow them without speaking the language.

Left-handed crochet

Left-handers hold the hook in the left hand and work from left to right; everything else is the same. Each basic stitch page has a mirrored video you can copy hand for hand: single crochet, half double, double crochet, slip stitch and the magic ring.

What to learn next, in order

Each skill builds on the one before. Links go to full step-by-step pages.

All the basic stitches are compared side by side in crochet stitches for beginners.

Good first projects

Five small projects in the order most beginners make them. The yarn and hook are a good starting choice; the times are a rough guide for a first attempt, and you will get faster quickly.

When the ball feels easy, try our maker's own pattern, Pip the big-eyed mouse, or follow amigurumi for beginners step by step.

Beginner problems and quick fixes

• My piece is getting wider or narrower. You are adding or missing stitches at the ends of rows. Put a stitch marker in the first and last stitch of each row. More fixes in why is my crochet curling.
• My stitches are too tight to get the hook into. Relax the yarn over your index finger, and make each loop around the thick part (shaft) of the hook, not the narrow throat.
• My chain is tighter than my rows. Make the foundation chain with a hook one size bigger, then switch back.
• I can't tell where the next stitch is. Each stitch top looks like a sideways V. Insert the hook under both strands of the V unless the pattern says otherwise.
• Gaps and holes everywhere. Your tension is loose for the hook. Try a hook half a size smaller, see crochet tension, and how to undo mistakes.

Basic crochet stitch chart

Names and abbreviations are in US terms, with the UK name alongside. The turning chain is the number of chains usually made at the start of a row to reach the height of that stitch.

Whether a turning chain counts as a stitch depends on the pattern. Always check its notes. For the full name conversion, see US vs UK crochet terms, and for chart symbols see the crochet symbol table.

How each stitch is made, in one line

• Chain: yarn over, pull through the loop on the hook.
• Slip stitch: insert hook, yarn over, pull through the stitch and the loop on the hook in one motion.
• Single crochet: insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops), yarn over, pull through both.
• Half double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops), yarn over, pull through all 3.
• Double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops), then [yarn over, pull through 2] twice.
• Treble crochet: yarn over twice, insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (4 loops), then [yarn over, pull through 2] three times.

Beginner stitch variations

These are not new stitches, but ways of working the basic ones. You will meet them in the first few patterns you try.

Chart symbols on this page

Frequently asked questions

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