How to Crochet for Beginners: Step-by-Step Video Tutorial

The written steps are a quick guide to the method. Anjali's exact stitch counts and colours are in the video.

What you need

• A medium crochet hook (around 4 mm is easy for beginners)
• Smooth, light-coloured acrylic or milk cotton yarn, so you can see your stitches
• Scissors
• A yarn (tapestry) needle to weave in the ends

Step by step

1. Hold the hook like a pencil in one hand and wrap the yarn over the index finger of your other hand to control the tension.
2. Make a slip knot and put it on the hook.
3. Chain (ch): wrap the yarn over the hook and pull it through the loop on the hook. Make a row of even chains.
4. Slip stitch (sl st): insert the hook into a stitch, yarn over and pull through both the stitch and the loop on the hook.
5. Single crochet (sc): insert the hook, yarn over and pull up a loop (2 loops on the hook), then yarn over and pull through both loops.
6. Double crochet (dc): yarn over, insert the hook, pull up a loop (3 loops), yarn over and pull through 2 loops, then yarn over and pull through the last 2.
7. Practise in rows: chain 1 to turn for single crochet (chain 3 for double crochet) and work one stitch into each stitch of the row below.
8. Finish: cut the yarn, pull the tail through the last loop and weave in the ends with the needle.

Tips

• Keep your stitches loose and even; tight stitches are hard to work into.
• Count your stitches at the end of every row so the edges stay straight.

Related: Join a crochet class · Buy yarn for your first project