Crochet 101

Crochet, French for “hook”, is a type of fiber art that uses a hook and yarn to create textiles made of interlocking loops. Crochet can be worked in three ways, rows, rounds, and freeform.

Essential Crochet Tools

Hooks

Hooks come in a variety of materials such as metal, plastic, and wood. Some may have an added cushion for a more comfortable grip. There are two style hooks, tapered or inline. Tapered hooks, my favorite, taper in at the throat where inline hooks do not. I suggest testing different materials and styles as the best hook to use is the one most comfortable for you. Hook sizes go by an alphanumeric code or by mm size. Refer to your yarn label for the recommended hook size.

Yarn

Yarn is made of spun fiber and comes in many different materials. Cotton and lightweight wool are great for summer clothing, while thicker wools are best for winter. Hemp is strong and resistant to mold and UV light making it useful for household items as well as outdoor clothing. Smooth, light colored, tight twisted yarns are easiest to see and work with for beginners.

Thread Scissors

Small pair of sharp scissors for snipping yarn ends.

Pair of scissors with a colorful floral pattern and an orange utility knife.

Stitch Markers

Insert into stitches to keep stitch counts, mark sewing notches, and identify end of rounds. Made of plastic or metal, these markers come is different colors and styles. Some even help remind you what size hook you’re working with.

Colorful hooks, including pink, green, purple, and silver, arranged on a white background, featuring a beaded charm with dice showing 4.0 and attached to a metal clasp.

Measuring Tape & Seam Gauge

A measuring tape is a flexible rulers great for taking 3D measurements needed of a person or object to complete your project. A seam gauge is helpful for measuring gauges and other samples.

A flexible measuring tape coiled into a spiral, showing inch markings and a metal end, used for measuring length or circumference.

Gauge

The number of stitches and rows/rounds in a given measurement of a crochet piece.

Start by making a sample swatch of the pattern you want to use. Count how many stitches and rows/rounds fit in a specific measurement. Compare these measurements to the size you want your project to be and determine how many stitches and rows/rounds you need. A gauge on a yarn label, and for most pattens, is based on how many stitches and rows there are in a 4” (10cm) measurement of single crochet worked in rows. You should always create your own gauge as size may vary by yarn, hook, and crocheter’s tension.

Crochet gauge with a ruler showing measurements in inches and centimeters.

Yarn/Tapestry Needles

These needles are longer and thicker than your average sewing needle. Crocheters used them to weave in yarn ends and sew crochet pieces together. I prefer metal needles, as they are sturdier, however you can find them in plastic as well. Ones with bent ends are helpful with hard to reach places and sewing seams together.

Three thread or tapestry needles, one metal and two plastic, orange and blue, placed horizontally on a white background.

How to hold your hook and yarn

Weave yarn between the fingers of your non-dominant hand. This will help you control your tension as you work.

A hand showing how to weave yarn around fingers for crochet, wearing rings on the index and middle fingers, holding a green thread.

Non-Dominant Hand: Use two fingers, normally thumb with middle or index finger, to pinch just below the loop on your hook to hold your work in progress (WIP) steady. As you work adjust your pinch to keep up with your current stitch.

Dominant Hand: Below are the two most common ways to hold your hook. Test them out to decide what works best for you.

Two hands showing how to hold a crochet hook and yarn.

Working in Rows

Rows are working back and forth by adding a new row on top of the prior row. At the end of each row you turn your work and go back the other direction. This results in a different side facing every other row. To begin make a slip knot, then create as many chain stitches needed to complete the foundation row for your row 1 to be worked across.

Slip Knot & Chain Stitch (ch)

Create a loop by crossing the working end of the yarn over the tail end of the yarn, leave a long enough tail to weave in later, insert hook through loop, grab working end (A), pull through (B) and tighten knot (C). Pull working end to tighten loop (D). To make the first ch of your foundation row, *wrap the yarn from back to front over your hook, called a yarn over (yo) (E), and pull it through the loop on your hook (F). Repeat from * until your foundation row is the stitch count/length you need.

A wooden knitting needle with pink yarn looped around it against a white background.

A wooden crochet hook with pink yarn looped around its top, isolated on a white background.

Pink yarn tied in a knot hanging from a wooden stick, against a white background.

A crochet hook passing through a pink yarn tied in a knot.

A wooden knitting needle with pink yarn looped around it, set against a white background.

Foundation Row (FR)

A length of one or more chs linked together to use as the base or start of your project. These can be used to work in rows, freeform, or looped into a ring to work in rounds. Depending on the size of the project you may be given a specific number of chs or an equation.

Ex: Ch a multiple of 4 + 2

A close-up of a twisted green yarn tied around a wooden stick.

Working in Rounds

Working with rounds are similar to working in rows except you link the last stitch of each round to the first, typically with a slip stitch, to form a circle. This means you do not turn your WIP so it is always right side facing, unless otherwise instructed. There are two ways to begin working in rounds, with a foundation row ring or a magic ring.

Slip Stitch (Sl st)

Commonly used to join stitches together such as a group of chs into a ring or to join the first and last stitch of a round. Insert the hook into the specific stitch, yo (A) and pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook (B).

A wooden knitting needle with a blue yarn looped around it, forming a knot. The background is white.

A blue yarn knot tied around a wooden crochet hook.

Foundation Row Ring (FRR)

Create a foundation row of 3 or more chs, then Sl st into the ch furthest from the hook to form a ring, shown above with Sl st (A & B). Depending on what the pattern instructs for row one you will either, wrap each stitch of your first row around the whole ring (A), or work 1 - 3 stitches in each ch on the ring (B).

If you want your WIP to start with an opening in the middle this is the ring to start with. Use a FRR to create tube shapes or start with a neckline for a top.

A close-up of a wooden stick with a blue yarn looped and tied around it, forming a knot.

Blue yarn knotted around a wooden crochet hook, isolated on white background.

Magic Ring (MR)

Hold the tail end of the yarn down with your thumb at the base of your index and middle fingers, wrap the working end of the yarn around your index and middle fingers back to front 3 times (A), insert your hook under the first then second wrap, grab the third (B) and pull through making a loop on your hook (C), keeping them together, carefully remove remaining 2 wraps from your fingers, yo (D), pull through and tighten (E), work first round as normal minus any slip stitches to close (F), pull tail end of yarn slowly until one of the wraps starts to shrink (G), release tail end and grab the shrinking wrap, pull so the remaining wrap (not the tail end) tightens completely (H), then pull the tail end to tighten the last wrap completely (I), Sl st to first stitch of round to close if instructed.

This ring is best to use if you want a tight center with no hole. However if you work too many stitches on the ring you will end up with a hole.

A person using a small wooden crochet hook to crochet with yellow yarn on their finger.

A wooden knitting needle with a loop of yellow yarn, with part of the yarn wrapped around the needle, on a white background.

Close-up of a person's hand holding a wooden knitting needle with yellow yarn wrapped around fingers, preparing to knit.

A close-up of a person's hand holding a yellow yarn wrapped around the fingers, with some yarn hanging down.

A close-up view of a wooden crochet hook piercing through a loop of yellow yarn, with some yarn looped around the hook, showing the process of crochet.

A wooden crochet hook with a yellow yarn looped around it, forming a knot in the yarn.

Yellow rope tied in a knot with a loose end forming a heart shape on a white background.

Close-up of yellow twisted rope tied in a knot on a white background.

A yellow rope tied in a knot, with loose ends extending outward, on a white background.

Basic Stitches

Turning Chains

To start a row/round you need to make a turning chain which is one or more chs worked together. Turning chains are used to add the height for your next row/round. In some cases these count as a stitch and others they do not. If they count as a stitch make sure you work a stitch in them on the next row/round. Although they are called turning chains you will not always turn your project after making them, such as when working in rounds.

Diagram showing a crochet pattern for a single crochet stitch, with numbered rows from 1 to 20, including visual symbols for crochet stitches and the label 'Single Crochet'

Diagram of a crochet pattern called 'Half Double Crochet' showing chain stitches, double crochet stitches, and a round pattern with labeled steps.

A crochet pattern diagram titled 'Double Crochet' showing instructions for chain, double crochet stitches, a gauge swatch, and a circular motif with stitch symbols.

Diagram showing treble crochet stitches and a circular crochet pattern, labeled "Treble Crochet}". The chart includes step-by-step instructions and symbols for treble crochet.

Single Crochet (sc)

Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), insert hook into 2nd ch from hook, or first st, yo (A,B) and pull through making 2 loops on your hook, yo (C) and pull through both loops to complete 1 sc (D), work 1 sc in each st across row, turn.

Close-up of a knitting crochet hook made of wood, with a twisted light green yarn looped around its tip, on a white background, annotated with numbered steps 1, 2.

A wooden knitting needle with a green yarn thread tied in a knot around it, creating a loop in the yarn.

A wooden crochet hook with a green yarn looped around it.

A wooden crochet hook pulling a green and white yarn through a loop.

Half Double Crochet (hdc)

Ch 2 (does not counts as a stitch), yo, insert hook into 3rd ch from hook, or first st, yo (A,B) and pull through making 3 loops on your hook, yo (C) and pull through all 3 loops to complete 1 hdc (D), work 1 hdc in each st across row, turn.

A close-up of a crochet hook and yarn with numbered labels indicating the yarn wrapped around the hook, showing the half double crochet.

A wooden crochet hook with a tan yarn looped around it, tied in a knot.

A wooden crochet hook with orange yarn tied in a knot around it, held against a white background.

Close-up of orange yarn tied in a knot around crochet hook against a white background.

Double Crochet (dc)

Ch 3 (counts as a dc), yo, insert hook into 5th ch from hook, or second st, yo (A,B) and pull through making 3 loops on your hook, yo (C) and pull through first 2 loops leaving 2 loops, yo (D) and pull through last 2 loops to complete 2 sts (E), work 1 dc in each st and turning chain across row, turn.

A wooden crochet hook passing through a yellow crochet chain, with numbers 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 listed below.

A wooden crochet hook with a yellow yarn looped around it, set against a white background.

A wooden crochet hook with pink yarn wrapped around it, forming a loop.

Pink yarn wrapped around a wooden knitting needle.

A wooden knitting needle with yellow yarn wrapped around it, forming a small knot, isolated on a white background.

A wooden knitting needle with yellow yarn looped around it, depicted in the process of knitting.

A wooden crochet hook piercing through a loop of yellow yarn, with some of the yarn looped and knotted.

Treble/Triple Crochet (tr)

Ch 4 (counts as a tr), yo twice, insert hook into 6th ch from hook, or second st, yo (A,B) and pull through making 4 loops on your hook, yo (C) and pull through first 2 loops leaving 3 loops, yo (D) and pull through next 2 loops leaving 2 loops, yo (E) and pull through last 2 loops to complete 1 tr (F), work 1 tr in each st across the row, turn.

Close-up of a wooden crochet hook with pink yarn wrapped around it, partially crocheted.

A wooden crochet hook with a pink yarn wrapped around its tip. The yarn is twisted and numbered from 6 to 1 underneath, indicating different steps or stitches in the crochet process.

Close-up of a pink yarn looped around a wooden crochet hook, with a plain white background.

A wooden crochet hook with pink yarn looped around it, forming a small loose knit hanging from the hook.