Beginner Crochet Stitch Instructions
Knowledge of a few crocheting stitches will enable a beginning crocheter to make a variety of projects such as scarves, afghans, rugs and simple garments. These same few stitches also make up more advanced techniques such as granny squares, ripple afghans, shell-stitch edgings and many others. With practice, these basic stitches will become second nature and beginners will gain speed and consistency in crocheting.
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Things You'll Need
- Yarn
- Crochet hook appropriate for yarn (check the yarn's label for suggested size)
Instructions
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Slipknot, Chain and Slipstitch
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1
Hold the crochet hook so that it is comfortable in your hand and you will be able to dip the hook into a loop of yarn wrapped over the straight part of the hook with minimal motion.
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2
Attach the yarn to the crochet hook with a slipknot: Make a loop with the yarn, twist it once, and pull a second loop of yarn through the loop. Done correctly, the loop should easily adjust to fit the hook.
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3
With the slipknot on the hook, hold the hook in your right hand and use your left hand to draw the yarn over the hook from right to left (or back to front, depending on your position).
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4
Pull the yarn through the slipknot loop using the crochet's hook to keep the new loop on the tool. That is one chain stitch. Almost all projects begin with a series of these.
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5
Make at least 10 chain stitches to use as a basis for the next stitches.
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6
Put the hook through the first chain you made, then draw yarn through the stitch and the loop on hook. Your chains now make a circle. This is a slip stitch and is used to connect stitches, to move through stitches without adding height or to join a new piece of yarn to a project.
Single Crochet Stitch
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7
Undo the slip stitch so that you have a line of chain stitches, not a circle, and replace the hook in the last loop
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8
Insert the crochet hook into the second chain from the hook. The hook can go through the section that looks like a braid (on top), or the stitch in the middle (on the bottom).
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9
Draw the yarn over the hook, right to left (or back to front), and pull it through the chain.
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10
Yarn over again and pull it through the remaining two loops on the hook. This is one single crochet stitch.
Half Double Crochet
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11
Wrap the yarn over the hook and put it through a chain stitch.
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12
Wrap the yarn over again and pull through chain.
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13
Wrap the yarn over again and pull through the three loops on hook. This is one half double crochet stitch.
Double Crochet
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14
Wrap the yarn over the hook and put it through a chain stitch.
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15
Wrap the yarn over again and pull through chain.
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16
Wrap the yarn over again and pull through two loops on hook.
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17
Wrap the yarn over again and pull through the last two loops on the hook. This is one double crochet stitch.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Practice to keep the tension (tightness) consistent in the stitches.
The top of a line of single or double crochet look just like a line of chain stitches. The procedure stays the same for additional rows of stitches.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Black crocheted pattern image by cuckoonest from Fotolia.com
