How to Crochet

Crocheting is a fun way to make washcloths, blankets, and even scarves. The first step to crocheting is making sure to have all the right materials. There are many different types of yarn depending on what to make. For blankets and scarves soft, loose yarn is the way to go; for something like a washcloth, cotton yarn is the best. Making different designs with different colors is also something fun to do when crocheting.

First, to start off crocheting, make sure all the materials are present. Such as the yarn that will be used (along with the color(s) being used), and a crocheting needle. Be sure to use the right size of needle depending on the stitch being used. There are different types of stitching to use but today we are learning to use a basic chain and single stitch for a washcloth.

To begin a chain stitch, make a loop with the yarn around the hook, don’t make it too tight or too loose. To make a chain, place the hook in one hand and the yarn in the other. Place the hook downward and wrap the yarn around the hook. Now with the yarn on the hook pull the hook with the yarn through the existing loop already on the hook. That is chain number one, the slip knot does not count as a chain.

Next, repeat the process by making twenty chain stitches in a row. Be aware of not having the yarn too tight or too loose as you go on. After making the twenty chains, prepare the hands for crocheting again by making a single stitch.

Skip the first chain so the first stitch doesn’t become too tight. In the next chain insert the hook, grab the top loop, and wrap the yarn around and it pull through. Now there are two loops on the hook, wrap the yarn around the hook again and then pull it through both loops. Turn the work to start the next row.

Find the next chain and repeat the process again nineteen times. At the end of row one prior to row two, we are going to make a single chain loop, so it matches the height of the next rows of stitches. Skip the first chain and put the hook through the two loops, yarn over the hook and then pull through both loops. Repeat this process again nineteen times again. Be sure to count every stitch to ensure that each row has nineteen stitches.

To finish crochet, cut the yarn approximately eight inches from where the hook and last stitch were made, also called the tail end. I like to make a chain before I finish my work, pull the yarn through, and pull it tight, give it a good tug. The blunt-tip yarn needles work great for weaving the tail end in. After the end is done being weaved in, clip off the excess.