Easy crochet projects are useful and fun to make. Once you know the stitches, you will follow a pattern to make your project.
First, we will look at the stitches and their abbreviations as shown in patterns for ease of reading.
yo – yarn over
sl st – slip stitch
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
hdc – half double crochet
dc -double crochet
tc – treble crochet
All crocheted projects begin with a slipknot. To make a slipknot, if you are right handed, hold a 4 or 5 inch piece of yarn in your left hand. With your right hand, bring the yarn over your pointer finger on your left hand and cross with the short piece of yarn. With your right thumb, pinch the two sections of yarn where they cross each other. Your left thumb should be below the right thumb. Take the middle of the tail that is hanging down about half way up, and pull halfway through the loop on your finger. Once you have pulled the loop through partway, pull the long end to tighten your loop. You now have a slipknot.
To make a slipstitch, insert the hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull through both of the loops on the hook.
Your first row is always a chain stitch. To make a chain stitch, hold the slipstitch at the base of the loop, with the long tail off to your left. Insert the hook with your right hand into the loop of your slipknot from front to back. Use the long length of yarn and yarn over the hook (over to the right and around and down to the left) while it is in the stitch. Catch the yarn on the end of the hook and pull it through the loop. Gently tighten. Keep stitches loose. Tight stitches make it very difficult to insert the hook in the following stitches. It is important to learn to keep your stitches loose and even. This takes practice. When I was learning, I made a row of chains, about 40 long. My first few tries, the stitches were so tight I could not squeeze the hook through no matter how hard I tried. After you have made a few rows, you will get the feel for how tight to make them. Practicing now, saves a lot of wasted time later. One way to judge this is by gently tightening the yarn around the center of the hook, which is just a little wider than the hook part. As long as it slides through the previous stitch easily, you are on your way.
The next stitch is the single crochet. For this stitch, you will insert your needle two stitches from the end of your chain. Yarn over and pull through and you will have two stitches on your hook. Pull yarn through both stitches. Repeat this step until you are back at the beginning of your chain. When you are back to the beginning chain one, and turn your work back to your left. Single crochet all the way across the row again. Chain 1, turn and single crochet back again. Repeat till you have a few rows, and look them over, and decide if they look good to you or not. Dont’t worry if it takes a little bit of practice, you can easily pull it out all the way back to the beginning and start over. Continue on until you are comfortable that all your stitches are loose and even.
The easiest project for beginners is a dishcloth. To begin this project, you will need to make a chain. Using a size H crochet hook, or whatever size you are comfortable with. The bigger the hook, the easier it is to crochet. Chain 40 stitches or until you reach the desired size. For this example, we will use 6 inches. When you reach the end of your 6-inch chain, insert the hook in the second stitch from the end. Single crochet in each chain, all the way back to the beginning. Chain 1, turn, and continue back across your work in the same manner. Chain 1, turn, single crochet all the way across and repeat until the length is also about 6 inches long.
To end your work, clip your yarn about 3 inches from the end of your work. Remove your hook, take the loose end of the yarn, and pull it through the last loop. Tighten this stitch and weave the extra yarn into the last row of stitches.
You have just completed your first project. To practice, make a few more of these and you will be ready to move on to the next project.
Another easy project for beginners is a pillow cover. You can use the same stitches as you did for the dishcloth. The only difference will be length and width. Measure the pillow you wish to cover. If it is 14 inches by 14 inches, you will want to make your cover a little bigger. I would make it 15 inches by 15 inches. Make 2 pieces this size. When you have finished both pieces, lay one face down and then the pillow and then the other piece face up. Whip stitch with yarn or thread all the way around the pillow. To whip stitch, take a needle and thread of matching color, and go through the loops along the sides on back and front, and continue all the way around until your pillow is completely enclosed. You have now completed another project.
For an adult size scarf, you will probably want it about 6 inches wide. You can make it any length you would like. One way to estimate it is to put both arms straight out to each side. Measure from one fingertip, across the chest, all the way to the other fingertip. Another way is to measure one that you already have.
You will begin this project with the slipknot. You will chain enough to measure approximately 6 inches or whatever you have chosen for your width. Insert your hook in the second stitch from the end and single crochet all the way back to the beginning. Repeat the steps as you did for the dishcloth; just keep going until you have the length you desire.
After you finish off the yarn at the end of the scarf, you can add fringe to the ends of the scarf. Cut strands of yarn, 8 inches long. At one end of the scarf, insert your hook in the very last stitch. Attach the middle of the strand and pull halfway through with the hook. Drop the hook and bring the two loose ends up and through the loop. Pull loose ends to tighten. Repeat in each stitch across the end. Then repeat these steps on the other end of the scarf.
Once you have finished these projects you are ready to learn more stitches. We will add the double crochet to the list. For a double crochet, yarn over first, then insert the hook through the stitch, yarn over, pull through loop, yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over and pull through two loops again.
You can find more stitches and patterns online and at the library. You can make many things. You can make yourself a hat, scarf and mittens to match if you choose. You can make a lap quilt and pillows to match. There are so many fun thing you can make. You can make these items for yourself. You can also make them to give as gifts to friends and family.
