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How to Crochet for Beginners: From Slip Knot to Your First Finished Piece

To start crocheting you need one 5 mm (H-8) hook, a ball of smooth, light-colored worsted-weight yarn and three skills: the slip knot, the chain and the single crochet. With those you can make a complete washcloth or scarf in a weekend.

Updated: 2026-11-09

What you need to start crocheting

You do not need a big kit. Most beginners do best with a mid-size hook and a medium yarn because the stitches are large enough to see and count.

• Hook: 5 mm (US H-8). An ergonomic handle is nice but not required.
• Yarn: worsted weight (#4), smooth, in a light solid color. Cotton is great for dishcloths; acrylic is soft, cheap and forgiving. Avoid dark, fuzzy, or novelty yarn at first because you can't see where the stitches are.
• Scissors and a blunt yarn needle (tapestry needle) for weaving in ends.
• Stitch markers or a safety pin to mark the first stitch of a row.

Check the yarn label: it usually recommends a hook size. For a first project, stay within that range.

How to hold the hook and yarn

There are two common grips and neither is wrong.

• Pencil grip: hold the hook like a pencil, between thumb and index finger, with the shaft resting on your middle finger.
• Knife grip: hold the hook from above, like a dinner knife, with the handle under your palm.

Your other hand controls the yarn. A common method is to drape the working yarn over your index finger and pinch the work just below the hook with your thumb and middle finger. The goal is steady, even tension: the yarn should slide through your fingers without being yanked tight or flopping loose. Tension improves with practice, so expect your first rows to look uneven.

The three skills for a first project

Slip knot

An adjustable loop that attaches the yarn to the hook. It does not count as a stitch.

Chain (ch)

Yarn over and pull through the loop on the hook. A row of chains is the foundation for flat pieces. Keep chains loose; a tight chain makes the first row hard to work into and pulls the bottom edge in.

Single crochet (sc)

Insert the hook into a stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over and pull through both loops. Single crochet is short, dense and the base of most beginner and amigurumi projects. In UK terms this stitch is called double crochet (dc).

A first project: the single crochet washcloth

A square washcloth teaches everything you need: a foundation chain, working rows back and forth, turning and finishing. It is small enough to finish quickly and nobody minds if the edges are a bit wavy.

Once the washcloth works, the same rows make a scarf: chain a longer or shorter foundation and keep going until it is long enough.

Common beginner mistakes and quick fixes

• Edges slant inward: you are skipping the last stitch of the row. Mark the first stitch of each row so you can find it on the way back.
• Edges grow outward: you are working into the turning chain or adding a stitch at the start. Count every row.
• Hard to insert the hook: your tension is too tight. Relax your yarn hand or try a hook one size larger for the foundation chain only.
• Holes and loose loops: tension too loose. Wrap the yarn once more around your finger to add drag.
• A mistake several rows back: pull the hook out and gently unravel (crocheters call this frogging) back to the error. Crochet only has one live loop, so it is easy to rip back and restart.

Step by step

1. Make a slip knot. Form a loop with the yarn, pull a second loop of working yarn through it and slide it onto your hook. Tighten it so it moves on the hook but is not loose.
2. Chain 26. Yarn over and pull through the loop on your hook. Repeat until you have 26 chains, not counting the loop on the hook. Keep the chains relaxed and even.
3. Work the first row. Insert your hook into the second chain from the hook and work a single crochet. Work one single crochet in each remaining chain to the end. You should have 25 stitches.
4. Turn and chain 1. Turn the work so the yarn is back at the right (for right-handers). Chain 1; this turning chain gives you height and does not count as a stitch.
5. Work the next rows. Single crochet into the first stitch and every stitch across, going under both top loops, for 25 stitches. Count them, then turn and chain 1 again.
6. Repeat until square. Keep working rows until the piece is as tall as it is wide. Fold one corner diagonally to the opposite edge to check that it forms a triangle.
7. Fasten off. Cut the yarn leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail. Yarn over and pull the tail all the way through the loop on the hook, then tug to lock it.
8. Weave in the ends. Thread each tail onto a yarn needle and weave it through the stitches on the back for about 2 in (5 cm), changing direction once. Trim the excess close to the fabric.

Frequently asked questions

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