Stitch in 3D Deutsch

How to crochet: your first square

To crochet, you pull loops of yarn through other loops with a hook. Start with a slip knot on the hook, make a row of chains, then work single crochet stitches back along the chain, turning at the end of each row. A 15-stitch, 10-row square teaches every basic move.

The plan below takes about an hour. You need one ball of yarn, one hook and scissors. The chain is the move everything else is built on, so it is in 3D right here: slow it down and watch the yarn go over the hook and through the loop.

The plan

  1. Get one hook and one ball of yarn. A smooth, light-colored worsted-weight (medium, #4) yarn and the hook size printed on its label, usually 5.5 mm (I-9). Dark or fluffy yarn hides the stitches you are trying to see.
  2. Make a slip knot. Make a loop about 15 cm (6 in) from the end of the yarn, pull a second loop of the ball end through it, put that loop on the hook and pull both ends to snug it. The loop should slide on the hook but not fall off.
  3. Hold the hook and the yarn. Hold the hook like a pencil or a knife, whichever feels natural. Wrap the ball end of the yarn over the index finger of your other hand so it feeds with a little tension.
  4. Chain 16. Yarn over, pull through the loop on the hook. Repeat until you have 16 chains, not counting the loop on the hook.
  5. Work your first row of single crochet. Skip the chain next to the hook. Insert the hook into the second chain from the hook, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through both loops. Work one single crochet into each chain to the end: 15 stitches.
  6. Turn and work row 2. Chain 1, turn the work over like a page. Single crochet into the first stitch (the V right below the hook) and into every stitch across. Count: 15 again.
  7. Keep going, then fasten off. Work 10 rows. To finish, cut the yarn with a 15 cm (6 in) tail, yarn over and pull the tail right through the loop on the hook. Weave the tails in with a needle.

What each part teaches you

The chain is the basic hand movement: yarn over, pull through. Working into the chain teaches you to find the right place for the hook, which is the hardest part for most beginners. The single crochet rows teach turning and counting, and they show you what a stitch looks like from the top: a small sideways V.

Once the square lies flat and has the same number of stitches in every row, you are ready for taller stitches. Work a row of half double crochet, then double crochet. The turning chain grows with the stitch: 1 chain for single, 2 for half double, 3 for double.

The three habits that fix most problems

Count every row. Nearly every wonky first project comes from a lost or added stitch at the edge. Put a stitch marker or a scrap of yarn in the first stitch of each row.

Pull loops to the full width of the hook. Loops that sit in the hook's throat come out tight and are hard to work into on the next row.

Let the yarn feed. Tension comes from the hand holding the yarn, not from yanking each loop. If your stitches are uneven, loosen your grip on the yarn before you change the hook.

Where to go next

For toys and anything worked in the round, learn the magic ring, then increases and the invisible decrease. If you are about to follow a pattern, check whether it uses US or UK terms. For grip, see how to hold a crochet hook.

Questions

How long does it take to learn to crochet?
Most people can chain and work rows of single crochet after an hour or two. Even tension takes a few small projects.
Is crocheting easier than knitting?
Many beginners find it easier to start: there is only one live loop on the hook, so a mistake never unravels a whole row of stitches.
Why does my square get wider or narrower?
You are adding or skipping a stitch at the ends of rows. Put the first stitch into the first V after the turning chain, the last into the last V, and count every row.
Which hand holds the hook?
Your dominant hand. Left-handers mirror everything; every 3D viewer on this site has a left-handed switch.