I love the old crafts. I am particularly fond of crochet and have made quite a few little goodies with it over the years. Crochet has been a lot of things to me, not the least of which is a connection to family. When I was a child, my mother taught me how to do the basic chain stitch, and when I was in my twenties, her sister Brenda taught me the granny square. I taught myself (well, with a little help from printed instructions) other stitches, and I’m still learning. It’s one of the most relaxing things I’ve ever done and is a welcome distraction when I come home from work a little tired. It’s a wonderful way to make inexpensive but useful gifts, too.
If you are new to the art, I recommend that you just buy one crochet hook to start, maybe about a size G or H (a medium-sized hook, which is easier to manipulate if you’ve never done this before) and a skein of yarn. There are lots of varieties of yarn, so just choose one that feels comfortable to you. I wouldn’t choose a very lightweight, heavy weight, or fancy yarn in the beginning. Some of those can be a little unwieldy if you aren’t used to working with them. We used to have to wind our yarn into balls before beginning to prevent tangles, so if you like, you can do that, although most skeins of yarn now are factory-wound to make it unnecessary.
If you are new to the art, I recommend that you just buy one crochet hook to start, maybe about a size G or H (a medium-sized hook, which is easier to manipulate if you’ve never done this before) and a skein of yarn. There are lots of varieties of yarn, so just choose one that feels comfortable to you. I wouldn’t choose a very lightweight, heavy weight, or fancy yarn in the beginning. Some of those can be a little unwieldy if you aren’t used to working with them. We used to have to wind our yarn into balls before beginning to prevent tangles, so if you like, you can do that, although most skeins of yarn now are factory-wound to make it unnecessary.Next you’ll need to learn how to hold your yarn and your hook as you crochet. I’m right-handed, so I hold my crochet hook in my right hand and thread my yarn through my fingers on my left hand (watch this YouTube video to show you how). Hold the yarn lightly and let it slide through your fingers evenly. Holding it too tightly will cause your stitches to be too tight, too.
The first stitch to learn is the chain stitch because the chain is the foundation for most projects. To start, make a slip knot near the end of your yarn. Your hook goes through that slip knot. To make your first stitch, with your hook through the slip knot, loop your yarn over the hook end of the hook (this is called a yarn over) and pull it through the slip knot. You should have one loop still on the hook. Congratulations! You have completed your first chain stitch! Repeating this action multiple times will create a chain.
If you learn the chain stitch and a few other basic stitches like single, double, and treble (or triple) crochet, you will have what it takes to make all kinds of fun creations! There are a zillion websites and books with all of the how-to’s for those and other stitches, and there are just as many patterns to give you the step-by-step method for making any project you like. My favorite website is Naztazia - Creative Self-Sufficient Living. You’ll really like her free videos and instructions.
I just purchased a crochet pattern book that I think you might enjoy. It’s Hooked Bags: 20 Easy Crochet Projects by Margaret Hubert. The projects in this book are made mostly using the basic stitches you can learn by watching the videos on the Naztazia website, and it also explains how to do a professional-looking bag lining. Additionally, it has illustrated explanations of all of the stitches and a list of abbreviations used in the patterns. I’ve chosen a bag made of granny squares to try first.(more on granny squares in the next blog!) I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I’ll bet some of you enjoy crocheting as much as I do. If you crochet (or are just beginning) and would like to share one of your projects, email a picture to me with a brief description. I’ll post as many as I can.
Enjoy!
Sherry
