Hello, lovely people!
It’s another gorgeous, rainy, day and I have finally gotten around to finishing a few crochet projects that I’ve been working on.
I have been crocheting since I was a wee-little 8 year old. My aunt taught me and gave me my first book on learning to crochet. Since then, I haven’t stopped. In fact, I’ve even convinced all (three) of my friends to crochet. Today, I will teach you in three simple steps.
I’m going to assume that you have just bought your first ball of yarn and hook. I’m going to explain the steps as if you have never even heard of crochet before. I will teach you how to get your yarn on the hook, a.k.a. a slip knot, how to do a foundation chain (the first stitches to start a project), and how to slip stitch.
In my next post, I will teach you the most basic stitches. Those stitches will carry you through so many projects and are virtually limitless.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. Let’s get down to the basics.
1. The Slip Knot
The slip knot is basically just how you get the yarn onto your hook. There’s various ways that people do a slip knot. When I first began, I would always just tie a knot around my hook and go from there. Now while that can work, you run the risk of a knot that’s too tight.
To do a slip knot, you will wrap the yarn around two fingers making a circle and pull the back of the yarn through the circle with your hook.
2. Chain
A chain, or foundation chain, will be the first step to almost all projects you will make. To do a chain, you will wrap the yarn around your hook and pull it through your slip knot. You will repeat until you reach your desired length.
3. Slip-Stitch
The slip-stitch is a type of stitch that is mainly used for connecting stitches together or going across stitches. You can use it for projects but it doesn’t build height quickly. It is still a stitch that you will use very often in projects and it will get you used to working back and fourth on your chain.
To do a slip-stitch: Complete your chain and turn so that you will be working in the opposite direction. Insert your hook into the first stitch of the chain, wrap your yarn around your hook and pull it through both loops. Think of it just like a chain except first inserting your hook into another stitch.
And BAM, just like that, you have learned the basics of crochet.
Rest assured that at first, your work may look funky. It does take practice to see your stitches look more even. A common mistake that I see beginners do is pulling your chain too tight, This creates a tension that is too tight. It will come to you as you continue to practice.
Please let me know if this was helpful to you. Please tag Home Sweet Simpson in your work on Instagram. I would love to see!
Take care, stay safe! Love you all.