Crochet QuickStart
One hook. One ball of yarn. Two stitches. You can make an actual, usable washcloth by the end of the weekend — and a scarf by the end of the month.
Pick the right yarn and you're 80% there
New crocheters almost always start with the wrong yarn — black, fuzzy, or too thin — and blame themselves when they can't see their stitches. Don't. Your first project should use light-colored, smooth, medium-weight cotton yarn. It's stiff enough that your stitches hold their shape, light enough that you can actually see what you're doing, and cheap enough that mistakes don't hurt.
Learn just two stitches first
You need the chain (ch) and the single crochet (sc). That's it. Every other stitch is a variation, and you can make dozens of projects with only these two. Resist the urge to learn amigurumi, granny squares, or anything shaped until your stitches look even.
The minimum you need
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A 5.5mm (I/9) crochet hook
The goldilocks beginner hook — big enough to see what's happening, small enough for sensible fabric. Aluminum hooks work fine; a soft-grip handle (Clover Amour, Boye Ergonomic) is worth it if you'll crochet for more than 20 minutes at a stretch.
~$3–10 -
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A ball of light-colored cotton worsted yarn
Lily Sugar 'n Cream or Peaches & Creme are the undisputed beginner yarns — widely available, about $3 a ball, and every craft store in North America carries them. Pick cream, light blue, or pale yellow. Avoid black, dark red, and anything fuzzy.
~$3–5 per ball -
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A yarn/tapestry needle
Blunt, large-eye needle for weaving in the yarn tails when you finish. A plastic or metal one is fine — you don't need fancy.
~$3 -
Scissors
Any pair you already own. Fancy embroidery scissors aren't necessary; kitchen shears work.
Already own it -
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Stitch markers (optional but nice)
Mark the first stitch of each row so you can count. Safety pins or paperclips work in a pinch.
~$5
Your first project: a washcloth
A washcloth is the perfect first project — small enough to finish in an evening, forgiving of uneven stitches, and genuinely useful when it's done. You'll practice every skill you need: making a foundation chain, working single crochet, turning rows, and weaving in ends.
- Make a slip knot. Loop the yarn, pull a new loop through, tighten onto the hook. YouTube this one — it's 20 seconds to learn visually, 20 minutes to describe in text.
- Chain 26. Yarn over the hook, pull through the loop. That's a chain. Do 26 of them. Don't count the loop on the hook.
- Single crochet into the second chain from the hook. Insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both. That's a single crochet.
- Single crochet into every remaining chain. You should have 25 single crochets at the end of the row.
- Chain 1 and turn. This chain is the "turning chain" — it gives height so your next row starts at the right level. It does not count as a stitch.
- Single crochet into every stitch across. Still 25 stitches. Count them at the end of every row. Add or drop a stitch and your washcloth goes trapezoidal.
- Repeat for ~25 rows or until it's roughly square.
- Fasten off. Cut the yarn leaving a 6" tail, pull the tail through the last loop, tighten. Thread onto your yarn needle, weave the tail back and forth through a few stitches on the back, trim.
Skills to learn next (in order)
- Double crochet (dc) — twice as tall as single crochet, works up twice as fast. Scarves and blankets love it.
- Reading a pattern. Crochet abbreviations look like alphabet soup ("ch 3, sk 2, dc in next st") but the vocabulary is small — a hundred words total.
- Granny squares. The classic. Learn one square and you can make everything from coasters to sweaters.
- Working in the round. The gateway to hats, bags, and amigurumi (cute stuffed toys).