The Crochet Come-Back: How To Get ‘Hooked’

 

You might associate crochet with your nan, reams of mothball scented wool and some very dodgy jumpers, but forget what you know – crochet is cool! With a surge in craftiness, thousands of cunning creators and picking up their crochet hooks and making wonderful stuff.

From socks and shawls, to bunting and Kindle covers. Best of all? They’re sharing all of their patterns, big ideas, woolly wonders and know-how online. As with all crafty matters, it’s getting started which is the hardest part, but you’ll be surprised by just how quick crochet can be to pick up. You’ll be making egg cosies left, right and centre in no time.

So if you’re looking for something clever and crafty to get into while you want for your next online bingo session to start – we’ve put together a quick “getting started” guide to crochet…

Getting started: essential kit

First things first, you’re going to need a few basic pieces of kit:

• A crochet hook (these come in a huge range of sizes measures in millimetres, you’ll need a few options once you’re more proficient, but to start with a mid-range hook – around 6mm – should do the trick)
• Wool (to get started, a medium thickness wool which doesn’t fray easily is best)
• Scissors
• Patience!

Getting started: first steps

The very first thing to learn to crochet is a simple chain. Once you have created a crochet chain you’re ready to start adding more complex stitches to your creation. The first step in making a chain is to tie a slip knot to get your chain started. Fortunately, there are lots of helpful how to videos and guides out there to teach you absolutely everything. Here’s how to make a slip knot:

And how to continue on with your very first chain:

New “hooker” tips

When you’re getting started it’s easy to get disheartened. Here are a few starter tips to keep in mind:

• Don’t worry! Your first attempts aren’t going to look like much. Getting a feel for the right tension and getting consistent takes practice. Stick with it, you’ll get there!
• Remember UK and US crochet stitches are different. Just as the Yanks use cups instead of grams, their crochet stitches also have different names. Here’s a handy guide.

• Know your 1 2 3s. Counting stitches is crucial to crochet. Miscount and you’re going to get wonky!

Crochet Pinspiration!

Pinterest is an amazing source of crochet inspiration – and lots of the creations you see pinned come with free patterns you can try out yourself. Here are a few of our favourite boards:

• Easy peasy crochet patterns (recommend starting with the dishcloths!)
• Amigurumi amazingness – cute little crochet animals for when you start improving
• Colourful, clever crochet – All sorts of bright and unusual ideas