The Complete Beginner's Guide to Crochet in 2025

What you'll need

Getting started with crochet requires just two things: a hook and some yarn. Here's what to buy as a beginner:

Yarn: Choose a medium-weight (worsted weight, label #4) yarn in a light, solid color. Light colors make it easier to see your stitches. Avoid fuzzy or textured yarn — it's much harder to work with when you're learning.

Hook: A 5mm (H/8) crochet hook is ideal for beginners. It's large enough to see clearly and pairs perfectly with worsted weight yarn.

Your first stitches

1. The slip knot Every crochet project starts with a slip knot. Make a loop, pull the yarn through, and tighten it onto your hook. This creates your starting point.

2. The chain stitch Hold the hook in your dominant hand and the yarn tail in the other. Wrap the yarn over the hook (this is called "yarn over") and pull it through the loop. That's one chain stitch. Make a chain of 20 — you'll use this for your first project.

3. Single crochet The single crochet is the foundation of most beginner patterns. Insert your hook into the second chain from the hook, yarn over, pull through (2 loops on hook), yarn over again, pull through both loops. That's one single crochet.

Your first project: A simple swatch

Practice making rows of single crochet. Chain 20, then single crochet across. At the end of the row, chain 1 and turn. Repeat. After 10 rows you'll have a small rectangular swatch — your first crocheted fabric.

Common beginner mistakes

- Crocheting too tightly — relax your grip. Your hook should slide through loops easily.
- Adding or losing stitches — count at the end of each row. You should always have 20.
- Splitting the yarn — aim to insert your hook under both strands of each stitch.

Next steps

Once you're comfortable with single crochet, try these stitches in order: half double crochet, double crochet, slip stitch. With these four stitches, you can make almost any beginner pattern.

Download Woolsy to follow along with video tutorials and track your rows automatically.