Crochet Basics
Crochet basic stitch instructions
Materials :
DK or thinner yarn in cotton if possible
Tools:
Size 3.5mm Crochet Hook
Small Scissors
Things to know:
It would be right to say crochet is a series of chains, or chains attached to chains. If you think about it that way it will help it all make sense.
In the UK we use different stitch names to those in the US. I’m going to show you how to do the following UK stitches (shorthand in brackets and the US equivalent incase you come across American instructions)
- Slip Knot
- Chain (ch)
- Slip Stitch (ss)
- Treble Crochet (tr). In US called Double
- Half Treble Crochet (htr). In US called Half Double
- Double Crochet (dc). In US called Half Crochet
These stitches should enable you to do most easy crochet projects including Granny Squares if you get specific instructions for each project.
SLIP KNOT – one way of casting on
Hold the yarn, end hanging down, in front of your index and middle finger of your non-dominant hand.
Wrap the yarn clockwise over the two fingers twice, the second time nearer your knuckles than the first time
With hook in your dominant hand, put the pointed end through the centre of the loops and use the hook to pull the back yarn through the loop and upwards. Carefully allow the yarn free from your fingers and pull the ends below the hook so it forms a loose knot. You’re ready to start
CHAIN (CH)
This is your opportunity to learn how to best sort out your hand placement, yarn tension, and to get over getting in an old mess with your crochet.
Hold the Crochet hook in your dominant hand (DH), the end of the yarn hanging below. Hold this end of yarn for now with this hand. In the Non-dominant hand (NDH) hand loosely wrap the yarn you’ll be working with round your fingers once (with your ball of yarn on the end).
Bring the yarn over the back of the hook towards you with your NDH hand and with your D hand use the crochet hook to pull the yarn through the loop you have already made.
KEEP HOLD OF THE ENDS SO THE CROCHET DOESN’T SPIN ROUND THE CROCHET HOOK J
You’ve done your first chain stitch !
Keep practicing this until you get confident with the needle and yarn and you have a nice long chain.
CROCHET STARTING POINTS
The two most common are :
Circular ( Granny Squares, crochet baskets, rugs, some blankets)
Horizontal (Most Clothing, some blankets)
CIRCULAR
Use a Slip Knot to start,
Make a chain (I suggest making a chain of 6 but this depends how big you want the centre)
Make into a loop / circle by using a Slip Stitch (see below) You should have a LOOP of stitches and 1 stitch on your hook
SLIP STITCH (SS)
Put the crochet hook through the front of the first stitch you made, yarn over the hook,
Pull yarn through the stitch AND the stitch on the hook
HORIZONTAL
A horizontal work starts with a chain,.. how long the chain is will depend on how wide you want your work. (Make a Slip Stitch and create a chain of 20 stitches for example)
TREBLE CROCHET (TR)
This is the most useful stitch you’ll use. It is in effect a set of 3 stitches linking one chain to another
Using the HORIZONTAL method, after you’ve cast on and made chain:
Chain 3 (this will count as your first treble stitch and means each row has a straight end.)
We’re going to be working into each separate stitch of the original chain, starting with the stitch next to the base of your chain of 3, and working a treble stitch into each chain stitch until we reach the very first one we started with (20 trebles in total including the chain 3 one we’re now counting as a treble)
HOW to MAKE THE TREBLE STITCH
- *With the one stitch on your hook, yarn over from back to front
- Push the hook through the chain stitch (see above)
- Yarn over from back to front again
- Pull the yarn back through the chain stitch ( 3 stitches on your hook)
- Yarn over from back to front
- Pull the yarn through 2 of the three on the stitches on your hook (leaving 2 stitches on hook)
- Yarn over from back to front
- Pull the yarn through the two stitches on your hook (one stitch on hook) **
The Treble stitch is done! You’ll see it’s resembles the chain of 3 next to it.
To finish the row, Move onto the next stitch on your chain and start again from * to **until you have put a treble stitch into every stitch along your original chain.
When you get to the end (20 treble stitches if you started with a chain of 20) with one stitch on your hook, turn the work over.
To make more rows like this, Chain 3 and start again from * to **
Keep doing this until your work gets as big as you like !
Circular Method Treble Stitch
The circular method works exactly the same, except the first row, all of the stitches are made by the hook going into the centre of the loop you have made.
If you’ve made a 6 chain loop:
- Chain 3 (acts as first Treble)
- ***With the one stitch on your hook, yarn over from back to front
- Push the hook through the centre of the loop
- Yarn over from back to front again
- Pull the yarn back through the loop ( 3 stitches on your hook)
- Yarn over from back to front
- Pull the yarn through 2 of the three stitches on your hook (leaving 2 stitches on hook)
- Yarn over from back to front
- Pull the yarn through the two stitches on your hook (one stitch on hook) ****
The Treble stitch is done! You’ll see it’s resembles the chain of 3 next to it.
To finish making trebles around the circle, yarn over from back to front and follow instructions from *** to **** a further 10 times if you started with a 6 chain loop (12 trebles including chain of 3)
Spread the stitches equally around the centre
Use a Slip stitch through the top of your 3 chain and the stitch on your hook to make a circle
This forms the basis of the two main types of crochet
Try again with some different stitches
HALF TREBLE CROCHET (HTR)
Follow instructions above but this time start your row with a chain of 2
TO MAKE THE STITCH:
- *Yarn over
- Hook through loop or stitch
- Yarn over
- Pull yarn through ( 3 stitches on hook)
- Yarn over
- Pull yarn through ALL 3 LOOPS on your hook**
One Half Treble Done – Continue from * to ** to make more Half trebles
DOUBLE CROCHET (DC)
Follow instructions above but this time start your row with a chain of 1
TO MAKE THE STITCH:
- *Hook through loop or stitch
- Yarn over
- Pull yarn through ( 2 stitches on hook)
- Yarn over
- Pull yarn through THE 2 LOOPS on your hook**
One DOUBLE done – Continue from * to ** to make more Double stitches
So – find some patterns using the above stitches and get going – Good Luck!