Learn to Crochet - Crochet Basics - Morris Masterclass Series

Whether you’re new to yarn crafts completely or looking to branch out from your usual favourite craft, our Learn to Crochet Guide will help you with the basics you need to start exploring the world of crochet.

Introduction to Crochet Crafting

Crochet is a versatile craft that creates beautifully textured fabrics and is therefore often chosen for homeware items such as blankets, pillows, baskets, and face washers. Unlike knitting where there are many live stitches at once, traditional crochet works with only one live stitch at a time making it much more manageable to fix a mistake and less intimidating to drop stitches. Once you’re comfortable with holding your crochet hook and completing the basic stitches, you can easily branch out into more complex designs which all build upon the same foundations. Here is what you need to know to start to crochet!

Essential Crochet Materials

To get started you will only need a crochet hook and a ball of yarn. We suggest you start with a 4.00mm hook and Estate 8ply yarn.

1. Choosing the Right Crochet Hook

There are many different types of hooks available each with their own advantages. Hooks with handles, such as the Clover Amour or Clover Soft Touch, have become increasingly popular because of their ergonomic design that is more comfortable to hold and creates less strain and tension on your hand. The Clover Amour range is the staff’s personal favorite. However, if you’d prefer a hook without the silicone grip another good option for beginner’s is the KnitPro Symfonie wooden hook which has a very sharp point that allows getting into the stitches easily especially if you’re finding you are a tight crocheter, like many beginners.

2. Decoding Yarn Plys and Weights

We recommend our beginner’s start with a 4.0mm hook, which correlates to an 8ply, or DK weight, yarn. If you’re familiar with knitting needles and plys of yarn you will notice that for crochet it is often the same basic equation of multiplying the hook size by 2 to find out which ply you will use with it. For example, 4.0mm hook multiplied by 2 equals 8ply. You can also work the other way and divide a ply by 2 to see which hook you should use with it. This equation is wonderful for 8ply and thicker yarns but doesn’t always work once we get thinner than 8ply so it is best to check the label of a ball of yarn or its specifications online if you’re unsure.

3. Finding the Ideal Yarn for Crochet

100% wool is our favourite yarn to learn to crochet with, such as our Estate 8ply, because of its tight twist, which prevents splitting of its strands with the hook.

Once you are comfortable with the basics of crochet you might want to explore using a cotton yarn, such as Avalon 8ply, which is favoured for its excellent stitch definition. We recommend starting with a lighter coloured yarn, as it will be easier to see the individual stitches and where to insert your hook.

3. Mastering Basic Crochet Stitches

After acquiring your materials you’re all ready to start to explore how to hold your hook and see which way is most comfortable for you. We recommend following the very helpful YouTube videos of ARNE & CARLOS below to learn the basic stitches and play around with them. If you find a video is moving too quickly for you, you are able to slow down the playback speed in the settings icon on the video player.

When you start to look at crochet patterns or guides you will notice that they specify if they are using US or UK terminology. This is because there are two sets of abbreviations and terms for the same stitches, much like the use of millimeters for hook and needle size vs the UK and US different number system. Any good pattern will specify which set of terminology it is using and if you need to convert them to what you become familiar with we suggest using this conversion chart.

Understanding US and UK Crochet Terminology

How to Crochet Video Tutorials

In the videos below ARNE & CARLOS use the US terminology and we have given you the equivalent if there is one to the UK system above the video.

Chain Stitch

Same in both US and UK

Slip Stitch

Same in both US and UK

Single Crochet Stitch

Equivalent of Double Crochet in UK

Double Crochet Stitch

Equivalent of Treble Crochet in UK

Treble Crochet Stitch

Equivalent of Double Treble Crochet in UK

Your First Crochet Project

The perfect project to start Crochet after learning the basic crochet stitches is a flat small rectangle that can be turned into a mug cozy or headband. When you are ready to move onto crocheting cotton, dishcloths or face washers are the best small beginner’s projects to create.

We hope you enjoy learning to crochet and the joy it will bring to your life.