Night Elf Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 How do I teach myself how to crochet? My aunt is amazing but she lives too far away to help me learn. Can someone recommend a website or book that takes a total and complete newbie and helps her turn out worthwhile items? What materials should I start with? I know needles come in sizes. I know there are different types of yarns. How do I know where to start? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I learned from youtube. Some videos are better than others obviously. I forget the username of the one I liked. After enough videos to understand a book, I moved over to the simple ones. Then my wrist tendonitis flared, I gave up, and moved to sewing. Lol. Dd loves to crochet. She learned 3 basic stitches and has figured out how to make a dress for her doll and is trying to make a hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Could you Skype (or other video chat) with your aunt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I learned as a child, and have taught several people over the years. I would recommend you go to Hobby Lobby and get a skein of their store brand I Love This Yarn, in a light color. That's a good, basic, worsted weight, acrylic yarn. Personally, I prefer working with wool or cotton (natural fibers), but they're more expensive, and Hobby Lobby's acrylic is surprisingly soft. If you don't have a Hobby Lobby, go to Michaels or Joann and get Vanna's Choice. It's a also a worsted acrylic. You don't necessarily need white, but yellow, light green, blue, pink, something pastel. It's harder to see and count stitches on dark colored yarn. Once you know what you're doing, you'll be able to work comfortably on any color. Get a comfortable sized hook for working with worsted weight yarn--probably an I, maybe an H. Google for videos and just practice. I'll do some video googling myself in a minute and update if I find some good ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I learned entirely from YouTube videos, and I think that's the way to go. It's much easier than a book since you can really see what they're doing. I would get a ball of yarn (not too dark, since that's harder to see) and a midsize hook (maybe an H?) to practice with. I wouldn't get the very cheapest yarn because they tend to unravel and be difficult to work with sometimes. First practice the slip knot and chaining (after watching videos). Once you have those down, I would make dishcloth size squares practicing the basic stitches (single crochet, double, half double). Once you do that, you should be ready for a basic project like a hat. Just look up anything you don't understand on YouTube and watch how it's done. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I learned from this site: http://www.planetjune.com/blog/tutorials/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 these videos also look really good, although she holds her hook TOTALLY differently than I do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NelL5hJ1mfQ&feature=share&list=PL59FA9DF4C757945B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I used this book. http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Crochet-Just-One-Day/dp/0881955094 Simple and easy, and it was nice to have on hand when I needed to look something up. It was also good for teaching me how to read patterns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 these videos also look really good, although she holds her hook TOTALLY differently than I do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NelL5hJ1mfQ&feature=share&list=PL59FA9DF4C757945B I see the woman in these videos holds her hook like a fork/pencil. I think that must be the way I was taught because that's how I used to hold it. But I found that hold cramped my hand. When I switched to a knife hold it was so much more comfortable for me and I could crochet for longer periods. Just mentioning this to encourage you to experiment with what works best for you. Same with tensioning your yarn--people have many different ways to hold their yarn. You need to find the one that feels comfortable to you and gives you (eventually) a good, even fabric. I think Michaels and JoAnn have classes--you might give a call if you find you need something in person. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I see the woman in these videos holds her hook like a fork/pencil. I think that must be the way I was taught because that's how I used to hold it. But I found that hold cramped my hand. When I switched to a knife hold it was so much more comfortable for me and I could crochet for longer periods. Just mentioning this to encourage you to experiment with what works best for you. Same with tensioning your yarn--people have many different ways to hold their yarn. You need to find the one that feels comfortable to you and gives you (eventually) a good, even fabric. I think Michaels and JoAnn have classes--you might give a call if you find you need something in person. Good luck! Yes! I hold my hook like a knife. I was taught that way, so even though I know that other people hold their hook like a pencil, I've never tried that way and it looks funny to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 A friend learned with YouTube videos recently. She also asked me a couple of questions as she was learning. I like this book for learning stitches. http://www.amazon.com/Easy---Crochet-Pattern-Stitches-Leisure/dp/1574866346/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375020314&sr=1-1&keywords=Crochet+afghan+63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 BeckyinTX was the youtube peraon I learned from. You need to find videos that have the camera behind them looking down over their shoulder. Easy to see what the hands are doing. She also woukd slow things down. I self taught from you tube and a few books to learn how to read abbreviations and patterns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 http://www.nexstitch.com/Tutorials.html This always helps me when I'm stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I went to The Crafty Minx Crochet School. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I had to pull out a hook and yarn to see how I hold it. Pencil :) I like About.com as a resource. There is a ton of preselected stuff of good quality. That's where I go when I need to learn od review a stitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 The videos on Stitch11 helped me a lot. You will have to go back to the first of the videos on page 3 to get started. I also watched someone on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I taught myself probably about 12years ago-I think I used resources from ANNIE'S ATTIC.....(pattern booklets-idea books) Most have little stitch guides in the back or front of the book..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Youtube taught my kids even though they learn the basic stitches from me. Here library has a crochet/knitting class for adults and for kids. Michaels has classes too. The mom and pop yarn shop is often willing to teach for free if you are their customer. That is how I learn to crochet from a family run store that sells embroidery threads and yarns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I went to The Crafty Minx Crochet School. OK, looked at some of her videos and they're WONDERFUL! Of course, I like her because she prefers the same hooks I prefer, and holds her hook and tensions her yarn the same way as me. Perfection. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I went to The Crafty Minx Crochet School. Great site! I prefer a Boye hook, but use the same crocheting method. It really is a preference, so, I agree, by a hook of each style and see which you like. A light colored good quality yarn is a good starting point. Once you learn the very basics start with small projects- dishcloths and potholders can handle mistakes. As your skill increases you can increase the size and difficulty of your projects. If you have trouble understanding one video, try another. There really are so many great resources out there! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 OK, looked at some of her videos and they're WONDERFUL! Of course, I like her because she prefers the same hooks I prefer, and holds her hook and tensions her yarn the same way as me. Perfection. LOL Great site! I prefer a Boye hook, but use the same crocheting method. It really is a preference, so, I agree, by a hook of each style and see which you like. A light colored good quality yarn is a good starting point. Once you learn the very basics start with small projects- dishcloths and potholders can handle mistakes. As your skill increases you can increase the size and difficulty of your projects. If you have trouble understanding one video, try another. There really are so many great resources out there! Enjoy! I totally agree about preference. I struggled for years to crochet and it finally came together with the Crafty Minx videos and Susan Bates hooks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 How do I teach myself how to crochet? My aunt is amazing but she lives too far away to help me learn. Can someone recommend a website or book that takes a total and complete newbie and helps her turn out worthwhile items? What materials should I start with? I know needles come in sizes. I know there are different types of yarns. How do I know where to start? I bought the Klutz book. It looks like it's out of print now, bummer. But the library might have it. The book was fantastic and had great diagrams that showed me exactly what to do. Youtube should have a bunch of how-to-crochet videos, and the library will have books that explain all about yarn types and different hooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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