Introduction to Crochet/Getting started

Crochet is a relaxing endeavor.

Types of yarns

The most important traits of yarn are fiber type and thickness (which is known as weight).

Fiber types

Natural

• Cotton: absorbent and inexpensive. Does not stretch very much, so working with cotton can be more fatiguing than most other yarns. Useful for making placemats, tote bags, and other utilitarian items. Most crochet lace is made from cotton.
• Linen: plant-based. Produces lightweight fabric good for summertime wear, but pure linen wrinkles easily.
• Rayon: made from wood pulp. Absorbent, can mimic the appearance of silk without the expense.
• Wool: comes in many types. Always warm. Texture ranges from soft to scratchy. Some wools tend to pill, such as merino.
• Mohair: very luxurious. Expensive, unless blended at a low proportion with acrylic or other fiber. Difficult to work with unless stabilized with a second strand of another fiber. Despite these factors, working with mohair can be cost effective because good ready-made mohair sweaters are premium boutique items and the savings of starting from yarn can be worth the effort. Not a good choice for beginner projects.
• Alpaca: behaves similar to wool; soft and exceptionally warm.

Synthetic

• Acrylic: varies in quality. Basic acrylic is often the best fiber for beginner practice.

The crochet hook

Differently sized crochet hooks

Prepackaged yarns generally come with a recommended hook size. Hooks are sold individually or in sets of similar sizes. It's often a good idea to buy a packaged set. The price per hook is lower for a package and the ability to change to a slighly different sized hook helps to keep an even gauge while working a piece.

The size of the hook used on a project typically corresponds with the thickness of the yarn, but hooks of a wide range of sizes could be used with a yarn of a specific thickness for a desired effect on the finished product like having loose or wide stitches.

Common abbreviations

Crochet patters are generally abbreviated in order to save space while dealing with repetitive patterns. Some commonly used abbreviations in United States terminology are as follows:

alt	alternate
approx	approximately
bet	between
bl/bk lp	backloop
bp	back post
bpdc	back post double
bptr	back post triple crochet
ch	chain
cl	cluster
rnd	round
tog	together
dc2tog	double crochet 2
pc	popcorn
tch	turning chain
sc	single crochet
hdc	half double crochet
dc	double crochet
tr	triple crochet
dtr	double triple crochet
tr tr	triple triple crochet
ch	chain
sl	slip
beg	begin or beginning
rep	repeat or repeating
sk	skip
sp	space
st	stitch
tog	together
YO	yarn over

Often the instructions will include symbols like * (asterisk) or † (dagger) to mark a place from which to start a repeat. For example, "rep from * 4 times" means that once you've done the instructions the first time, you have to work them again four more times for a total of five times.

() Parenthesis surround instructions which should be worked together, sometimes indicated after the parenthesis. As an example, "(2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) 3 times in sp" means that you will repeat 2 double crochets, chain two stitches, then 2 more double crochets three times in a space, for a total of twelve double crochets and six chains.

Terminology

• Front loop: The loop closest to you at the top of the stitch
• Back loop: The loop furthest from you at the top of the stitch
• Post: The part of the stitch between the loop and the lower stitch; the vertical part
• Join: Use a slip stitch unless otherwise indicated.
• Work even: Continue using the same pattern, don't increase or decrease.
• Finish off: Pull the end of the yarn through the last loop on the hook to prevent your work from coming apart.

United Kingdom translations

Stitches used in these projects are done using United States crochet terminology. Stitches in the United Kingdom have different naming conventions as indicated below:

Basic stitches

Photograph	Schematic	U.S. term	U.K. term	Turning chain
		chain stitch	chain stitch	N/A
		slip stitch	single crochet
		single crochet	double crochet
		half double crochet	half treble
		double crochet	treble
		triple/treble crochet	double treble
		double treble crochet	triple/treble treble

References

• Edie Eckman, The Crochet Answer Book, North Adams, Massachesetts: Storey Publishing, 2005.