So, you have decided to give crochet a go – maybe because you’ve seen something you would like to make, or because you’ve read about its benefits, or maybe you did it as a child, and want to start again. And you’re asking yourself, what you’re going to need to start. Having taught a bunch of students over this past summer, I can single out three most impotant things: determination, correct yarn and good tools. Let’s have a detailed look at each of these.
Determination
Learning crochet is like learning any new skill – it takes time and patience. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to take classes, or your friend is going to teach you, or you teach yourself from a book or youtube. You will need to practice a lot. Make mistakes. Get upset and frustrated. Start over. Get it right. Feel really proud of yourself. Then make more mistakes. Want to give up. Improve and get to the point when you really start enjoying you new hobby – hopefully. These ups and downs are absolutely normal and a part of learning process. Even after over 30 years of experience, there are still things that I do not know, and things that I am not good at in crochet and knitting. I still fail, rip out, start over 5 times, andend up with garments that I don’t really like.
If you persevere, if you keep working, taking a step back if necessary, everything will fall into place eventually. Your mistakes will become experience and expertise. You probably won’t use your first projects much, but believe me, you will look back at them with fondness after some time. And you will feel really proud of yourself, because by looking at them you will see how you have progressed since.
Managing your expectations is also vital. Although there are people who pick up certain new skills amazingly quickly, if you aren’t one of them, don’t get discouraged. This is not a speed contest, but a marathon. I am not saying you shouldn’t be ambitios, and spend years making basic scarves. What I am saying is that if you have picked a seeming easy top as your first project, and it doesn’t turn out nice, or work out at all, take a step back and try something easier. I am planning to write several articles in the near future about good beginner projects, and will gradually link to them here.
Correct yarn
Over the past few months I have seen way too many people struggling with the basics of crochet because of yarn that’s difficult to work with. I have experimented, and here’s what I have found out. For false beginners (for example, those who have done crochet as a child) the yarn is important, but not crucial. For total beginners who start learning to crochet as adults, using the correct type of yarn is crucial and can be a deciding factor whether the person will continue practicing or give up. So please, please, please do not understimate the importance of having the correct material. Do not think that you can try crochet with that unknown yarn you have in your closet since forever, and then invest in better stuff if you like it. You will probably hate it, and never try again – just because your yarn made things too complicated.
Two biggest challenges for a new crocheter are discerninng stitches and their different parts, and putting the hook through the correct place, without splitting the yarn of the existing stitches. On top of that, beginners tend to have a tight grip, and to get nervous, so their hands get sweaty, making the string wet and sticky.
So the best yarns for beginners are light in colour, do not split easily, create well defined stitches, are rather thick and are pleasant and cool to the touch. In my experience, it is best to start with a soft polypropylene cord sold for macrame or crochet bags, for example. I have used Macaroni PP Macrame cord (2mm or 230m/200g) and a 5 mm hook with great success for my students. (Do not confuse this material with cords sold in hardware stores, they are not the same!)
If you cannot get hold of something like that, I would suggest t-shirt yarn or tape yarn as, like polypropylene cords, they are thick, cool to the touch and very difficult to split. You can easily see separate strings that form stitches.
The next down my list is cotton – ideally mercerised and very tightly spoon. In France, the best option is Phildar Phil Cotton 4. It is readily available, not expensive and comes in many pretty shades.
Finally, my last choice would be 100 % wool, ideally merino, tightly and evenly spoon,worsted or aran weight. Wool, however, can be very hot and sticky.
Suitable crochet hooks
Like with materials, I beg you to invest into correct tools from the start, as they are equally important. There are two things you need to look out for.
Size
Firstly, you need a hook in the size that works well with your yarn. While an experienced crocheter can use a wide range of hook sizes with the same yarn to create different textures, a beginner needs a tool that is neither too large nor too small. Your hands do not know yet how regulate the yarn tension well, so it is mostly the hook size that will influence your stich size. While stitches that are too loose will create a fabric that does not look pretty, they are preferable to stitches that are too tight. Small stitches are very difficult to work into, resulting in frustration. So if you need to choose, pick a larger one.
You may find it surprising, but for hook sizes between 1 and 5 mm, 0.25 mm size variation can make a huge difference. It was one of my later revelations, as for a long time I only owned full and half sized hooks (3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm and 5mm), and I often was frustrated as, for example, a 3mm hook would result in a fabric that’s too tight, and 3.5mm would be too loose. I thought that my technique wasn’t good enough – it turned out that owning a 3.25mm hook is all I needed.
Each person is very different in the way that they crochet, especially in the beginning. I had students using the same yarn and while one needed a 3mm hook to be comfortable, another one needed 3.5mm and a third one a 4mm. Which makes yarn produder’s suggested hook size a on a label very rough guideline.
All of the above takes me to my first very important point: I have come to the conclusion that it is really worth it to invest straight away in a set of hooks. They range widely in price and quality, and you do not need to dish out 60 or even 20 euros for an expensive one, but the more different sizes you will have available, the bigger choice you will have. If not, try getting at least 2-3 hooks around the suggested size for the yarn you have.
Material and shape
Apart from the sizing, it is vital that the hook you use in the beginning slides really well along the yarn. Metal and alluminium hooks are the best. Definitely avoid wooden/bamboo ones in the beginning, and I personally am not a big fan of plastic hooks. When buying metal or alluminium ones, go for shiny finish. The ones covered in grey matte colour often do not slide well enough too.
If you can touch the tools while choosing, go for hooks with a more pointy head – but it shouldn’t be sharp either. Shorter hooks are prefererable to long ones, as they are easier to control (12 cm is ideal, I’d say 13cm is the maximum for a beginner).
Nice soft grip handles are more expensive and not necessary, but they are definitely more comfortable.
Other tools
In the beginning, you don’t need much otherwise. A wool (darning) needle is something you may need early on, a ruler, a pair of scissors, maybe some stich markers (you can use scrap yarn or paper clips for that, too). It is also a good idea to keep notes of what you do. I usually use a note app in my phone and then transfer my notes to Ravelry (my user name there is leilalieva if you want to take a look). If you are a paper person, a notebook will do, of course
Conclusion
I hope the above gives you some idea of where to start. Please, do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions, or share your ideas in comments section.
One final note that I would like to add. Having a friend who learns with you will help you commit, and make the process more social and fun. And if you can have someone teach you in person – even once or twice you will learn much faster. In cas that you are on the French Riviera, please get in touch.