Crochet guide
Things to crochet
Start with a small flat piece, such as a dishcloth or a simple scarf. Then make a larger flat piece, add a second color, and after that work in the round. This guide says what each kind of piece teaches and how much yarn it takes.
On this page 8 parts
How to choose what to make
Choose by what you already know. Many patterns print a level. At the lowest level a pattern uses basic stitches and little or no shaping. One level up, a pattern may add a simple stitch pattern, a change of color or some shaping.
So a common order is flat pieces in one color first, then color, then rounds. Each part of this guide adds one new thing to the part before it. Stitch names are United States terms, with the United Kingdom name in brackets where it differs.
| Piece | What is new in it | Yarn in this site's patterns, as an estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Dishcloth | Even rows and straight edges on a few stitches | About 60 to 65 yd (55 to 60 m) |
| Scarf | The same rows, kept even over a long piece | About 200 to 425 yd (185 to 390 m) |
| Baby blanket | A wide row and many more rows | About 1,150 to 1,325 yd (1,050 to 1,210 m) |
| Throw | The largest of the flat pieces | About 2,725 to 3,500 yd (2,490 to 3,200 m) |
| Small graph cloth | Two or three colors, changed inside a row | About 75 to 165 yd (70 to 150 m) in all |
Every amount in the table is an estimate. It is the range printed on this site's own patterns of that kind, all written for medium-weight yarn. Your yarn, your hook and how tightly you work will change it. The yarn calculator makes an estimate from a small swatch of your own.
Start with a small flat piece
A first piece is usually a small rectangle, worked back and forth in rows. A dishcloth or washcloth is a common choice. It is small, it takes little yarn, and it is worked in basic stitches. Cotton yarn is the usual choice for one, because it soaks up water.
A plain cloth uses a chain, one basic stitch and a turn at the end of each row. The stitch is often single crochet (UK double crochet) or double crochet (UK treble crochet). The new skill is counting, so that every row has the same number of stitches and the edges stay straight.
- Patterns: the dishcloth patterns.
- Stitches to know: single crochet, double crochet and, for a little texture, lemon peel stitch.
- Not there yet? How to crochet takes you from the slip knot to a first small piece.
Then a scarf
A simple scarf is the other common first piece. It is the same kind of row as a cloth, on a long, narrow strip. What it adds is practice: keeping the stitch count and the edges even for many more rows.
A flat piece such as a scarf or a blanket does not have to come out at one exact size. So matching the pattern's gauge, the number of stitches and rows in a set measure, matters less than it does for something that has to fit.
- Patterns: the scarf patterns.
- A stitch one of them uses: V-stitch.
A blanket
A blanket in a simple stitch asks for no new skill. It is a wider row, repeated many more times, and it takes far more yarn, as the table shows. A baby blanket is the smaller size, and a throw is the same idea made larger.
- Patterns: the baby blanket patterns and the blanket patterns.
- Choosing a stitch: crochet stitches for blankets compares ten of them. Granny stitch, worked in rows, is one more.
- Choosing a size: the blanket size chart.
Add a second color
A change of color usually moves a pattern up one level. Stripes are the simple way in: the rows stay the same and only the yarn changes. Stripes and changing colors show how.
A graph pattern goes a step further. It is a picture worked from a grid, and the color changes inside the row. Small ones, such as a washcloth with one shape on it, are the place to begin.
- Patterns: the graph patterns.
- Reading one: how to read a crochet graph.
Work in the round
Once you have made a few flat pieces, learn to work in the round. Several kinds of piece depend on it.
- Granny squares. A granny square is a common first piece in rounds. Squares can be joined into a blanket: see joining squares.
- Toys. Small stuffed toys, called amigurumi, are worked in the round and often begin with a magic ring.
Working in the round shows how a round is begun, worked and closed.
A piece that has to fit
A hat is another piece that many makers try early. Unlike a cloth or a blanket, it has to fit, so its size and your gauge matter. The hat size chart gives head sizes.
Where to go next
- New to patterns? Read how to read a crochet pattern first.
- Ready to choose? Browse all the crochet patterns.