How I Learned to Crochet & Mistakes I Made as a Beginner

Dear reader,

This project was a huge step for me. It’s been rare that I have tried to learn something new by myself. It always seemed too complicated. 

Where do I begin? Do I read a book, watch a video, talk to someone? It will probably fail anyways, so why bother? It’s too hard.

That kind of thinking filled me with regret about everything I should’ve tried when I was younger and led me to be unsatisfied with the amount of skills I currently have. I needed to plunge ahead despite those silly thoughts grasping at whatever creativity existed in my brain.

How I Learned to Crochet

I dove in with little planning. This approach is not aligned with my personality because I usually like to have every last detail planned out and all the required knowledge already in my brain, but that wasn’t possible so I had to start somewhere. I went to my Pinterest board of all the beautiful crochet patterns I had previously scavenged and chose one.

Step 1: Find a pattern.

I lucked out on this part because I unknowingly chose a pattern that wasn’t too complicated. It wasn’t easy for a beginner like me, but I was able to learn as I went (albeit slowly).

I used this pattern, but I would recommend a simpler one when just starting out. A pattern with only a couple types of stitches and less frequent color changing would have made it easier to learn the fundamentals. Don’t burden yourself with too much information in the beginning.

A baby blanket was a good choice of project because of the simple rectangular shape, but if you are the type of person who needs small wins early in the learning process to stay motivated, then try a project that you can finish faster such as a scarf or even a dishcloth. For me, just seeing the progress I was making on the blanket was motivation enough.

The website I found my pattern on, daisyfarmcrafts.com, was so helpful with the amount of detail they provided in the pattern instructions. They give the pattern, sentences explaining each type of stitch, and individual steps, pictures, and videos. So if you learn a certain way, they cover it.

Step 2: Learn the stitches in your chosen pattern.

For this, you will obviously need the tools. Since this was my first project, I stuck to the materials recommended by the tutorial I was using including the type and amount of yarn. I already had scissors and a set of crochet hooks from who-knows-where, so I just bought the yarn and a tapestry needle. 

The first step on the pattern was to make a chain (which is the foundation of almost every project), so I went to YouTube and followed along with some videos. I would also suggest watching a video on how to hold the crochet hook and yarn because doing it properly makes it so much easier! Then, looking at the pattern again, I needed to learn the single crochet, double crochet, and front and back post double crochet stitches, so for each I followed a YouTube video and made a small practice square. 

I wasted a lot of time right here because I didn’t watch the video carefully enough while learning the single crochet stitch and I missed an entire step of the stitch (I didn’t yarn over a second time)! This led to me wasting a half-hour practicing a made-up stitch, which did work, but it wasn’t the one I needed.

My only hiccup at this point was that I didn’t know which chain to insert the hook into when starting out because I got conflicting information from various videos, but my sister (who has been crocheting for a while) said that usually the pattern for the project you are doing will give you instructions.

Step 3: Make a practice swatch of your pattern. 

Daisy Farm Crafts had a video tutorial for doing a practice swatch, so I simply followed along! For me, it wasn’t actually straightforward because I was still getting used to the whole crocheting thing, and I struggled to figure out where to insert the hook between stitches and at the end of each row. I got through that by rewatching the tutorial many times and watching multiple different YouTube videos of the stitch I was working on so that I could get different views of it. By the end of the blanket I had kind of figured it out, so I’m sure it will become second nature with time and practice. Once I felt comfortable with the pattern, I moved on to the next step.

Step 4: Make your project.

Follow the pattern, supplement with video tutorials when needed, and create! The biggest obstacle here is having the time to do it, but the nice thing about crocheting is that it allows you to multitask; watch a movie, chat with a friend, or just work on it when you have a spare couple minutes. You can put it down whenever and pick it back up when you have time. If you lose your place, just unravel a stitch or two until you figure out how to resume.

One thing I learned about myself in this process is that I hate messing up even if it’s something as tiny and ridiculous as putting my hook into the wrong space because I’m not sure of the correct one. I don’t know where this comes from, but I obviously need to make more mistakes and become comfortable with it if I’m ever going to learn anything else! Crocheting is a good buffer for screwups because fixing them is not an issue; just unravel the mistake and start over on that section. Have patience with yourself. I unraveled huge chunks of the blanket that I messed up on, but I just kept trying until it was done.

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If you are someone who needs a new hobby that isn’t too physical and is fairly inexpensive and relaxing, then pick up a hook and yarn. Crocheting can be useful too! My sister often makes baby blankets or stuffed animals (even stuffed gummy worms!) for other people, so it’s a fun way to make a personalized gift or something that you can use yourself.

The biggest benefit I’ve found is that if you haven’t yet mastered crocheting, it’s a great way to challenge yourself with no stakes and no pressure. There’s a pattern to it, so you just follow instructions, and you can start with the basics and build on that. More importantly, you can see your progress, and each project has an end goal so it’s rewarding.

Finishing one blanket hasn’t even put a dent in the amount of crocheting knowledge that’s available, and I am still very much a beginner. I would love to hear all of your tips on anything crochet or if you know of an easy, fun pattern for me to try out for my next project!

– Madelyn