Beginner Crochet

I read my first beginner crochet tutorial recently and learned some very valuable lessons for anyone starting out with a ball of yarn and a long, hooked metal stick. As I finished the lesson, I thought to myself, "there have got to be people out there who would find this stuff useful". To be honest, I know nothing more than what I'm about to write here today. I've never crocheted a stitch in my life! Talk about your beginner crochet -ist (is that even a word??). Anyway, here are a few of the things I picked up from the tutorial.


Terms. How can you succeed in anything without speaking the language of the trade? Do you think Washington knew how to speak military and government jargon? What about Dr. Phil - think he knows a word or two of psychology talk? And Britney, think she's fluent in the vocab of child rearing...okay, bad example. Anyway, here are a few terms that anyone beginning their foray into crocheting will need to know:

beg: begin(ning)
ch: chain
dc: double crochet
dec: decrease
est: established
hdc half double crochet
inc: increase
lp(s): loop(s)
rep: repeat
rev sc: reverse single crochet
rnd: round
RS: right side
sc: single crochet
sl st: slip stitch
sp(s): space(s)
st(s): stitch(es)
tog: together
tr: treble crochet
WS: wrong side

You may run into other abbreviations that don't appear in this list. If so, they're wrong! Just kidding. Try looking at the beginning of the pattern, from what I understand, the author will generally define anything that isn't "standard" there, especially if you're doing a beginner crochet pattern.

That's all for now. Check back soon!

Beginner Crochet Video

Here are a few videos from YouTube that teach beginner crochet techniques like how to make a slip knot, a chain, and a single crochet. Thanks to Crafty Daisies for the videos!

Here is the slip knot...



And the chain...



And finally the single crochet...



Cool, huh! In the next post I'll add some info on choosing a good beginner crochet pattern to do your first project with.