How can I learn to Crochet?

[Deleted]

YouTube.

[nevermind]

Ditto youtube. I also have a book called Stitch and Bitch (the crochet edition) that has some cute basic projects

[bunnysmom]

My MIL seems to have learned a lot from watching videos on Youtube.

[drloretta]

Jan 7, 2013 9:37:57 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Is there a starter kit I can buy?
Or cheap materials I must have?

What do I search? How to crochet? Or should I search for how to make a simple item-I'm guessing blankets are the easiest?

First, on how to learn, it depends on your learning style. I needed a real live person to show it to me. The big box craft stores usually have someone teaching an intro class. Youtube is an excellent resource as well.

There are a lot of Learn to Crochet books out there, they can be a good starter book.

For materials, you can go with a basic acrylic worsted weight yarn. Cheap, easy to use, fairly forgiving. The Learn to Crochet books will give you a basic hook size to start with.

I wouldn't start with a blanket. I'd start with something like a placemat.

[lys]

DItto Youtube.
Many yarn shops as well as Michaels, JoAnns and similar kinds of stores have classes. Check out your local yarn outlets. Often there are knitting/crochet circles that get together as well.

[Deleted]

Jan 7, 2013 9:41:10 GMT -5 drloretta said:

Jan 7, 2013 9:37:57 GMT -5 @barefootbarista said:

Is there a starter kit I can buy?
Or cheap materials I must have?

What do I search? How to crochet? Or should I search for how to make a simple item-I'm guessing blankets are the easiest?

First, on how to learn, it depends on your learning style. I needed a real live person to show it to me. The big box craft stores usually have someone teaching an intro class. Youtube is an excellent resource as well.

There are a lot of Learn to Crochet books out there, they can be a good starter book.

For materials, you can go with a basic acrylic worsted weight yarn. Cheap, easy to use, fairly forgiving. The Learn to Crochet books will give you a basic hook size to start with.

I wouldn't start with a blanket. I'd start with something like a placemat.

I agree with drloretta. I have tried to learn from books, and I need someone there to help me. But then, I'm also particularly bad with spatial concepts, directions, and assembly of anything.

[Deleted]

Check and see if there's a meet-up group

[aspentosh]

Do any nearby family or friends do it? They might be able to show you (I find it easier than YouTube) and then you can probably borrow supplies until you decide if it's for you or not.

[liveintheville]

Hey, Dr L! Can I ask you a knitting question? I finished a scarf ages ago but still haven't blocked it. Do you have a method that doesn't require tacking it to a rug? Because the only rugs we have are in the living room and kids' room. And that guaranteed destruction with the crazies.

[mellymel]

I learned from my grandma (and then didn't practice and have forgotten). I should have her show me again. I think it's easiest to learn from a live person, but that's just my learning style.

I think you should start with a scarf. It's quick, easy, and timely! And all you need is yarn and a crochet hook.

[Deleted]

Books, Youtube, and Ravelry.com. I also recommend learning on 100% wool yarn in a light color. Wool is way more forgiving than acrylic if you have to rip out multiple times and it feels really good. I also prefer bamboo hooks and needles to metal or plastic. Metal gets sweaty in your hand plus is pretty slick when starting out and plastic tends to make the yarn stick so it's harder to make stitches.

[gibbinator]

YouTube has taught me everything I need to know about knitting and crocheting

[Rachael070707]

The first book I bought was this one:
www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-VISUALLY-Crochet-Consumer/dp/0470879971
The book was very helpful in getting to be able to read patterns better. I need a mix of written & visual tools.

I also took a couple classes through Joanns and I bought a cd from there.
www.joann.com/crochet-made-easy-cd-rom/prd19087/

YouTube has tons of videos and Pinterest has plenty of tutorials. i know I have a bunch of things pinned for learning different crochet stitches.

For a beginner, I liked yarns that worked up quickly. It made me feel like I accomplished something. Stay away from yarns that are fuzzy or frilly, you won't be able to see your stitches well and making it tough to learn on.

ETA: I was really slow to type my response as well but all of the above suggestions from pps are good ones.

[bluelikejazz]

I swear by the Klutz How to Crochet book. But they discontinued it!!! Perhaps you could find a copy at the library?

[alexis]

I started crocheting a couple of years ago. I found it useful to take a simple pattern for a small project and just start on it. When I came to a part I didn't understand I would Google it and learn about it mainly from diagrams. I like the diagrams because it allows me to make sure my work looks like the picture before moving on to the next step, however, I have seen others crochet before and if you are not familiar with it at all it would probably be helpful to watch or video or see someone do it to get an idea of the motion.

I started with hats as they are simple and useful. Here is a hat pattern:
crochet.about.com/od/easy-crochet-patterns/a/simple-crochet-beanie-hat-pattern.htm

It has links to how to do the stitches is requires. Here is a blog about how to read patterns that I found useful:
www.crochetnmore.com/123readapattern.htm

I would recommend buying a set of hooks. They're frequently sold in sets of 4 and it is much cheaper to buy them together than individually. Good luck!

[liveintheville]

Jan 7, 2013 10:05:29 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Jan 7, 2013 9:56:40 GMT -5 liveintheville said:

Hey, Dr L! Can I ask you a knitting question? I finished a scarf ages ago but still haven't blocked it. Do you have a method that doesn't require tacking it to a rug? Because the only rugs we have are in the living room and kids' room. And that guaranteed destruction with the crazies.

You can block it on towels on your bed. Or come over and use my nifty new blocking mat and even niftier new blocking wires.

Ah, brilliant! Towels it is My scarf is not good enough for your blocking mat. Someday though... Oh and you're correct about ravelry. I can get sucked in for hours.

[drloretta]

Jan 7, 2013 10:30:00 GMT -5 liveintheville said:

Jan 7, 2013 10:05:29 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

You can block it on towels on your bed. Or come over and use my nifty new blocking mat and even niftier new blocking wires.

Ah, brilliant! Towels it is My scarf is not good enough for your blocking mat. Someday though... Oh and you're correct about ravelry. I can get sucked in for hours.

LOL, I was going to suggest towels. I just used them to block my Advent scarf. What type of yarn is it? That may sway my answer too.

And Rock, I'm a little jealous of the blocking wires. I went cheap and threaded yarn through the whole thing to straighten the scarfy bits

[Deleted]

I feel like acrylic just gets gross looking more quickly. I used acrylic to learn initially but switched over to wool at the recommendation of a friend and it wasn't too much more expensive since I got it on sale.

You should look to see if you have a local yarn store. Usually the people that work at them can help get you started and some offer classes.

[dragonfly08]

I've been wanting to learn for a while and finally found a class at a local yarn store, but it was a bit pricey and not at a great time. So I picked up a starter kit yesterday at Michael's...I Taught Myself Crochet (from Boye). Liked it because it came with a DVD, while the other starter kit they had did not, and I do better when I can see stuff. It has everything I need to start (five sizes of hooks, an afghan hood, needles, stitch markers and rings) except the yarn itself. I picked up some Caron Simply Soft since it was recommended and on sale. All together, I spent about $13 after my coupon so if it doesn't work out it's not a total waste. If I do get into it, then I can justify an intermediate class at the store if I still want to go that route. :-)

[liveintheville]

Jan 7, 2013 10:45:13 GMT -5 drloretta said:

Jan 7, 2013 10:30:00 GMT -5 liveintheville said:

Ah, brilliant! Towels it is My scarf is not good enough for your blocking mat. Someday though... Oh and you're correct about ravelry. I can get sucked in for hours.

LOL, I was going to suggest towels. I just used them to block my Advent scarf. What type of yarn is it? That may sway my answer too.

Bamboo silk. This pattern. www.purlbee.com/checkerboard-lace-scarf/

[RandZB]

Find a friend who crochets and take her out for coffee. That's what I did. I also watched a lot of Youtube videos and looked for patterns online. It took awhile for things to click, but now it is almost second nature.

[awick14]

I went to a local discount/second hand store and bought some cheap yarn.

I than went on YouTube and searched crochet and found a ton of videos.

Start with small things like baby blankets or scarves.

I taught myself Dec 2011 and I have made 5 baby blankets and one queen size blanket. I am obsessed with crocheting now.