The main reason I learned how to make quality beaded jewelry and why I am learning how to Crochet is because I know, without the shadow of a doubt, that my work is unique. Every piece I make, whether it is sewn, crocheted or beaded, it is truly unique and of my own design. I also put my beaded jewelry together in a manner that allows me to offer my 100% Lifetime Warranty so I know they are solid and very well put together.
I also sew, but very simply and I am teaching myself how to Crochet. There are kazillions of videos on You tube and I encourage you to watch whatever you need to there. I have watched them to learn techniques!! But, I have to stop, back up, watch them more than once.
I imagine that there are lots and lots of crochet groups on the net too, but the one I belong to is called Crochet Talk and I highly recommend it. Everyone there is very kind, talented and helpful!!
Here is the link to Crochet Talk::
crochettalk.com/If you have questions or want to contact me, please do so AND give me a head's up on here so I don't accidently delete you from my SPAM folder!!
Landon_Eason@yahoo.comeason.landon.clary@gmail.comI have these instructions written for a
leftie and/or a
rightie.
The instructions for LEFTIES are in ROYAL BLUE. For Righties, your colour is GREEN. The text in BLACK is for EVERYBODY to read!!!
Now to the Crocheting and the easiest of stitches: the Single Crochet.
Oh! Wait!! Did I mention that you need YARN, a Crochet HOOK , a Tapestry needle and a pair of scissors ?? Sorry, My bad!! I would read this through before I bought my materials, so I highly recommend you do too!
You're gonna need a crochet hook, like this one::
Not all crochet hooks are made the same, but we'll get into that on another day. Right now I want you to see that most hooks have the mark of their manufacturer on one side, like this:
And on the other side, you'll find the size information that is important!!
This particular hook is an H/8 and it is 5.5 MM. When you are working with yarns, on the yarn label, you will always find what size knitting needles or crochet hook they recommend.
Now, what they recommend and what you end up using can always be 2 different things, but don't sweat that right now. As a matter of fact, don't sweat it at all, LOL It is simply a matter of practising and learning what suits YOU the best!
Easy peasy
Ok, now for the yarn I will be showing the Single Crochet Stitch to you with is this:
Now, yes it is big and yes it is YELLOW. This particular yarn is from a company called Peaches and Creme and how they came up with this inventive and creative name, I would really like to know.
They called it YELLOW. WOW, mind blowing, right? Ignore me, I am being silly.
Anyway, this yarn is 100% USA grown cotton, weighs 14 oz and has 706 yards. Don't get to excited about the yardage, it is amazing how much yarn is needed to crochet the smallest things!!
We won't be using the Tapestry needle until the end of this lesson, but this is what it looks like and they come generally in packs of 2.
Now, here is my award winning photography:
As you can see in my picture, they are over 2 inches long and the eye is big enough for yarn.
Ok, now we are going to get to work on this Single Crochet, which, by the way, is abbreviated sc. Easy peasy. Crochet patterns are almost ALWAYS written in their crochet shorthand, so it is a good idea to either write them down and keep them in with your yarn and hooks or memorize them if you want to. It is entirely up to you.
The first thing we need to do is to make a slip knot. If you already know how to do that, you are better off than I was when I started to learn how to crochet.
We are going to start with about a foot of yarn, position it like this:
LEFTIES: Do the mirror image of this, in other words, backwards but following the same instructions which are in BLACK TEXT. Next, I want you to pick up the shortest end and make it lay ACROSS the part of the yarn that connects to the rest of your yarn, like this:
Next, I want you to just lift the loop part just enough to make the tail part go UNDER the loop, like this:
{
Lefties, Remember the Mirror Image} Ok, now I want you to hold down both parts of the yarn that go away from the loop like this:
Awesome!! Now, I want you to take ahold of the part of the loop INSIDE the loop and gently pull it tight.
If my instructions have been clear, you should end up with this:
Cool Beanies!! You did it!! This is your first chain stitch or as it is abbreviated: ch.
Now, you will have a tail of yarn that really needs to be several inches long. Leave it be for now, we'll use it later.
This is how you want to hold your crochet hook with your right hand:Unless you're a LEFTIE and in that case, you would hold your crochet hook like this:Now, take the hook part of your crochet hook and insert it into your slip knot. You need to tighten the slip knot until it is closer to the hook, but not too tight.
Like this::
If you are left-handed and doing this as a leftie, you will have your hook in your left hand, but doing the same thing and facing the opposite direction.Ok, now we are going to start our very first crochet foundation chain. It is very easy, but crochet may not be your thing. So, if you can't do it, please, don't worry about it!! I just know that there are lots of things you are good at!! If you are having trouble with these instructions, either reread them or leave it be and come back at it another time.
Ok, here we go:
Hold the crochet hook in your right hand and in your left the part of the crochet yarn that is connecting the slip knot to the yarn you are using. Like this:For lefties, you will hold the crochet hook in your left hand and in your right hand, you'll pinch between your thumb and middle finger the loop you should have with your crochet hook going through it and the yarn loosely over your index finger and loosely wrapped around your pinkie finger. Like this:See how I am pinching the yarn? That is for the left-handed crocheter who is holding their hook in their LEFT hand.For Righties, this is your picture for holding the yarn and the crochet loop you are working:What you want to do is pinch the base of the knot between your thumb and your middle finger. You want the yarn to be draped over your index finger and then loosely wrapped around your pinkie finger. Then the yarn will run to your yarn source, ball whatever you are using.
Now, we are ready to Yarn Over or yo as it is abbreviated.
When you Yarn Over, you ALWAYS yarn over from back to front. No exceptions!!
To do the yarn over, you simply bring the yarn over your hook because you will hook it with the hook part and pull it through the loop that is already on the neck part of the crochet hook. That loop is the slip knot you made first. That is why I am holding the base of the slip knot between my thumb and my middle finger. So, go ahead and pull the yarn through the slip knot that is on your crochet hook.
You should have this:
Unless you're a LEFTIE, you'll have the same thing, but pointing in the opposite direction. I apologize if I am being redundant and repeating myself a lot. I remember how I was when I was learning and the mistakes I made that I wouldn't have if I had a very clearly detailed lesson like I am trying to do here. So, please, bear with me!!Now, back to our lesson:::::
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You just did your very FIRST Chain Stitch and it is abbreviated how?
All together now: ch
We are going to do 12 of these, they are your FOUNDATION CHAIN. That is important, remember it, please!! You have a loop on your crochet hook,and the stitch connected to it is Stitch Number ONE. So, I want you to do 11 more, but read the following paragraph first.
A note about TENSION. It is very important to keep track of your tension. I keep about a foot of my yarn hanging loosely from what I am working on to the ball of yarn I am using. That section of yarn ( that goes from the crochet stitches I am making to the source of my yarn, usually a ball of yarn) needs to be looser than tighter. If it is tight, you won't be able to crochet evenly. Your stitches could be so tight that you can't even get the hook through your yarn stitch. When I am crocheting, I am sitting down in my comfy recliner with my kitty cat sound asleep on my lap. I am comfortable and relaxed. Now, you don't want your stitches to be huge and with no form to them. With practise, you'll get to where you are comfortable with it, just be aware of it. That way, you won't find yourself having to pull out rows of work because your tension is wonky.
By the way, if you have ANY questions about these, email me at
Landon_Eason@yahoo.comeason.landon.clary@gmail.comI am more than happy to help out.
Now, keeping the yarn positioned wrapped loosely around your pinkie and then up around your index finger, with your thumb and middle finger of your OPPOSITE hand, holding onto the chain stitch that is connected to the loop that is actually on your crochet hook, do it AGAIN!!! And again and again until you have a total of TWELVE of those little guys.
Lefties, remember, you are facing the opposite direction.I apologize if this is dark but my cat decided to take a nap right where I was working. So, he is snoozing under my desk lap, silly kitty!!!
Anyway, this picture doesn't show all the 12 chain stitches. But, your chain stitches should look like the picture.
Now, we are about to start with the first single crochet stitch.
Positioning the yarn around your pinkie then running up to your index finger and around your index finger like is shown in the picture.
Lefties...What did you say?? I can't hear you!!! Hold the stitch that is ON the hook between your thumb and your middle finger. With the hand you are holding your hook in, you are going to insert your hook into the back loop of that chain directly after the loop on your hook, yo and pull the yarn through the stitch that is on your hook.
Hold the crochet hook in your right hand. Like this:Remember that you have 12 chain stitches in your foundation chain. The LOOP that is ON the hook is not counted, but it is part of the first chain.
I hope these pictures are good and clear, my cat decided he was going to nap right under my lamp again and I just don't have the heart to move him!!
You can complain about this here:
Landon_Eason@yahoo.comHonestly, if you can't see the pictures clearly, let me know so I can fix them!! Plus, it will let me know if anybody is reading this!!
Ok, so far, you should have 2 loops on your crochet hook.
Ok, now I want you to take the yarn in your yarn hand and do one yarn over. (yo)
You should have this:
So now you have 3 loops on your crochet hook.
You are going to pull the loop that is close to the end of your hook through only the next loop. NOT both, only through the loop directly NEXT to it. Once you pull that through, there should be 2 loops on your hook.
By the way, meet my cat:
Isn't he beautiful? His name is Smudge and he's my buddy!!
Ok, back to crocheting. We have 2 loops on our crochet hook. Now, I want you to be bold and yo again.
You're a PRO, you can do it!!! Now, like the picture above, we have 3 loops on your crochet hook.
You are going to pull the yarn that you just yarned over through BOTH loops on your hook, ending up with this::
You have just made your FIRST SINGLE CROCHET!!! One single crochet is made with the loop still on the hook. AWESOME!!
Ok, now I want you to continue to work through each and every one of your chain stitches and work a single crochet in every one. You CAN DO IT!!!
Lefties, you are with me, right?? You've been remembering to follow my intructions like in the mirror? Your the BOMB, Lefties!!You should have this:
Unless, your instructions are in BLUE and you are going the opposite way. Be proud of yourself! You have just learned something new!!!
Now, we are going to tackle row TWO.
But before we do that, take a moment and look at the row you just crocheted and notice the difference in the front and the back. Your row also has a top and a bottom. The Sun won't keep from coming up in the morning but you'll have an easier time crocheting if you familiarize yourself with those little tidbits of the crochet world.
Ok, now back to working your second row.
This is your work facing you:
Take the end of your little crocheted row and flip it to it's other side SIDEWAYS just like turning the page in a book. You must flip it SIDEWAYS.
Flipping it sideways will give you this:
Hey, Lefties, ya, I know, you're facing the mirror and coming along just FINE!!And now we are going to crochet our second row together. Position your hands, the yarn loosely wrapped around your pinkie finger, then draped over your index finger and your crochet hook in your crochet hand and your crochet row between your thumb and your index finger of your opposite hand.
Like this::
The reason my hand is against the paper which is on my desk is because I haven't figured out how to hold my crochet piece with both hands and hold my camera at the same time. But, as soon as I do, my pictures will reflect that. But for now.........
Now, what I am about to tell you is very important. If you hold your single row single crochet piece where you can look at it's TOP, you should be seeing the V like formation of the stitches. Do you see them? The TOP of the row looks like a line of V's.
The two loops that make up that V are the 2 loops you are going to insert your crochet hook under and into.
These V's are on the TOP of your row.
This picture is of the top with the V's NOT marked and the second picture is the same, but with the V's MARKED.
Now, with the V's MARKED::
I hope you can see them on YOUR row you are working with. If not, email me.
Now, I want you to take your crochet hook and insert it from front to back into the very first chain that is connected to the loop on your hook the hook.
Like this:
Now, I want you to yo and do your sc. Remember your abbreviations:
yo=yarn over
sc=single crochet
Do 2 or 3 sc in your row and then STOP. You need to MARK the TOP of that stitch so that when you are crocheting the next row which will bring you back in this direction, you can easily find it. Mark the V of the stitch. This is really important because if you don't do this correctly, your ends of rows will not be straight. Believe me! I crocheted wonky ends for almost a year before I found out what I was doing wrong.
Ok, here is my piece with the first stitch of my new row marked:
You can use a safety pin, an earring, a bobby pin, whatever works for you, a single earring.
Lefties, you are going to mark your row on the SAME SIDE!!!Now, we're good to go. Resume your crocheting and do several rows. If you don't like how they look, pull them out by taking your piece off it's hook and pull gently on the yarn. Be gentle so you don't pull out more than you intend to.
What you need to do now is PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE!!
Are you paying attention to your tension?
A simple exercise for you could be to make some easy dishtowels. That is one of the reasons I started you with a cotton yarn, it is very practical and makes great dish towels or bathroom cloths. You can machine wash and machine dry it and it holds up fantastic! I have a very colourful stack of kitchen cloths in my kitchen. I use them for washing dishes, wiping down my counters, as hot pads....and I bet you'll come up with a lot more uses for them! And what's the funnest part? You get to select the colours YOU want and make it yourself!
What are some items you can make with sc that are squared or rectangle shaped? Headbands, scarves, towels, place mats, pillows, what else? I am sure there are a lot of other items you can make that I am not thinking about right now. A wallet, you could make yourself a wallet. And what is the best part, in addition to making them yourself? You get to pick out the yarn you want to use, you get to pick out the colours.
No one else in the world will have the same exact item as what you have made for yourself. How's them apples??
When you buy yarn, read the label because it will tell you how much you are getting by weight and length, if it is machine wash and dry or dry cleaned or whatever. Also whether you can iron or not. What else will it tell you? What size knitting needles or crochet hooks you can use to work with it.
Ok, here is your exercise:
Create your foundation chain by working 15 stitches in your foundation row.
To complete Row 1, work one single crochet in the second chain from the hook and then work 1 single crochet in each chain across the row. Turn your work and sc in every chain to complete that row and keep going until you have crocheted a piece the size you want it to be.
If you want to create your foundation chain longer than 15, knock yourself out!! You are your own designer.
Now we are going to use that Tapestry Needle I told you you needed.
Ok, here is my little swatch of my yellow yarn in single crochet:
Notice that I have placed mine right on the top of my measuring tape. That is so we can check GAUGE which we will cover after this lesson. Don't worry about GAUGE to start with.
The Gauge is the a certain number of stitches and rows per a given number of inches. The gauge is always found on the yarn's label. Why is it important? So that scarf you want to crochet will be the size you NEED it to be. Without gauge, a sweater you crochet might fit a 3 year old, but not an adult or the other way around.
Back to our project, I want to to open up the loop where you have your crochet hook, I am assuming you completed your row. DO NOT DO YOUR TURNING CHAIN HERE!!! I want you to cut your project free from the source of your yarn, the ball of whatever you are doing, leaving several INCHES to work with.
This is what I have now:
Now, I want you to remove your crochet hook and take ahold of the tail that is part of that loop and run it through the loop, like this, pulling it tight:
As much as I would love to, I can not blame my kitty for my badly coloured pictures!! He is sound asleep at my feet, or foot as you see in my following picture:
Ignore the fact that I need to vacuum, I'll do that once I am done with this lesson. But I realize that I need to place my swatch on the floor to get better pictures!! Which reminds me!!
Ok, so we have pulled that loop tight. Now, take your Tapestry needle and feed the yarn that is at the TOP of your piece through the eye of the needle. You are simply going to thread the yarn through the eye of the tapestry needle. Now, take the needle and insert it into one of the tiny loops on the back side you are working on. I do this near the op row.Just like in the following picture.
Go ahead and pull the needle all the way through leaving one thickness of the yarn in the back of that little section. Go to the next little loop on the back of your piece and repeat that same procedure. I usually weave in the yarn about 3 or 4 times. If I feel I need more, I do it more. Pull it SLIGHTLY tight and clip the end off.
You want this tails woven into the back of your piece so they will stay in place. I wash all the kitchen towels I have made this way in the washer, then they go through the dryer and they all come through great!!
Now for the tail on the other end we have? I want you to do the same thing. If you need to practise, by all means, practise all you need to!
After you have completed the instructions on here, be glad!! LOL You have just completed your first piece of crochet.
WooHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Now, Next, I will talk about GAUGE, but I need a break first!!
Be sure and contact me at
Landon_Eason@yahoo.com if you have any questions about this lesson.
Happy Crafting!!
