Fiber arts is a hobby and skill that I’ve always admired since you can make crafts for yourself, a business, or to gift to your family and friends. I have been crocheting for about a year now, but have just recently started crocheting regularly. It’s been an interesting journey and one filled with setbacks and frustration, as does any hobby that comes with a certain skill.
However, there are certain tips that helped me get through the initial beginning of learning to crochet and these all helped me become less frustrated with the crochet learning process. Down below are some tips and tricks that helped me, and I hope they can help any other beginner. If you are not crocheting, these might spark your interest in starting the hobby.
- Utilize your resources such as Pinterest, Youtube, and other websites.
Pinterest and Youtube can be a treasure trove of tutorials and patterns that can give you step-by-step tips and advice on how to begin your first crochet project. Many channels such as The Crochet Crowd, Happy Berry Crochet, and Jayda Institches. While there are many channels, search for ones that have beginner videos and tutorials so you can start with beginner projects rather than jumping headfirst into advanced patterns. Pinterest has many crochet projects and patterns available as well, just be sure to look up beginner tutorials!
- Start out simple and practice.
Do not feel like you have to jump headfirst into the most advanced projects such as bags, hats, amigurumi animals, sweaters, and other projects that require difficult patterns. As a beginner, I found that using single crochet patterns to create blankets and coasters was the best way for me to practice crocheting. After gaining more practice and confidence, you can start to utilize more difficult patterns to create even more crochet items.
- Use acrylic or cotton yarn.
I was told that acrylic yarn was the best and easiest to work with as a beginner crocheter, and that was some of the best advice I received. Acrylic yarn is sturdy and easier to work with than other yarns, Acrylic yarn is also reasonably priced, so you do not have to break the bank when purchasing your first yarn for crocheting. Cotton is the same way and is easy to manipulate when crocheting. However, be sure to avoid cheaply made cotton or acrylic, as these are prone to fraying and splitting, and can cause difficulties when working on a project.
- Learn how to make a magic ring/magic circle/infinity circle.
When I learned how to make a magic circle, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities. While many may see this as difficult to do, as did I when I first learned, practicing making one can allow you to make many projects such as coasters, granny squares for a blanket, or amigurumi animals (which are adorable).
- Mark the end of your rows.
This was something I always struggled with and my projects would end up looking incredibly wonky since I could never keep track of my rows. If you finish too early and your current row does not match up to your previous one, your work will begin to look like a big triangle. I now have started to mark my rows and you can easily do this with stitch markers or scrap yarn. I personally choose to utilize scrap pieces of yarn to mark the end of my work. Stitch markers serve the same purpose but need to be purchased at your local craft store. When you are finished with a row, you can place a scrap piece of yarn or stitch marker to mark the end of your row and you can easily see this when you are working on your next one. This was a game-changer for me and has helped make my work look a lot neater.
There are many other tips out there that can help a beginner crocheter, so go out there and learn! The internet is a great and mostly free resource that can be utilized for learning and honing your skills as a crocheter.