Learn the Crochet basics with CraftWorld!

This post is sponsored by WoolWarehouse

This post is sponsored by Wool Warehouse

What is Crochet?

Crochet is a process by which yarn or thread and a single hook of any size can be used to make fabric, lace, garments and toys. Crochet may also be used to make hats, bags and jewellery.

We're offering you a 'Free Beginner Crochet Guide Download' so that you can get started and try something new!

There's a wealth of information about crochet on the Crochet Now TV YouTube channel, including stitch tutorials like the one below, interviews with designers and well known brands within the industry.

Learn how to make a chain in this super-easy video tutorial!

Working in the round in crochet

Step 1 - To work in the round, first of all you need a centre ring, into which the first round of stitches are worked into. There are many ways to do this, but for this example, we are first making a chain of four stitches.

Step 2 - Next, slip-stitch into the first chain you made to create a centre ring.

Step 3 - We are creating treble stitches again, so next up we make a chain of three for the turning chain.

Step 4 - The stitches are then worked directly into the centre ring – not into the actual chain stitches themselves as we did when working into a row. This allows us to work many more stitches into the ring, without leaving a large hole in the centre.

Working in rows in crochet

Step 1 - Once you reach the end of a row, it’s time to work back along the other way. To do this you need to turn the work. This example shows a treble once again, so we’ve made a three chain turning chain.

Step 2 - Then simply turn the work before continuing to work the next row. This produces what is known as a right side (RS) and wrong side (WS) to the crochet fabric – something you’ll come to recognise in no time at all.

Turning the Chain

Different stitches have different size turning chains; double crochet is one chain (which is often not counted as a stitch); half treble is two chains; treble is three chains and double treble is four chains.

How to Read a Crochet Chart

Some crochet patterns include a chart to help with stitch placement but to the uninitiated they can look complex and confusing. Worry not – we’re here to demystify these helpful pattern additions. A crochet symbol diagram is in essence an X-ray of the finished crocheted item. With the advent of digital illustration software, and paper and ink that result in crisper images and clear symbols, crochet diagrams are now becoming more and more popular as they match the visual layout of the stitches themselves, and it’s not much of a stretch to picture in the mind’s eye what a crocheted piece will look like after studying a diagram.

First up, find your key. While you may recognise some of the symbols if you’ve used charts before, different people draw charts differently, and what meant a treble stitch before may mean a half treble now. It will also contain any special information needed to make sense of the chart.

The chart above is for the Patchwork Heart Cushion in issue 1 of Your Knitting and Crochet magazine and has just two types of stitch – your foundation chain and double crochet. The chart simply presents a visual way of seeing when to change colour for the two-colour squares.

You read a crochet chart from bottom to top when worked in rows, or from the inside out when working in rounds. Rows are worked from right to left first, then left to right, continuing as set unless otherwise stated, while rounds are worked anti-clockwise, as you would crochet them.

Small numbers with arrows signify where each round starts – helpful for making sense of more complex charts, while also giving a clue of where to fasten off and join in colours. If there’s a jump between where you end the row and where you start the next, there’s a good chance that the colour has changed – sometimes this is signified in the colouring of the chart, sometimes not!

The chart above is for the Starflower Throw in issue 1 of Your Knitting and Crochet magazine. This looks a lot more complex at first glance but once you start to understand the way charts work and what each symbol means, it makes a lot more sense.

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Happy hooking,

Natalie