I get a lot of questions from the people I have taught to crochet, and so I thought I would make a quick post to answer as many of those questions as I can.
Let's hop right in!
Q: What type of yarn should I use?
A: The very best yarn for beginners is cotton! Fuzzy, extra soft yarns can be slippery and hard to deal with, causing you to skip or drop stitches, while cotton is a sturdy, grippy yarn. It is also not rough and scratchy like some acrylics, just simply smooth, and a durable type of soft. I recommend (Lily) Sugar and Cream or Peaches and cream 100% cotton, which is available at almost any place that sells yarn. It's very affordable and whatever you make with it will last for years!
Another great yarn is Caron, Simply Soft, (by Yarnspirations). It is soft, but not very slippery, easy to work with and decently priced. It is great for all sorts of things, but I use it mainly for my amigurumi projects.
Q: What is up with the yarn weights/numbers?
A: as seen above, There is a number in a box to the left, with a name. The picture on the left is of Bulky/5, which is a thicker yarn, used for clothing like scarves and sweaters. The picture on the right is Medium/4, which is a thinner yarn and very versatile. You can make almost anything with it.
There are 7 basic thicknesses:
Yarn weight: Yarn category: hook sizes: Best projects:
0 Lace 1.50 mm, 2.25 mm, 2.50 mm Baby clothes, socks, (fingering 10) and lace.
1 Super Fine 2.75 mm, 3.25 mm Baby clothes, socks, (baby, sock, fingering) and lace.
2 Fine 3.50 mm, 3.75 mm Baby clothes, socks,
(baby, sport) and lace.
3 Light 4.00 mm, 4.50 mm, 5.00 mm Sweaters, afghans,
( light worsted, double knit) and other clothes
4 Medium 5.50 mm, 6.00 mm, 6.50 mm Afghans, sweaters, (afghan, aran, worsted) accessories, and amigurumi
5 Bulky 7.00 mm, 8.00 mm, 9.00 mm Hats, scarves, rugs, (chunky, craft) clothes, and afghans
6 Super Bulky 10.00 mm, 12.00 mm Hats, scarves, rugs,
(bulky, roving) clothes, and afghans
7 Jumbo 15.00 mm, 16 mm Afghans, sweaters,
and rugs
Next question-
Q: Is it hard to actually make cool things?
A: No! You need to learn the basic stitches and abbreviations. Once you learn that, you will be able to read patterns. And then, once you can read patterns, you can make anything!
Q: How much yarn does it take?
A: Well that really depends.
When I first started, I knew nothing about yardage, or even yarn weights. I had made a few little animals with bulky yarn, because it was all I had, and wondered why mine were so much bigger than the picture. Then I noticed that on patterns it says what type of yarn to use, so I bought some weight 4. I settled my mind on making a bunny for a friend, and began working. I only had one skein, and it didn't even enter my mind that I might need more. It ended up that I didn't, and was left with a smidgen of yarn; but that got me wondering. I started checking the yardage on my skeins of yarn, and noticing that all patterns told you around how many yards the project took, and of what weight.
Small patterns, only take a little yarn, as you would think, probably around 20-30 yards for a animal keychain fob, or 32 yards for a granny square. The best rule to go by is that it is always better to have too much than too little.
Q: What size hooks should I buy?
A: All of them! Well, no, haha. As a beginner, you probably want to start with something budget friendly, like what I started with. My first hooks were a set of four, a 3.00 mm, a 4.00, a 4.5 mm and a 5.00 m that I got at Walmart. That is the basic range, and a great place to start. Eventually, as you get better, and want to try making different things, you can start to add on to your collection, or buy a whole set. (I recommend the ones with the squishy handles, they do miracles for aching hands!)
(This question has been asked before, but it is not a very important one, only a helpful hint)
Q: What if the pattern only calls for meters???
A: It's more simple than you think! I used to get so wrapped around the axel about the differing numbers, but there really isn't any need. If your pattern calls for 300 meters, just go look at your skein and instead of looking at the yardage... just look at how many meters it has! This might be a "duh!" to you but when I was just starting out it really confused me.
Ok! That is the end of today's post! I hope it helps, and if you have any questions you would like answered or need any help with a project, be sure and let me know!
Until next time, happy crafting! 🎉