Crochet is a popular craft around the world. For thousands of years, people have used the art of crochet to create lace and fabrics to use on their garments and to sell to others. Crocheted items were a sign of wealth and prestige.

With the age of the industrial revolution came the mass production of crocheted materials and fabrics, making owning them affordable for anyone, not just the wealthy. As such, crocheted garments became more and more popular worldwide.

These days, crochet is the hobby and craft of many people. There are lots of different arts and crafts as well as, clothing, garments and household items that can be created by means of crochet. Crochet is so easy to learn; practically anyone can do it, making it easy to learn a new skill. Advances in yarn and fiber making technology have provided new and interesting materials for crochet and other needle crafts.

So, since you’re obviously interested in what it takes to start crocheting as a hobby, here are some basic initial steps to help you get going with learning to crochet.

Get Your Supplies Together. You’ll simply need a crochet hook, yarn, a pair of scissors and a large eye needle.

Properly Holding the Crochet Hook. Hold your needle in whichever hand you use to write with. Create a simple slip knot and put it over the end of the hook.

Start Making a Continuous Stitch. Hook the yarn and bring it to the top of the hook and pull through the slip knot. Continue making this chain.

Work Your Way Up the Chain. Move up the chain allowing the first chain stitch to knot on the hook. This allows the yarn to stay in place and not loosen. It is generally a good idea to make this first knot tight rather than loose.

Make Two Loops. Insert your crochet hook into the hole of the next chain stitch and slide the passing yarn through its center.

Bring the Yarn Back. Bring your yarn back on the hook from back to front and slide your knot in the center of the loops which you have already created on the crochet hook.

Make Some Rows. From your second yarn loop, make another single chain stitch and make a counter-clockwise loop. Start again and create the same loops as the previous stitches. Continue this basic crochet technique until you have a swatch of fabric. Once you have completed a swatch of fabric, it is time to remove it from your ball of yarn. Cut it with about a 6″ tail left at the end.

Fasten to Prevent Unraveling. Bring your tail of yarn back through the last stitch to fasten it and then cut the excess.

By using these easy tips and steps, you can achieve your goal of learning to crochet with ease. You’ll be able to start and complete your first crochet project and feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Just as with any new skill, you’ll need to find the proper supplies, materials and instruction before you begin, but with time and patience you’ll become skilled at the art of crochet.

You only need to know two or three basic stitches in order to complete a project using beginner crochet patterns. In order to do any crocheting, you always start with a chain stitch. First you make a loop around your finger and use the crochet hook to draw the thread or the wool through the loop. When you first start this craft, it is better to use wool and a larger crochet hook because it is easier to see what you are doing. You must always leave a length of the thread or wool and weave it in when you complete the project. This will prevent your work from ravelling out on you while you are still working.

In order to do any crocheting, you must first learn the chain stitch. This is called the foundation chain in most patterns, both for beginners and veterans. Once you make a loop with the thread, you insert the crochet hook into the loop and wrap the thread or wool around the hook part of the needle. Then you pull this through and pull the thread tight, but not too tight. Now put the yarn over the crochet hook and insert it in the previous loop and pull through. This is how you start any crochet project. In some projects, you have to chain a specific number of stitches and then turn the work and crochet back over the stitches you just made. If you want to make a table doily, you usually join the chain to form a circle and work within the circle making the rounds bigger each time.

The easiest crochet pattern to begin with is that of a dishcloth. You only need one ball of cotton yarn and a larger size hook ?G is the recommended size for this project. Chain 35 stitches to make your foundation row. Then you chain an extra stitch so that you can turn the work and still have the required number of stitches to keep the dishcloth square or rectangular in shape. You have to make an extra chain stitch at the end of each row so that you can turn the work.

Once you have this row in place and are ready to start working backwards over the stitches you made, the next stitch you have to use is the single crochet. To make a single crochet, insert the needle into the top loop of the second chain from the hook, put the yarn over the needle and then draw through the two loops you have on the hook. You repeat this right across the row and then you turn and continue with doing rows of single crochet for 38 rows. When you have 38 rows completed, break the yarn and draw the end of the yarn through the loop on the hook. Now you can weave in the dangling ends. Now you have your first project completes.

Another simple project for someone just getting started with crocheting is a blanket for a doll. You will need to have a longer foundation chain and you can complete it using single crochet stitches as well. If you want to use a different stitch, you can start using the double crochet stitch. To make this stitch, all you have to do is put the needle through the stitch you are working on and put the yarn over the needle. However, instead of drawing through all the loops on the hook, you only draw through two at a time. Then you put the yarn over the hook and draw through the remaining two loops.