Getting Started

Introduction

I never thought I’d master crochet. My Grandma tried to teach me when I was younger but being left-handed it was too confusing to master. A few years ago, I decided to give it another go and here I am! I’m a great believer that crochet can be enjoyed by everyone. I’ve designed my kits to be simple and fun to complete rather than a complex challenge so hopefully they’ll prove a good place to start.

One of the nice things about crochet is that you don’t need loads of complicated equipment. You can get started with a hook and some yarn.

Yarn

I use 3 mm, 5 mm and 9 mm Bobbiny braided cord in my makes. Whatever yarn you use, the yarn band should tell you the weight and length of the yarn and suggested hook or needle size.

Hook

Crochet hooks come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and materials. I’d recommend trying as many as you can to find the perfect fit for you. My kits come with bamboo hooks – they are lightweight, smooth and warm to the touch – however you might find that a plastic or metal hook works better. It’s definitely down to personal preference.

Size Guide

UK US

6 mm J-10

6.5 mm K-10½

7 mm

8 mm L-11

9 mm M/N-13

10 mm N-15

12 mm

15 mm P/Q

How do you know what size hook you’ll need?

The pattern should include a yarn and hook size recommendation. If you are designing your own project, the band on the yarn should have a hook size suggestion. When working your project, if you find your work is too tight, you can go up a hook size (larger hook). If your work is too loose, you can go down a hook size (smaller hook).

Patterns

Crochet patterns can seem a little intimidating at first glance. Lots of people I teach confess to being terrified of reading them – but they’re not quite as complicated as they look! Crochet patterns come in two main types: written or charts/graphs. My patterns are currently all written and use standard terminology and abbreviations.

Asterisks *

These are used when an instruction needs to be repeated or where more than one stitch needs to be worked into the same place. There are two ways the asterisks can be used with the repeat after the asterisk (example 1) or between two asterisks (example 2):

Example 1 Round 2: Dc in the first st; *2dc in the next st, dc in the next st, rep from * in each st in the rnd

Example 2 Round 2: *dc, 2dc* 10 times

Parentheses ( )

Parentheses can be used to denote a variety of instructions. In my patterns, I mostly use them to indicate the total number of stitches in the round.

Example 3 Round 2: *dc, 2dc* 10 times (30)

They can also be used like the asterisk to indicate a repeated sequence.

Example 4 Round 2: Dc in the first st; (2dc in the next st, dc in the next st) 10 times

And finally, they can be used for clarification – helpful little notes to make sure you’re on the right track.

Example 5 Foundation ring: create a magic ring, ch 1 (helps to secure the ring), 5dc into the ring, close ring (5)

Abbreviations

This is a list of crochet abbreviations used in The Left Hookery patterns. Patterns can be written using US or UK terminology. TLH patterns are available to download in UK & US terms.

US Crochet Terms	UK Crochet Terms
stitch(es) (st)	stitch(es) (st)
slip stitch (sl st)	slip stitch (sl st)
chain (ch)	chain (ch)
single crochet (sc)	double crochet (dc)
central single crochet (csc)	central double crochet (cdc)
half double crochet (hdc)	half treble crochet (htr)
double crochet (dc)	treble crochet (tr)
back loop (bl)	back loop (bl)
yarn over (yo)	yarn over hook (yoh)
right side (rs)	right side (rs)
wrong side (ws)	wrong side (ws)
single crochet 2 stitches together (sc2tog)	double crochet 2 stitches together (dc2tog)

Getting Started

Comfort and consistency are the keys to happy hooking! There are several ways to hold your hook. There is no right or wrong way – you can use whatever variation feels most natural to you.

Knife Grip: Hold the hook in your dominant hand – just like you would a knife.

Pencil Grip: Hold the hook in your dominant hand – just like you would a pencil.

The same is true for creating a working tension in your yarn. I hold my working yarn in my non-dominant hand, wrapping it around my little finger, under the next two fingers and over my index finger. I use my middle finger and thumb to steady my work and raise my index finger when working to create tension.

Stitch Guide

Magic Ring

The magic ring is very useful for creating a nice firm foundation ring that can be pulled tightly closed.

Using your non crochet hand, hold the tail of the yarn across your palm, pinching it securely in place with your thumb. Wrap the yarn around your hand.
Turn your hand over and insert your hook through the loop on your hand to pick up the working yarn.
Pull through to create a starting loop. Pinch the bottom of this loop and slide the yarn off your hand.
Chain 1 (ch1) to secure the ring and continue with the first round of the pattern as required.

Chain

Chain is quite often the foundation to a crochet pattern. You start by making a slip knot loop on your hook then yarn over hook (yoh) and pull through loop, repeating as required. To ch1, you would simply yarn over hook and pull through the loop.

Double Crochet

Insert your hook into the stitch under the top two threads of the stitch below.
Yarn over hook and pull back under the top two threads of the stitch.
You should have two loops on your hook.
Yarn over hook again and pull through both loops on your hook.

Back Loop Double Crochet

Insert your hook into the stitch under the back loop of the stitch below.
Yarn over hook and pull back under the back loop of the stitch.
You should have two loops on your hook.
Yarn over hook again and pull through both loops on your hook.

Central Double Crochet

Insert your hook into the v of the stitch below.
You will be under the two horizontal bars at the back of the stitch.
Yarn over hook and pull back through the v of the stitch.
You should have two loops on your hook.
Yarn over hook again and pull through both loops on your hook.

Half Treble Crochet

Yarn over your hook and insert your hook into the top two threads of the stitch below.
Yarn over hook and pull back under the top two threads of the stitch.
You should have three loops on your hook.
Yarn over hook again and pull through all loops on your hook.

Treble Crochet

Yarn over your hook and insert your hook into the top two threads of the stitch below.
Yarn over hook and pull back under the top two threads of the stitch.
You should have three loops on your hook.
Yarn over hook again and pull through two loops on your hook.
Yarn over hook again and pull through the remaining two loops on your hook.

Extra Tips

Changing Colour

To change colour, yarn over hook with the new colour in the previous st when there are two loops left on your hook. Carry the tail of the new yarn and the both the tail and working yarn of the old yarn along the back of your work, crocheting over these to secure them. As there is no tension in the carried yarn, you will need to pull on them gently every few stitches to ensure it doesn’t show through your work. Trim off the tails after 4-5 stitches continue carrying the old working yarn. This is the back or wrong side of the basket. As you can see, I’ve caught both the tail of my old and new yarn in the back of my work. I’ll carry on for another couple of stitches, give both ends a little tug to make sure they’re sitting flat (not too much as this will cause your basket to pull in strangely at the sides) and then trim the ends.

Weaving in Ends

Pull your yarn through at the front and cut, leaving a 20cm end for sewing in.
Thread the yarn onto your yarn needle. Skip the next stitch (it will be slightly wonky), insert your needle under the two threads of the slip stitch and draw through.
Insert your needle back through the stitch where the yarn came out. Match the tension in this fake stitch to the stitches around it.
Sew in your yarn end along the back of the next 4/5 stitches. Cut yarn.
If your basket has a slight notch, push down slightly on the higher side whilst pulling up on the other side.

Tips for Happy Hooking!

Be Patient: Crocheting takes time to master. Don’t be discouraged if your first projects don’t turn out perfectly.
Practice Regularly: Consistent practice helps improve your skills and muscle memory.
Don’t Fear Mistakes: Mistakes are a part of the learning process. Learn to read your work and fix errors as needed.

Remember, everyone progresses at their own pace, so enjoy the process of learning and creating with crochet!

Download your quick stitch guide here.