HOW TO: CROCHET - How To Project - T.E.C.

(*This post goes hand in hand with my demonstration of the activity live in class. Keep in mind that I will be showing how to do each steps if you're confused while reading it, keep that in mind.)

How to Crochet - Why I Chose Crocheting:

Crocheting is a form of crafting/art/yarnworking in which someone takes a tool called a crochet hook and weaves it within normal or specialty yarn to make many different things from a rug to a blanket to an article of clothing. People in my family have been crocheting for many years, and the traditional form of art has found its way to me. Becuase of how iconic it is (and partly because of it's recent popularity), I have chosen crocheting to share with everyone.

How to Crochet - Your Tools

Before we learn to crochet, we need to gather some tools that are essential for the yarnworking. The more essential tools include;

• A crochet hook/ crochet hooks (there are different sizes of hook, different ones relating to the project/ size of the project you want to create.)

• Yarn (Again, there are many different sizes of yarn, each one correlating with the different kinds of projects you are making.)

While those tools are absolutely essential for crocheting, there are some tools that you don't really need, but would help some people. These more optional tools include;

• A crochet pattern (usually found online, these are tools that you can fallow to make specific crochet projects.)

• Crochet/Yarn markers (not actually markers that you draw with, yarn markers are little clips made of plastic or metal that help you keep track of where you left off if you take a break from crocheting.

• Yarn needles (Needles with a little hole in the back to fit yarn through - used for weaving in yarn and tying in loose strands left over from yarn working.)

• Miniature ruler or measuring device (to help you get your stitches precise and even - usually used by beginners or when making very intricate crafts.)

• Scissors/Craft Scissors (these scissors are usually small and meant to cut small stitches.)

With all these tools, you should be ready to embark on your crocheting journey and create your first craft! Let's get started on the tutorial.

How to Crochet - The Tutorial

When you are crocheting, it might be more comfortable to place the hook in your dominant hand, but it would be less practical. Again, this depends on the tutorials you are following and the methods you are using to crochet. The most common way to crochet would be to place the hook in your right hand, so that is the method I recommend. You hold your hook like a pencil and wrap the yarn around your other hand, (as seen in the photo below.)

When you start to make some progress on your project, you can hold what you have done with your other fingers you are not using with the main hook and the yarn, (again seen in the photo above.)

Another thing to know when crocheting is that there are 3 main movements you will need to know when yarnworking;

• Insert (Inserting the hook into the yarn - used every time you make a new stitch and is absolutely essential when crocheting.)

• Yarn Over (Guiding the yarn over the crochet hook and making sure it is 'attached' to the little hook on the end - in some projects many strings can be over the hook at one time!)

• Pull Through (Pulling the hook back through the yarn, this time with a string of yarn - or multiple - attached to the little hook.)

While there a few more steps and movements you could know like 'chaining', (inserting, yarning over, and pulling back through once,) those are the main few you need to know to make any and all projects with yarn.

To start crocheting, you wrap your yarn around your fingers by putting it between your middle and index finger and wrapping it around your pinkie. You then hold your crochet hook and prepare to start yarnworking,

To begin the actual project, you need to make a slip knot. A slip know the knotted loop that you base all your stitches off of and acts as a 'ground point' for the project as a whole. There are many different techniques to make a slip knot, but the one I use most often is the technique in which you make the knot then put it onto the hook then tighten it. I'll show you how to make it:

You lay the yarn out flat, leaving a length of around 5-6 inches and then make a loop going counter-clockwise under itself. You then insert the hook into the hole, (without undoing it,) and YO. (Yarn Over.) You then pull the yarn through your knot and tighten to your own likeness. This is all shown in the picture below.

Now that you have your slip knot ready, you need to make your chain. Your chain will be either the length or width of your project, (usually the width,) so make sure to measire carefully, (or recklessley if that's the look you're going for.) To make the actual chain, (previously mentioned,) you need to YO so that you have both the main SK (slip knot) and the new yarn strand on the hook, and all you need to do from there is pull the yarn through and you have your first stitch! You then keep repeating that step for howeever long you want your project to be. That's it!

When you are done with your first stitches, it is time to make a new row. To make a new row, just follow these steps;

1. Chain one more than what you plan to make the width/length of your project.

2. Flip your project the other way around (don't mind the yarn getting twisted.)

3. Insert the hook into the bottom loop between the top two strands and the bottom one.

4. Pull the yarn through the loops.

5. Continue that step as many times as there are chains in your row. Keep repeating those steps as many times as you want!

(These are the instructions to make a single stitch - to learn how to make other stitches, there are many good sources of information on websites like YouTube and other blogs.)

As a little bonus, here are some cool things you can create through the art of crochet!

Thank you for following this tutorial, and I hope that this might have inspired you to want to create! Again, this is not the best source of learning how to crochet, so if you are really wanting to learn, maybe find a slightly better informational video or instruction source. Overall, this was very fun, and I want to thank you for reading! Goodnight, Tri-State Area. - T.E.C.