Part 2 of 3: The "How to Start" Deep Dive
Welcome back! So you've got your 5.0mm hook, your light-colored worsted weight yarn, and you're sitting in a comfortable spot with good lighting. Now comes the part where I actually teach you how to get started. I promise you, by the end of this post, you'll have created your first foundation chain.
But first, let me tell you: if this feels awkward at first, that's not you failing. That's you learning. When I started, my hands cramped up so badly I could barely hold a fork at dinner. It felt like my hands and I were getting acquainted for the first time.
The Slip Knot
So many crochet tutorials skip right over the slip knot or show it so quickly you can't follow. But the slip knot is literally your starting point, the very first thing you make before anything else can happen.
Here's how you create it:
Make a loop with your yarn, leaving about a 6-inch tail. The working yarn (the end attached to your ball) should be behind the loop. Now take that working yarn and pull it through the loop you just made, creating a new loop. Slide that new loop onto your hook and gently pull the tail to tighten it (but not too tight). It should slide easily along your hook.
Think of it like a noose that can move freely. If it's strangling your hook, loosen it up. The slip knot doesn't count as a stitch. it's just the anchor that keeps everything from falling apart.
I practice this with my students until they can do it without thinking. Make ten slip knots, take them off, make ten more. By the twentieth one, your fingers will remember the motion.
Finding Your Tension: The Great Grip Debate
Now here's where things get personal, because there's no one "right" way to hold a crochet hook (or the yarn). What matters is finding what feels natural to YOU. But let me show you the two main camps:
The "Pencil" Grip vs. The "Knife" Grip
Pencil grip: Hold the hook like you're writing your name. That is to say between your thumb and first finger, resting on your middle finger. This method is a more controlled way of holding your hook . It gives you precision and control, especially for smaller, detailed work.
Knife grip: Hold the hook like you're about to spread butter on bread. Where the hook is gripped in your palm with your fingers wrapped around it. Some people find this more powerful for working through thick yarn or tight stitches. I tend to use this grip as it easier on my fingers when I’m working on a project for a considerable amount of time.
Try both. Spend five minutes with each. Which one makes your hand less tired? Which one gives you better control? That's your grip.
The Yarn Hand vs. The Hook Hand
Your dominant hand (right for most people, left for lefties) holds the hook. This is your "hook hand."
Your other hand is your "yarn hand," and this is where the tension control happens. Here's the method I teach:
Take the working yarn and weave it through your fingers. Firstly drape the end over your pinky with your palm facing up. Turn over your hand , and drape over your index finger, under your middle finger, over your ring finger. The yarn coming from the ball should flow through these fingers to your hook. Your pinkie and ring finger are what create tension by gently gripping the yarn.
Alternatively, some people just wrap the yarn once around their index finger. Find what gives you consistent tension—not too tight (you'll struggle to insert your hook) and not too loose (your stitches will be sloppy and uneven).
This takes practice, I won't lie to you. When I first learned, I gripped that yarn so tightly my hand turned purple. Now, after a few projects under my belt, I barely think about it. My fingers just know.
The Foundation Chain: Your First Real Victory
The foundation chain (abbreviated "ch") is a series of interlocking loops that forms the base of most crochet projects. Think of it like the foundation of a house—everything else builds on top of it.
With your slip knot on the hook, here's what you do:
Yarn over (wrap the yarn over your hook from back to front), then pull that wrapped yarn through the loop already on your hook. Congratulations—you just made one chain stitch.
Do it again. And again. And again.
How to Count Chains Without Losing Your Mind
Here's the trick: the loop currently on your hook NEVER counts. Look at the chain you've created—each little V-shape is one chain. Count the Vs going down from your hook.
When you're following a pattern that says "Chain 20," you make 20 of those Vs, not including the working loop on your hook or the slip knot at the bottom.
I recommend using a stitch marker after every 10 chains when you're starting out. Chain 10, put a marker in that stitch, chain 10 more. It's like putting mile markers on a road during a 5k walk so that it’s much easier to track where you are.
The "Goldilocks" Tension: Not Too Tight, Not Too Loose
Your foundation chain should have some give to it. If you hold your chain and pull gently, it should stretch slightly but not fall apart. Here's how to test it:
- Too tight: You can barely fit your hook through the stitches when you come back to work into the chain. Your work will be stiff and your hands will hurt.
- Too loose: The chain looks like it has gaps and spaces, almost lacy. Your stitches will be uneven.
- Just right: The chain has consistent size, you can easily insert your hook into each stitch, and it has a slight stretch to it.
My hands sometimes swell a little, which affects my tension. I've learned to adjust for it. You'll develop this same awareness with practice.
Turning the Work: The Concept of the Turning Chain
Once you've made your foundation chain, you'll eventually need to turn your work to create rows. The turning chain is what keeps your edges straight and gives you the height you need for the next row.
Different stitches need different turning chain heights:
- Single crochet: Chain 1, then turn
- Half double crochet: Chain 2, then turn
- Double crochet: Chain 3, then turn
Think of it like building a ladder. Each rung needs to be tall enough to climb to the next level. The turning chain is that rung.
Sometimes the turning chain counts as a stitch, sometimes it doesn't. This depends on the pattern. For now, just know it exists and serves a purpose. You check out video tutorials when you work actual stitches.
Troubleshooting: Why Your Rectangle Is Becoming a Triangle
Let me save you some heartache by addressing the most common beginner problem: your work starts out the right width, but after a few rows, it's getting narrower and narrower until it looks like you're making a triangular sail for a toy boat.
Here's what's happening: You're missing stitches at the end of your rows.
When you turn your work, it's easy to miss that last stitch because it doesn't look like the others. Count your stitches at the end of EVERY row when you're starting out. If you started with 20 chains, you should have 20 stitches in every single row.
Use a stitch marker in that last stitch of each row until you get the hang of recognizing it. I still do this on some projects, and I've been crocheting since before you were born, probably.
Another common issue: adding stitches by accidentally working into the turning chain or creating extra stitches at the beginning of rows. Again, count. Count until you're sick of counting, and then count some more.
Your Practice Assignment
Before you move on to Post 3, I want you to practice making a chain of 20 stitches. Make it, unravel it, make it again. Do this until:
1. Your chains are roughly the same size all the way through
2. You can count them accurately without losing track
3. Your hands don't cramp up after doing it
4. You're not gripping the hook and yarn like you're holding on for dear life
This might take you an hour. It might take you an evening. It might take you three days of 15-minute practice sessions. There's no rush, sweetheart. The yarn isn't going anywhere, and neither am I.
When your chain of 20 looks consistent it does not have to be perfect, just consistent. That means you're ready to learn the actual stitches. And that's where the real fun begins.
Share your progress in the comments! Take a photo of your practice chain (even if it's wonky), post it, and let's celebrate how far you've come. Remember, everyone who's ever made a beautiful crochet piece started exactly where you are right now.
Keep practicing,
—
Coming up in Part 3: The Big Three basic stitches—single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet plus review of the slip knot and chain stitch. By the end of that post, you'll know how to create all 5 and make different textures .You might even be ready for your first real project.