Quick & Easy Crochet

Have you ever wanted to make your own blanket? Create adorable toys for friends and family? Adorn your Christmas tree with handmade decorations? That’s all possible with crochet, along with a whole lot more. In Quick and Easy Crochet, we’ll take you through the basics with easy-to-follow instructions before providing you with patterns for everything from bobble hats and baskets to leprechauns and tooterphants. Everything you need is contained within these pages, so what are you waiting for? Your creative journey starts just over the page……

Different crochet hooks are designed with various factors in mind, from the type of project you will be working on to the level of grip and comfort required. Most importantly, crochet hooks come in different sizes, and the size of hook you use – while most of the time being determined by the weight of the yarn you are working with – will determine the look of your finished project. In general, the thicker the yarn you use, the larger the crochet hook you will need, but using a large hook with a fine yarn can also produce an interesting, delicate fabric. Crochet hooks are produced in different materials – mainly metal, wood and plastic – and some come with comfy-grip or ergonomic handles. Finding the right hook for you…

SCISSORS A sharp pair of scissors is one of the most important tools that a crocheter can keep to hand, as you will use them frequently for cutting yarn. Try to avoid using a blunt pair as this can cause yarn to fray, making it difficult to work with. CASE You will only need a small case to keep all your crochet tools together, and ones designed with crochet tools in mind can be found at most craft stores. These will most likely be fitted with multiple elastic straps to keep your hooks and tools in place. However, as crochet hooks are only small, you can use a pencil case (as pictured) to keep everything in one place. ROW COUNTER Row counters are used for marking off how many rows…

HOLDING YOUR HOOK OVERHAND (KNIFE GRIP) This technique is also known as the knife grip, as you grip the crochet hook as if you’re holding a knife. Place your hand over the hook, then support the handle in your chosen palm. UNDERHAND (PENCIL GRIP) For this technique, you hold the hook like a pencil (hence the name). Hold the thumb rest between your thumb and index finger, and then let the handle rest on top of your hand. HOLDING YOUR YARN THE LOOSE-YARN HOLD Holding the end of the yarn in your right hand and with your left palm facing you, weave the yarn in front of your little finger, behind your ring finger, in front of your middle finger and behind your index finger. THE PINKY HOLD Looping the…

When you’ve decided on what you want your first crochet project to be – whether it’s a simple scarf or an amigurumi character – you will most likely follow a pattern to create it. Patterns are the instructions that tell you what stitches to use and how to combine them to make the item you’re working on. You can find crochet patterns in a variety of places, including in this book. As crochet patterns are written in shorthand, to the untrained eye they can just look like meaningless lists of jumbled letters, but they’re actually pretty accessible once you’ve mastered the terms. They are written this way so as to not take up too much space on the page, and also to make them easier to follow. Instead of a…

With just three basic crochet stitches – double crochet (dc), treble crochet (tr) and half treble crochet (htr) – you can create a really wide variety of patterns, and these can be used to make many different projects. With these easy stitch patterns you could create a dishcloth, a scarf or even a blanket – anything rectangular in shape. These are all items that don’t require strict measurements, so would make a great starter project if you’re trying to improve your tension and technique. To start off these patterns, make a foundation chain to your desired length, then keep following the pattern until the piece is as large as you would like it to be. “With these easy stitch patterns, you could create a dishcloth, a scarf or even a…