Crochet
Hook, yarn, and your hands. Five coasters by week two.
Learn crochet as a beginner
Crochet is the friendliest way into making things with yarn: one hook, one loop at a time. This beginner course takes you from your first chain to single, half double and double crochet, then granny squares and color changes, ending with a set of five coasters you made. We use US stitch names throughout, so the videos and patterns never contradict each other.
The path
- 1
Level 1Free First Stitches
Five handmade coasters
14 Steps, about 31 minutes each. Total beginners. No experience needed.
- Chapter 1: Chain, stitch, coaster. A chain, rows of single crochet with straight edges, and your first finished coaster.
- Chapter 2: Taller stitches and granny squares. Half double and double crochet, your first pattern read, and a finished granny square.
- Chapter 3: Color and a finished set. Color changes, a square made from the pattern alone, blocking, and a set of five coasters.
- 1Show your groupMake your first chainYou can hold the hook and yarn and make an even chain.
Crochet uses one hook to pull loops of yarn through other loops. The chain is the foundation of almost every crochet project, and making an even chain teaches you how to hold the hook and control the yarn.
A slip knot makes the first loop on the hook. Each chain stitch is made by wrapping the yarn over the hook, called a yarn over, and pulling it through the loop already on the hook.
The detail beginners miss is tension. Tension is how tightly the yarn flows through your fingers. Too tight, and the hook won't fit back through the chains. Too loose, and the chain is sloppy. Wrap the yarn around your little finger and over your index finger to control it, and keep a steady, relaxed grip.
Here's an example. Slip knot with a 6-inch tail, slid onto the hook, snug. Hook held like a pencil in the dominant hand. Yarn wrapped over the index finger of the other hand. Yarn over, pulled through: one chain. Twenty chains, each about the same size.
Right is a chain of even-sized stitches. All terms in this Era are US crochet terms. Hold the hook loosely; a tight grip makes your hand ache.
- 2Crochet your first rowOne row of 16 single crochet stitches across your chain.
- 3
See all 14 Steps
- 4Get straight edges and even tensionSix more rows with straight sides and stitches that match in size.
- 5Show your groupFinish your first coasterA finished single crochet square with no loose tails.
- 6Learn the half double crochetA 6-row swatch of half double crochet (hdc).
- 7Learn the double crochetAdd 4 rows of double crochet (dc) to your swatch.
- 8Read your first patternYou can turn a line of crochet pattern into plain steps.
- 9Start your first granny squareRound 1: a small square with 4 clusters and 4 corners.
- 10Show your groupFinish your first granny squareA 3-round granny square, fastened off.
- 11Change colorsGranny square #2 with a new color on each round.
- 12Make a square on your ownGranny square #3, made from the pattern without a video.
- 13Block your squaresYour squares are flat, square, and the same size.
- 14Show your group
- 2
Level 2Unlocks after Level 1 Wearables
A beanie, cowl and mitts that fit
20 Steps, about 46 minutes each. Crocheters who finished Level 1 or can already make sc, hdc and dc rows and follow a simple pattern.
- Chapter 1: Rounds, gauge and ribbing. A magic ring, a flat circle, a gauge swatch, two kinds of ribbing, and a finished twisted ear warmer.
- Chapter 2: A beanie that fits. Your head measured, a crown worked to size, the body and a ribbed brim, and a pom-pom on top.
- Chapter 3: Texture and a cowl. Moss stitch learned from words and a chart, a cowl worked and seamed, then blocked so it drapes.
- Chapter 4: Mitts and your own design. A matching pair of fingerless mitts, stripes in the round, and a hat of your own design in a gift set.
- 1Show your groupMake a magic ringA magic ring with 6 single crochet worked into it and pulled tightly closed.
A magic ring, or magic circle, is an adjustable loop used to start work in the round. Unlike a chain ring, it pulls completely closed, leaving no hole in the center of hats and circles.
You wrap the yarn into a loop, work stitches into it, then pull the tail to cinch it shut.
The detail beginners miss is securing the tail. A magic ring can loosen over time if the tail isn't woven in firmly. Weave it in through several stitches in different directions, so it holds.
Here's an example. Yarn wrapped around two fingers so the tail crosses over the working yarn in an X. Hook under both strands, working yarn grabbed and pulled through. Chain 1 to secure. Six single crochets worked into the ring, over both strands. Tail pulled: the center closes completely. Slip stitch into the first sc to join.
Right is a magic ring with 6 sc pulled tightly closed. It feels fiddly the first few times; practice five in a row. Level 2 assumes sc, hdc, dc, reading patterns, and working in rounds from Level 1. All terms are US crochet terms.
- 2Crochet a flat circleA flat circle of 8 rounds of single crochet that lies flat on the table.
- 3Swatch for gaugeA 5 x 5 inch hdc swatch in your hat yarn, measured, with the hook that matches the beanie pattern.
See all 20 Steps
- 4Learn two ribbingsTwo small swatches: back loop only ribbing and front post / back post double crochet ribbing.
- 5Show your groupMake a twisted ear warmerA finished, seamed ear warmer with a twist at the front, in bulky yarn.
- 6Size your beanieYour head measured and the right beanie size and crown target picked.
- 7Work the crownThe flat crown of your beanie, worked in hdc to your size's diameter.
- 8Work the bodyEven rounds worked down from the crown until the hat is long enough for the brim.
- 9
- 10Show your groupPom-pom and finishA full pom-pom tied securely on top, every end woven in: a finished beanie.
- 11
- 12Read a stitch chartYour moss stitch swatch worked again from a chart instead of written words.
- 13
- 14
- 15Show your group
- 16Make a fingerless mittOne fingerless mitt worked flat in ribbing and seamed with a thumb hole.
- 17
- 18Stripes in the roundA striped swatch tube with clean color changes and no big jog at the join.
- 19Design your own hatA beanie of your own design: your size, your stripes or texture, your brim.
- 20Show your groupWrap a gift setA set of your wearables, washed, labeled with care notes and given away (or kept).
Level 3Unlocks after Level 2 Amigurumi
Your first stuffed figure
Level 4Unlocks after Level 3 Market Maker
Your first sale
Where it ends: selling your own handmade pieces
Questions about learning crochet
How long does it take to learn crochet?
Level 1 is 14 Steps of about 31 minutes each, around 7 hours in all, split into 3 chapters. Go at your own speed: one Step a day, or a whole chapter in a sitting.
What do I need to start crochet?
You'll need 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook, 3 balls of worsted-weight 100% cotton yarn, yarn needle (blunt tapestry needle) and locking stitch markers. Expect to spend about $24 to start Level 1.
Can a complete beginner learn crochet?
Total beginners. No experience needed.
What will I have made by the end of Level 1?
Five handmade coasters, one solid square and four granny squares, plus the stitches every crochet project is built on.
Is this crochet course free?
Yes. Level 1 of every hobby on Eras is free, and every Step links free lessons from great teachers online. Eras Plus is an optional subscription that opens the levels after it.
Free lessons in First Stitches come from simplydaisy, MJ's Off The Hook Designs, Kristin's Crochet Tutorials, Cat Kemble, The Woobles, Knots & Kneedles, Sewrella, Crochet Guru, Yarnspirations, Sarah Maker, Maddy Marie, Nicki's Homemade Crafts, The Crochet Crowd, B.Hooked Crochet, TL Yarn Crafts, AllFreeCrochet. We link to their work and never copy it.