Welcome back to the Beginner Basics Crochet Class! The previous lesson covers the tools you need to start your crochet journey. Lesson 2 teaches you how to hold the yarn, the hook, and how to make your first stitches. Grab the yarn and hook from the Lesson 1 Homework, and let’s dive in!
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Ready to learn crochet once and for all?
You’re in the right place! This is Lesson 2 of the Beginner Basics Crochet Class. (You can find Lesson 1 here.) However, if you’re anything like me… you’ll forget about this Beginner Basics as soon as your kid (or fur baby) needs a snack. Here’s what you can do to help you remember.
1. Sign up for email reminders.
Every week you’ll get a friendly email about a new lesson. Emails are spaced out every seven days to give you time to read, watch, and work on the homework.
2. Save this lesson to your Crochet Pinterest Board.
Holding onto the Yarn
Why do we hold the yarn? Because it provides tension. This tension creates uniform stitches as you crochet. Now, there are a bunch of different ways to hold the yarn. A quick scroll through Instagram Reels or TikTok shows you the many interpretations of holding the working yarn (the yarn end coming from the skein as you crochet). However, there is no right or wrong way to hold the yarn.
This lesson in the Beginner Basics Crochet Class teaches the way I was taught. Let me repeat… there is no right or wrong way to hold the yarn. Maybe your grandma taught you how to hold the yarn differently, by all means, hold it her way! In Lesson 1, my crochet education started with the Crochet for Dummies website, so there is a high chance that my method of holding the yarn is their method. Now, let’s get to holding the yarn to create some tension!
Follow this Photo Tutorial for Holding the Yarn
Step 1 – Choose which hand will be your Hook Hand, and your Yarn Hand. Usually, your Hook Hand is your dominate hand. Try it out – hold the hook in your right hand, and then hold it in your left hand. Which feels more comfortable? Go with that one! The other hand is now assigned as the Yarn Hand.
I am right handed, so my Hook Hand is the Right Hand, and my Left Hand is the Yarn Hand. If you’re wondering how to hold the hook, there is a video at the end of this lesson covering it.
Step 2 – Open the Yarn Hand palm face up, and lay the working yarn across the palm. Make sure the Yarn End is at the top of your palm (or the index finger). The other yarn end (coming from the skein) is by your pinky.
Step 3 – Weave the Yarn End behind your Index and Middle Fingers. This starts a loop around your Ring Finger that creates enough tension for neat stitches, but also allows the yarn to slide through your fingers.
Step 4 – Take the Yarn End, wrap it BEHIND your Ring Finger, and BETWEEN your Ring and Pinky Fingers. The yarn on the front of your fingers is attached to the skein. The yarn behind your Ring finger is attached to the Yarn End.
Step 5 – Take the Yarn End, pull it up towards your Index Finger and place it BEHIND the Index Finger. The yarn goes between the Index and Middle Fingers.
Step 6 – Loop the yarn around the top of your Index Finger. This is where it’ll rest as you crochet.
Now, that holding the yarn is clear as mud…
We need to move forward to how to start crocheting.
- First, there needs to be a slip knot.
- Second, we can make a foundation chain.
- Third, we can crochet into the foundation chain.
Beginner Basics : Slip Knots + Chains
A Slip Knot is exactly what it sounds like — a knot that can easily “slip” over the working yarn. The Slip Knot leaves a loop of yarn to stick the crochet hook through. Then, you pull the working yarn to tighten the Slip Knot to the crochet hook. Tip – If the working yarn doesn’t pull the loop tight, then you made your Slip Knot wrong. Don’t worry! Every crocheter, beginner and experienced, has tied the slip knot wrong.
Once the crochet hook is inserted into the Slip Knot loop, you can start creating a Foundation Chain. A Foundation Chain is the starting series of stitches that lay the foundation of the project you’re working on. It’s created by yarning over the crochet hook, and pulling that “yarn over” through the loop on the hook. So, as one loop pulls off the hook, another takes its place.
Now that you know what are a Slip Knot and a Foundation Chain.. we need to practice! For this part, watch the video below. Pause, rewind, and replay as many times as you need to understand these skills.
What this Beginner Crochet Video covers :
- How to hold the crochet hook
- How to create a slip knot
- How to crochet a foundation chain
Remember : You are practicing a new skill. It’s not supposed to feel comfortable the first, second, or third time you try. Keep trying. It will become comfortable with practice.
Lesson 2 Overview
Whew. That was a lot of information! Here’s what we talked about…
- How to hold the Working Yarn
- How to hold the Crochet Hook
- How to make a Slip Knot + crochet a Foundation Chain
Your Homework
You’ve read through Lesson 2 which means you’re ready for your homework! This week, you need to create a foundation chain. For Lesson 3, we’re going to learn how to Single Crochet. But first, you need to know how to hold your hook, the yarn, and how to crochet a foundation chain.
Here is exactly what you need to do :
- Watch the YouTube tutorial above.
- Follow along with the yarn and hook you picked out in the Lesson 1 Homework.
- Create a Slip Knot, pull it out, and create it again. Repeat this as many times until you remember how to do it without watching the video tutorial.
- Crochet a Foundation Chain of 15, pull it all out, and crochet it again. Repeat this as many times until it feels comfortable to you.
If you need any help during this process, please reach out! Comment on this post, send me an email (hello@highdesertyarn.com), or ask in the High Desert Yarn Handmade Community on Facebook. We’d love to cheer you on during your crochet journey!
