Good question, what is the easiest thing to crochet for beginners?

It feels like a loaded question and my first response is “it depends”. But that isn’t overly helpful for you is it?

So let me try to answer the question with a question and keep going from there.

First, what stitches do you already know?

If you don’t know or can’t remember, then the first thing you need to do before you even consider starting on a project is to learn the basics. Don’t focus on creating anthing, but get comfortable with holding the hook and yarn, practice making a chain and making stitches and keep going until you’re comfortable. I have a beginners guide to help you with that and videos on YouTube that you can use to help you. If you really want to get confident in crochet and get there quickly, then I urge you to please not skip the step of learning the basics first!

Once you know your stitches you can move onto a project.

Once you know your stitches, then it is time to start playing with different projects. And I would encourage you to keep it small. When you’re first starting out it is very easy to get distracted by all of the pretty projects – believe me, I know! And I have the pinterest board to prove it! But you want to choose projects that fit your current skill level and personal preferences so that you don’t get overwhelmed with what you’re making.

My personal recommendation is to practice something new with a washcloth and I have a store filled with them for you to choose from. These are the perfect project to practice new stitches or stitch designs as they’re small, but not too small, and they can be used for something useful afterwards. And it doesn’t matter how ‘terrible’ a job you make of it as it will still work to clean your dishes or wash your face. I have a big variety to choose from and the last two series are focussed on the themes of texture, rounds and rows which are all the things that form the foundations of crochet projects.

What do you want to make? And this too will ‘depend’ on your personal preference.

When it comes to crochet we all have our personal preferences. Amigurumi (the toys) are popular and use the most basic of stitches so in theory are some of the simplest to make. BUT, there is a lot of counting and you’re going to need to understand how to read a pattern to make them, unless you can find a super helpful video. I know from experience that I do not enjoy making the toys. They’re cute, and I love them once they’re done, but the counting and fiddely pieces required does not motivate me to make them. So if you know your single crochet (double crochet in UK terms) and are happy to count, then by all means make them!

I encourage you to experiment with small projects before embarking on anything big so that you can discover your personal preferences. Trial some hats, baby blankets, scarves and shawls and see what speaks to you. If you want to challenge yourself on special stitches then try out some different granny squares, or again test them out on washcloths. I wouldn’t go for anything bigger than a shawl or baby blanket unless you’re confident that you’re going to enjoy it and have the stitches learned.

For me, I have have learned that I do not like to count and I do not like to change colours. Too much stopping and starting takes away the joy and calm that I find in crochet. You might find the same too, or you might be different. I also know that I cannot work on a large blanket all the time unless it is made from squares. I need more variety so I am prepared to spend years making a blanket and chipping away at it each week or month if I need to.

So experiment, especially in the beginning and discover what you enjoy making the most.

Ask yourself this before you take on any project.

Before you get distracted by the next cool idea on pinterest, I encourage you to ask yourself these questions…

• Do I already know the stitches that this project needs?
• Do I enjoy making that kind of project?

If you can answer yes to both, then by all means jump in and start making it! We’re all different and all have our own preferences, so stay true to you and what you enjoy and crochet will be the gift that keeps on giving!

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Seona x