Crochet...is it difficult?

[CatUnderTheStairs]

I’d like to crochet a granny square blanket. I can knit but I’ve never crocheted.

I’m looking for something to keep me occupied on the dark winter nights.

Is there a book anyone can recommend. Any tips?

I started to lean in February by watching Bella Coco videos on YouTube and trying to crochet rows, squares, triangles etc. I can follow patterns and know lots of stitches now.

If you check the label on a ball of wool it will tell you what size hook you need on it.

If you’re making toys or Amigurumi I’d go down a hook size so you won’t see the stuffing in the toy.

Learn not lean.

HappyHarlot the ball band on the yarn will generally have a recommended hook and knitting needle size. You may need to change size according to your natural tension. For instance I'm a very tight crocheter so I would always go up a full millimetre but a very loose person would go down a size. Plus your tension will change slightly as your skill improves. If you are making a granny square blanket then it would be a good idea to check the size of your squares against your early squares, then you can go for a bigger hook if the squares are getting smaller or vice versa.

If you already knit and know that you are either tight or loose then you will probably be the same for crochet.

I found Crocheting for Dummies helpful along with various tutorials. There were some excellent American tutorials on YouTube but you then have to convert them into English vocab as the stitches are different. I found the dark art of one needle knitting really easy but I still can't do the magic circle.

The magic circle isn't all it's cracked up to be Gretchen, it tends to come loose over time and then it's impossible to repair. Woolly Hugs ask that you don't use it for this reason.

That's good to know! Bella Coco is really clear to follow, I know I'm echoing others here too.

I personally have never had an issue with a magic ring or circle coming loose. I pull the end very tight and either weave it into the inside or leave a long thread inside the work.

Magic rings are necessary for amigurumi because you don’t want a hole that chaining three then working the stitches into the first chain leaves.
I do use chain three for my hanging baskets though.

For amigurumi I use chain three but I weave the tail in as I'm doing the first row to make a sort of drawstring and then use that the cinch the hole shut.

Personally I would start with something smaller than a blanket just so you can get the satisfaction of completing a project. It takes a lot of squares to make up a whole blanket... Other than that though, basic granny squares are fairly easy to learn, I prefer videos to books too.

I'd recommend making a pet blanket out of granny squares and learning how to join them first, it takes practise to get a real 'feel' for crochet - to have an even tension. Plus an odd mistake won't matter in a pet blanket!

I love crochet and lack the patience for knitting.

I have to disagree that it's easy to pick up...

I have been knitting forever, since I was at primary school 40 years ago. I have tried dozens of times to learn to crochet and have never got the hang of it at all, I find it really, really hard. Partly because I think I'm left handed and most tutorials are designed for right handers. Yes to struggling hugely with the tension. Also after so long knitting it feels very strange to just have one hook.

They both use yarn, but crochet is about hooking the yarn and pulling through a space, whilst knitting is sliding wool over from one needle to another. I learnt to knit years before crocheting, but I think crochet is more forgiving and easier to fix.

I used internet to learn basics but then I got a book by Jan Eaton called 200 crochet blocks for blankets, throws and afghans which has loads of ideas for different squares (from easy granny squares to complex 3d patterns) plus ideas on how to combine patterns into blankets. I find the instructions for different stitches in that book quite easy to follow (as far as written instructions go)

You could do one giant granny square blanket. Means you don’t need to do a starting chain and it works up quickly. The trick is to flip it after every round so it doesn’t go wonky. The patchwork heart on Instagram has tutorials and lots of colour inspiration.

After years of knitting I learned to crochet a couple of years ago following a few sporadic attempts which failed. A combination of YouTube tutorials and diagrams got me started. I didn't find it easy to learn and have to say that, for me, the hardest thing was getting out of the knitting mindset and moving to one needle. I was suddenly really ham fisted, despite being a pretty competent knitter. But once I cracked it I became addicted, so beware

I love Attic 24 - she's made so many things clear for me. I prefer written tutorials to YouTube myself as keeping stopping, going back, starting etc was so annoying. Ravelry is great for free and cheap patterns too.

I'm left-handed and I find crochet really easy as I carry the yarn in my left hand, just as I do for knitting where I knit 'continental style'. I find holding my left forefinger up as many YouTube videos show really weird and use my left hand on the material made to move both the crochet and the yarn around the hook as well as tension the yarn (in answer to a left-handed PP).

Get a ball of Stylecraft Special DK and a decent soft handled 4mm hook and have fun playing with it until it all falls into place!

Ah @53Mercedes519, that photo brings back memories of a crochet blanket my grandmother made from all different types of wool. I loved touching it, especially the slightly scratchy orangey colour, and the softest-ever pale blue wool.

Not as hard as knitting lol I can crochet almost anything but my knitting is all holes. I run a crochet group for beginners and beyond and from watching many people learn over the years most find watching lily's of tutorials on YouTube the most helpful. I'm an odd one though I learnt better using photos and diagrams and even now 6 years after I first took up crochet I hate watching videos for patterns. Being comfortable and having decent quality yarn and an ergonomic hook will help a lot and stating off with light and bright plain colours will make it easier and sitting somewhere with good back support. Also your hands will ache to start with so little and often until you get used to the actions involved. Also you will find USA and UK terminology for crochet is different so don't get those muddled up :)

I learned form a 70 book with black and white pictures. you tube is better as it shows you more clearly where to put the hook. so much better.

There are things you can make out of granny squares that are much small than blankets - cushion covers, yarn bags etc so you can get the sense of achievement of finishing a project quickly. I learnt last year at classes it was great to have a teacher that talked us through the basics and gave us challenges that gradually upped our skills level. It might worth looking to see if there are classes local to you.

I learnt to crochet from a kids' Ladybird book in the Learnabout series, having thoroughly failed to pick it up from my gran (who was the worst person ever at showing how to do things). It had clear, colourful and well set out diagrams which were better for me than any Youtube video.

I learned to crochet at a class run by my local wool shop after a few failed attempts to follow YouTube videos. I have been a mediocre knitter for years but found my "thing" with crochet! It was nice learning with a real person who helped me crack the basic stitches, which gave me the confidence to go back to YouTube and do the more advanced stuff. I loved the Bella Coco tutorials and once I'd mastered the difference between UK & US terms, also found Marly Bird videos good.

If you're looking to make a blanket to start with, I'd recommend James Brett Marble Chunky as it's easy to work with a gives quick results. It took me a few hooks to find which worked best and it turns out the basic metal hook works best for me.

Best of luck!

I forty-eighth Bella Coco on you tube and second The Happy Hooker. Once I had done a few squares, I got given Edwards Menagerie. It's gorgeous just don't think it's easier going down in hook size and starting small. It really isn't fun doing a ting leg in the round!

LittleMissnotLittleMrs I have just done an Edward's menagerie too (first attempt at amigurumi) and the tiny arms and legs were nearly the end of me! It was gorgeous when finished though.

BellaCoco is my absolute go-to whenever attempting something new with crochet. I tried to learn from a book but, as a PP said, the pictures don't show very clearly where the hook goes and the videos were much clearer. She will often flip her videos so there are left-handed versions too.

I can crochet but I think it's waaay harder than knitting! A granny square blanket is a good idea though, because it's not so daunting when you're doing a square at a time!