How easy is it to teach yourself to crochet?

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I love crochet and wish I had learned as a child.
I am 49 now and would need to teach myself, I’ve tried looking for local classes but there isn’t anything much about and those that are available are too expensive.
Does anyone know if it’s something easy to pick up or am I too old to learn now?

You tube is the best tool. Just be wary of the difference between UK and US terms.

I think crochet is harder to learn from a book than knitting, but there are some good YouTube videos around. My local wool shop offers group sessions - if you can find a class or group it is much easier to have someone show you what to do, you'll pick it up no problem.

Hopefully someone will provide an answer as I keep trying-I have tried books and YouTube. I was booked into a tuition course-but a number of people cancelled the day before and it wasn’t viable!

Try Bella coco videos on YouTube. She's very clear.

Is easy to pick up, I learnt from books before you tube was a thing! The hardest thing is getting hang of holding wool but after that each stitch is just pulling through or around a hook in various combinations.

I recommend
attic24.typepad.com/ Shes a blogger but has step by step tutorials for projects and lots of inspirational things to try.

I recommend getting a 4mm hook start and double knit acrylic wool should cost around £3 each so very cheap to have a go. Don’t go buying any fancy or expensive wool to start.

Bella Coco videos on YouTube. I taught myself and found her videos the clearest to follow. I'm 50 and only learnt four years ago, had an op where I couldn't weight bear for six weeks after, so decided to master a new skill!

Bella coco on you tube is great for the basic stitches. Once you have mastered the basic stitches then I recommend doing the seaside stash buster from coastal crotchet. She has amazing videos showing each of the stitches.

Great, thanks all.

And yes getting a four mm hook is a good idea. Though I would recommend a clover one (the purple one is four mm) as it’s much easier to crotchet with a decent hook.

I learned from YouTube early in lockdown. I can only do granny squares but I'm a long way into a blanket. My recommendation is to try a few different teachers/ guides on YouTube until you find one that you understand or go at a pace that suits you - some are great teachers and others harder to follow. Enjoy!

I learnt from the Attic24 blog, her photos are very useful and once you've mastered chains and triple crochet you can make lots of her blankets.

Bella Coco on youtube is brilliant.

I'm not a fan of written crochet patterns so if you struggle with that find a pattern that is done using symbols instead, I find that much easier. I also find granny squares tricky so prefer to work in strips that don't need sewing together.

To practise you'll want some DK yarn and a 4mm hook.

YouTube is great, as long as you keep in mind that you need to translate between US and English (the same stitch names refer to different stitches), so make sure which instructions you are watching.
Attic24 is great. CoastalCrochet is another good one to look out. Her stash buster blankets are great for if you’d like a project where you’re learning lots of different stitches one at a time.

This one

My 17yo taught herself over lockdown via YouTube videos. She has now made loads of little animals, and several items of clothing. I'm a knitter so haven't been able to help much at all.

I learned from YouTube. It’s pretty ideal as you can stop and rewind the videos as many times as you need.

Yes to Bella Coco and Attic 24.

And when you’re picking up your supplies, get some stitch markers too. You’ll need them to stop your work unravelling but they’re also really helpful for keeping track of where you are. When I was learning I used them for marking the corners in squares & they also help for marking where the end is if you’re doing something in rounds.

www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/accessories/clover-locking-stitch-markers-pack-of-20

I’ll also recommend Bella Coco, she explains things very clearly. I learnt from her YouTube tutorials around 5 years ago.

As already mentioned there’s a difference between UK and US crochet terms and all Bella Coco ones are in UK terms, plus you can pause the tutorials (IIRC she tells you when to) so that you can have a go at your own speed before carrying on.

I find that Clover Amour size 4 hooks are excellent, used with DK wool.

Get the hold of the yarn and hook right and you’ll be away. Watch YouTube but in person is better, might be worth asking on local FB groups or in a local craft shop.

Never too old to learn!

I did use a combination of you tube and books and my mum showing me a bit.

Defo a 4mm hook or bigger and thicker wool. Sometimes you have to search to find a tutorial that fits, I didn’t get on with Bella coco for some things but found her useful for others

I love crochet, so relaxing

I'm currently trying to learn from YouTube, and finding it so frustrating.

I could do granny squares, but wanted to crochet flowers for hair clips and learnt it via you tube. Some presenters go too fast, the view isn't great or just difficult to follow- but some are very good. I would sit there and watch the stitch over and over till I got it.

Starting with a thicker hook and wool is easier to get started, then you can go smaller as you improve.

I'm the same age as you and started trying to teach myself last week. I've been relying on YouTube videos with some success. I can now do a foundation chain, single, half double and double crochet. I won't claim it's pretty but I'm getting there. I've been using a 4mm hook which was recommended with the yarn I bought.

The most frustrating part is managing the yarn to keep an even tension. I've found a technique for holding the yarn and am getting a feel for the tension but it's not as straight forward as it is with basic knitting.

I bought this starter kit which seems to have everything. The case is cheap but the hooks are good and really comfortable to hold.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CP5C8P1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8

If you can't get on with Bella Coco (some of her early videos she fast forwards through the important bits) Hobbycraft have videos on their website which helped me a lot.

I tried learning from a book and from youtube and failed