Where have I gone wrong here?

[ILookAtTheFloor]

I'm brand new to crochet, I've done some knitting before and ordered some yarn on Amazon and it came with some crochet hooks. I was already interested in learning so used some YouTube videos.

It's taken me a million attempts but I now have a swatch of sorts. Although it was meant to be a square, but it's a triangle 😂 so I've gone wrong somewhere. I think I'm missing the first stitch each time as I had it in my head that you need to, clearly that isn't true.

Any other advice and guidance for an absolute beginner would be very much appreciated! I want to do a granny blanket but don't know next steps, if anyone has any good beginner projects in general...

I found it so easy to get the first stitch in the wrong place when I was starting out. I found using a stitch marker in the last stitch of the row helped, which identifies where your first stitch would go.

A granny blanket wouldn’t usually be lines of crochet. You’d start with a chain of about 4 and making it into a loop. Then put three trebles in to it, then a chain of three then another three trebles then a chain of three then another three trebles then a chain of three another three trebles and a chain of three again.

Can you practice making the chain to begin with making the loop and practicing doubles and trebles in to that?

Yes it looks like you've missed a stitch every time.

Some patterns tell you to miss the first because the turning chain counts as a stitch, but then you have to crochet into the top of the turning chain on the next row.

Use stitch markers to mark the first and last stitch and count every row. (Safety pins, or a piece of yarn through the stitch also work)

Granny blankets are a good first project. Says she who had been crocheting for about 5 years before making one

Thank you both! I was given a stitch marker thingy with the needles so I'll use that. I'll have to look up some other stitches to practise if the end goal is a granny blanket! What kind of YouTube tutorial should I search for if I want to learn the stitches for a granny blanket?

m.youtube.com/watch?v=RwnArj7HdXo

Or

m.youtube.com/watch?v=O_5nIpXg8OM

Are basic grannies

You can't go wrong with Bella Coco tutorials!

Brilliant thank you! Can't wait to get stuck in!!

Here's where you need to start, then work your way through the episodes.

(Bella Coco crochet tutorials for absolute beginners)

I inherited crochet hooks and yarn from my aunt and have never tried it before. Thanks for that link @ItsNotNormalLove, I'm going to have a go!

Good luck! Best to copy the link and go direct to YouTube so you can see the links to the next episodes in the description rather than watching it through mumsnet (you probably already worked that out, but just in case!)

It took me a while to work out how to crochet but then it just clicked!

Thanks @ItsNotNormalLove

I'll be back if it al goes horribly wrong

I learned with Bella Coco too, she's great! It's worth pointing out you can slow down YouTube by clicking on the 3 dots and choosing a slower speed. Good luck!

I'll return to this thread to say that I've improved considerably in two weeks! I'm on a roll now and can't stop crocheting 😁thank you everyone for your help!

That looks great @ILookAtTheFloor
Well done. :)

That looks brilliant! Well done on your perseverance

👏👏👏 beautiful job, well done! I never want to put my crochet down even though I've given myself RSI in both elbows!

I'd make granny squares too, but small ones and join them together.

My first attempts at crochet squares looked like triangles too!

If you make Granny squares, the continuous join as you go by Hooked by Robin is easy to follow to join them..I wouldn't use an open treble stitch for a baby blanket, though.

Well done!

I need to be more adventurous too.