Can anyone recommend a "learn to crochet" kit for an impressively incompetent novice?

[CassandraWebb]

I am stuck in bed a lot and probably will be on and off for the rest of my life, and rest is the best treatment for my illness. I want to learn some crafts and would love to learn to crochet. But I am pretty incompetent at anything practical. Does anyone know of any idiot proof kits or do I really need to find a class ? (Harder as my flares are unpredictable)

Happy for very simple kit ideas for other crafts too!

Watching with interest as I would love to learn too. That seaside blanket is wonderful!

I know, but I am struggling to believe I could manage a simple square never mind a whole blanket! I think I am going to buy some cheapy wool and see how I get on, but I expect I will need a course or something!

Once you've learned the basics, this was one of my starter projects & now lives on the back of my sofa: https://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/cosy-stripe-blanket.html

It's basically one stitch over & over again, the size is completely up to you & once you've finished, you're likely to feel more confident about tackling the edging! There's also a pack for it at https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/attic24/attic24-cosy-stylecraft-special-dk.

I do a lot of baby blankers & cat blankets, which of course are a lot quicker than full size ones.

Kits are not a good way to learn. I taught myself while on Chemotherapy by watching BellaCoco among others on YouTube.
Just watch it over and over again, you can slow it down and pause it. Then get a hook and any bit of wool. I would recommend you start with a size 4.5 or 5 hook and double knit wool.
I make blankets and shawls. I made lots of mistakes to begin with, still do. You need patience and repetition. Don't attempt a big project to start with, just make little strips or squares. Some people like 2granny squares" but I don't.

I said that I would like to learn to crochet so my dd bought me a lot for Christmas, I have learnt more watching the videos that have been recommended on here

@CassandraWebb

I had a couple of people try to teach me & I just couldn't get it.

but with YouTube I could (& did!!) rewind play rewind play rewind play...so I could see what they were doing (again & again!!) i can't remember which 'YouTuber' I preferred in the beginning, but it's different for everyone anyway. Also, I got different things from different ones.

cheepy wool is ok, but it can put you off if it splits a lot, if it does give it to the neighbours cat & try something different!!

@EmpressaurusOfTheScathingTinsel

its a beautiful blanket, I love Attic 24 but I'm wired differently, I can't stand doing row after row, especially not the same stitch!

It’s a good way to start though!

Sometimes I really like a project that I don’t have to think about.

Honestly I had never done any before either and found it really interesting and I learnt a lot. The videos are really useful for the different stitches though you do need a basic video for the starter chain and how to do a treble. I found the blanket easier than granny squares. Here’s a photo of my finished blanket and some as I was going along and the fluffy wool edges hide all the wonky bits! Also the good thing about crotchet is it’s easy to pull back and do again.

I found blossom crochet on you tube the easiest to learn from.
Just be patient and start again if you need to.

I taught myself via the medium of YouTube! There are some great videos on there.
This blanket is one of the first things I made.

You lot are inspiring me to give it a go..I'm also looking for something crafty for the Rebel Badge club I joined as a result of a thread on here!!

OP get yourself one of these kits.
It is a style of sewing called Sashiko, from Japan.

You can pick it up without needing to watch YouTube videos. It is essentially a long long running stitch, but it makes lovely patterns.

I can't get my head around crochet and can never remember what number of stitch I'm on. Never have that problem with Sashiko.

Lady that runs the shop is lovely and very helpful.

https://www.japancrafts.co.uk/store/c93/SashikoKitss-GeometriccDesigns.html#/

I taught myself using Bella coco granny square on you tube took a while then it just clicked ! I have knitted for years tho and don't know if just me but I think this made it harder to learn .
If I was to learn again my advice would be don't start with a granny square find some videos of chaining and learn the basic stitches working in rows. I would start with size 4 hook and a ball of style craft yarn don't bother with kits.

I learnt to crochet using this kit. Have followed it up with a few more from their shop on etsy. Their patterns are easy to follow and they have good tutorials to follow on FB.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/889923286/learn-to-crochet-beginners-crochet-kit?click_key=2a793fb2bbe4a80d00fe7c37a8ed4e2732e3c27d%3A889923286&click_sum=524e5ca3&ref=shop_home_active_9&crt=1

One thing that really helped me when learning to do granny squares was putting a stitch marker in the middle of the initial ring & then one in each corner as I did the first round, to stop myself getting lost.

If you have a local Hobbycraft, they do workshops!

I second Bella Coco.

Choose a basic acrylic DK yarn to start off. You don't want anything too flash when you are learning. I use Stylecraft Special DK for granny squares. It comes in a myriad of colours and washes well.

As other people have said. Don't buy a dark colour to start with - it's easier to see the stitches.

I would get a basic 4 or 5 mm hook and dk (double knit) or Aran sized yarn. Then look up Bella Coco on YouTube. Her tutorials are excellent.

I just bought a few used books from a very well known online retailer for about £3 each plus some silicone covered metal hooks in an assortment of different sizes. So that choosing different yarns was easy.

I measure the yarn against the hook so the yarn fits snug without bulging out of the hook or the hook being too wide for the yarn. This method of matching hook to yarn has worked for me every time.

Have some scissors handy, hooks, books, you tube videos and learn the chain stitch first, then learn other stitches. then proceed to patterns. I loved learning to crochet, it's a lot of fun, especially when you start making useful stuff like scarves and hats etc etc.

You lot are impressive! Those blankets are lovely.

@GraciousB nice advert for them 🙂

but there's no need to spend £26 (on 4 balls of Stylecraft & a very cheap metal hook) to learn to crochet.

I know, but I am struggling to believe I could manage a simple square never mind a whole blanket! I think I am going to buy some cheapy wool and see how I get on, but I expect I will need a course or something!

Honestly, you won't need a course! I was never a creative, crafty or practical person. I learned to knit from books and YouTube in my late 30s (and can now make pretty complicated jumpers etc), then added crochet a few years later. I made that Seaside Stashbuster blanket upthread when I was still very much a beginner. It's a great way to learn - it's like a sampler, where you learn a new stitch every few rows - and there are videos for each bit.

Oh also, if you do get into it, come and join us on the Knit, Crochet and Natter series of threads. It's a bit quiet over there at the moment, but we go in bursts!

Once you've grasped the basics (Bella Coco videos are great) I would recommend looking on the Attic24 website, Lucy has some beautiful blanket patterns, they are fairly simple with very clear instructions and you can buy yarn packs with a printed pattern from Wool Warehouse. There are lots of attic24 Facebook pages to get support and advice if you get stuck.
My grandma taught me to crochet when I was a child and the first thing she got me to do was make metres and metres of chain, just so I could get used to holding the hook and yarn and get the tension right. I still think it's a very useful tip when learning to crochet.