One must have the desire, determination and patience in mastering and understanding crochet.

Keep in mind that understanding crochet patterns is not at all as complicated as they seem to appear. Once you understand the basic abbreviations then you are on the road to making your very first masterpiece.

All crochet pieces and projects start with a “slip knot”. With your palm facing you, position the tip of the yarn crosswise on your right hand palm from the right going to the left and then back around so that it crosses over your right palm again and laying the yarn across the tip of the very first yarn strand.

Starting from the top to the bottom of the yarn, reach underneath both ends then draw up the “longest strand”. Insert now the crochet hook in the loop you have created and then tighten it to fasten the knot.

The very basic crochet stitches are single crochet (sc); chain (ch); double crochet (dc); half double crochet (hdc); and treble crochet (tr).

Crete the “foundation chain stitch” or ch. Having the “slip knot” on the hook, you have to do “yarn over (yo)” by way of taking your hook all around the “long” yarn tip starting from left to the right and then pull the loop past through the prevailing loop that is already on your hook. When you continue the process, you can make many chains, as long as what the pattern requires.

Basic crochet stitches and abbreviations:

1. “Chain stitch” (ch). Beginning with a single loop, hook the yarn then and draw it through, making one chain. Repeat when needed to make more.

2. “Slip stitch” (sl or st). Insert the hook into chain stitch, and yarn over. Pull the yarn throughout the chain and also the “loop on the hook”.

3. “Single crochet” (sc). Insert the hook into the chain stitch, and yarn over and then pull through the chain making “2 loops on hook”. “Yarn over” and then draw up through both the loops.

4. “Half double crochet” (hdc). “Yarn over”, and insert the hook into the chain and then “yarn over” once more and pull yarn through chain, making “3 loops on hook”. Yarn over again and then “pull through all” of the 3 loops.

5. “Double crochet” (dc). “Yarn over” and then insert the hook into the chain, “yarn over” once more and then pull the “yarn through chain”, making “3 loops on hook”.

6. “Yarn over 6”. Pull through the 2 loops. Now Yarn over again and then pull through the 2 loops once more.

7. “Triple crochet” (tr). Yarn over two times and then insert the hook in the chain and yarn over once more and then pull the yarn through the chain, making “4 loops on hook”. Then “yarn over and pull through 2 loops”. Now yarn over then “pull through 2 loops” once more. Yarn over then “pull through the last 2 loops”.

Here is a simple scarf pattern for beginners:

Strat with Chain 15 – meaning you should make 15 chain stitches.

“Row 1, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in ea of next 13 chs, ch 1 (to turn). (14 sc)”

In doing a single crochet into the “second chain from the hook”, do not anymore add the chain found on the “hook”. Only count the very first chain which attached to the hook.

“Row 2, sc in ea sc across, then ch 1, to turn. (14 sc)”

Do a single crochet stitch in every single crochet stitch across. If the pattern does not instruct to do one loop only, it is presumed that you crochet in “both loops of the stitch”, inserting your hook underneath the top loops “of the stitch” so to start creating “the next single crochet”.

This pattern requires you to work in the 2 loops of every “single crochet” for the second row and all the additional rows.

For the additional rows, you need to do the second row, until such time when you have already made the scarf’s length that is ideal to you.

“Last Row, sc in ea sc across. (14 sc)”

Do a “single crochet” in every single crochet going across and never make a “chain 1 at the end of the row”.

End. Leaving some length of the yarn to secure and weave the end, “cut the yarn” and weave the ends.

Keep warm!