What You Need to Start Crocheting

 It can be daunting to know where to start when you want to learn to crochet and that’s why we’ve put together this guide to welcome all the new crocheters into the community!

In this article we’ll show you what you definitely need to start crocheting, give a few examples of tools to use, and also show you the just-nice-to-have items to add to your growing toolkit.

Crochet hooks

Choosing the right crochet hook is actually a lot easier than it may seem when you just type in “crochet hooks” on Amazon or go to your local yarn store.

While crochet hook sizes start at the teeny tiny 000 (0.5mm) size, the best hook for beginners is around size G (4.0mm) to size H (5.0mm). These are mostly used with double knitting (DK) or worsted weight yarn.

When just starting out crocheting (or knitting), it’s always best to start with a slightly larger hook and thicker yarn as it’s so much easier to hold and learn to control than thread.

The crochet hooks that we prefer to use and recommend are ergonomic hooks. These ergonomic hooks have thicker handles, which make them easier to hold and control and they are also easier on your wrist.

Although there are many large sets of hooks available, you don’t necessarily have to start out by buying all the sizes you can lay your hands on. Rather start with one hook — that way you will also know if the brand of hook fits well into your hand or if you find them uncomfortable to work with.

Here are some of our favorite hooks:

• Clover Purple Amour, size G (4.0mm) hook
• Clover Blue Amour, size H (5.0mm) hook
• Hicello 8-piece ergonomic crochet hook set
• Susan Bates Silvalume Soft Handle Ergonomic Crochet Hook, size G (4.0mm)

If you already have crochet hooks that aren’t ergonomic (like these color-coded ones by Susan Bates), you can simply get this interchangeable handle by Boye.

Now that you have your crochet hook, it’s time to decide on yarn. 

Yarn

If you’re just starting to crochet, it’s always fun to start learning using your favorite color!

You can also decide whether you want to use acrylic yarns or yarn made from natural fibers (like wool and cotton). Although acrylic yarn can be much cheaper than natural fibers, you should keep in mind that they are basically plastic and not biodegradable.

The cheaper natural fibers include plant-derived fibers like cotton and bamboo. You can learn more about the different types of fibers available in this article.

Now that you’ve decided whether you would like to use natural or acrylic fibers, you can decide which of the yarns you would like to use.

Here are some (mostly) natural fiber yarns that you can look at to choose from:

• KnitPal 100% Merino yarn (can you blame us?)
• Looking for vegan yarn? Then check out these vegan yarns on WEBS
• Catania by Schachenmayr (100% cotton)
• cotton4future yarn by Schachenmayr is a blend of recycled cotton and plastic bottles
• Rowan Yarns are also a favorite when it comes to natural fibers.

Things to keep in mind when you’re deciding which yarn to use, are:

• The yarn shouldn’t be a novelty yarn (for instance a “furry” yarn, as you won’t be able to properly see or count your stitches (or easily unravel it when you make a mistake).
• The yarn should suit the crochet hook size. Yarns will always state on the band which hook size is best for the yarn. Look for worsted, aran, or double knit yarn to start off with.

Stitch markers

Stitch markers are used to mark progress, mark where you are in a pattern, or mark specific stitches to show where one row of crochet end and the next one needs to begin (when you’re working in the round).

For crochet you need to use stitch markers that can open and close, like these lock ring stitch markers, or  lobster claw ones. You can also use split ring stitch markers for crochet.

Etsy is also great for finding personalized stitch markers.

Other than these three things — hooks, yarn, and stitch markers — you only need some scissors to cut the yarn, a pattern, and some patience!

However, we all like to have beautiful (and not just practical) tools to work with when we’re crocheting. Etsy is a favorite marketplace for all things beautiful and handmade and it’s amazing what ingenious creations are available there!

Here are some of our favorite nice-to-have crochet supplies:

• Personalized, handmade crochet hooks — From hooks with your name, to magic wands, and even hand-tooled wooden hooks , you’re spoiled for choice once you start looking around.
• Yarn cutter — These pendant-and-yarn-cutter from Clover remains a favorite.
• Fancy stitch markers/row counters/progress keepers — Find just about any theme you can think of in the form of stitch markers and progress keepers on Etsy. These ones from Crafternoon Treats that show with which size hook you’re working helps especially well if you’re busy with various projects at the same time.
  If you’re working in a more difficult pattern and need to count the rows, you can also choose one of these row counter rings instead of just an everyday row counter. (Although these small, digital ones are great as well!)
• A pretty project bag — And don’t forget that you need somewhere to keep your crochet. Much like the hooks and stitch markers, you can find almost any theme project bag that you can think of.
  We really like this Van Gogh one, this plain canvas one (that you can decorate with enamel badges), and these ones made from hand-dyed cloth.

Now that you have everything you need, we can only say welcome to the crochet community!