How To: Single Crochet Stitch

One of my goals for this year is to teach people how to crochet.  I've taught a few people in the past, and I am constantly attempting to teach Justin how to crochet.  So I thought, what better way to teach a person than by creating online tutorials? So here's the first one. The single crochet stitch (I'm using US terms since that's how I learned) is a basic stitch, and is used to go on a make other stitch patterns. I use it to make my dishcloths.  For this tutorial, I'll be illustrating with Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn and an H8 (5 mm) hook.  The abbreviation for single crochet is SC, so if you see that in patterns you'll know what it means! I'm starting with a foundation chain of 11 here.  I'll cover how to create a foundation chain in the next post.

Single Crochet Tutorial (US)

1. Insert hook through the first stitch.  You should insert the hook under the top loop, so you're going through the stitch in your foundation row.

2. Yarn over the hook. With the hook in your right hand, and the yarn in your left, wrap the yarn over the top of the hook, from back to front.

3.  Pull the hook back through the first stitch in your foundation row, giving you two loops on your hook.

4. Yarn over the hook, and pull the loop through both loops on your hook, leaving you with one loop on your hook. Repeat this process across the length of your project.

5. When you get to the end, chain one, turn your work, and get ready to start again! Insert, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through two loops.

That's it! Now you can make your own dishcloths and get started on your New Year's resolution to learn how to crochet, that you didn't realize you resolved to do until right now. So go. Crochet!

What's in a Hook?

This is my very first crochet hook.  It's old - so old I can't find anything like it in the stores.  It's a Susan Bates 3.75mm hook, made from a solid steel (or what feels like a more solid steel than my new hooks). It's been passed down to me from my grandmother (I would swear to you it was my grandmother. My mother swears it was my great-grandmother. She's probably right, but my memory is somehow connected with my grandmother). I love this hook. I love the way it feels in my hand. I love the lightness of it.  I love the sharpness on the point of the hook which makes it easy to do intricate work.

I love that this hook has been passed down from one crocheter to another.  I love that when I use it, I'm adding to its repertoire of amazing projects. Maybe with each project or blanket I use it to complete, I strengthen a tie between me and generations of my family.

It's not just my grandmother (or great-grandmother) who I feel tied to.  On my mother's side, there are generations of crocheters too. Every time I pick up this hook, I'm reminded of that fact. My family has always been spread out all over the place, hours away from me.  It's hard to feel connected to people so far away. But this connects us.  The same need to create with my hands, to pick up a hook and bring something to life, flowed through them too.

But it's not just about how this all connects us. This hook also reminds me of my first projects.  It's how I started, making one long chain after another.  I made my first blanket with it back in college.  Not only does this hook hold the memories of my grandmother's past projects, now it holds mine too.

I love this hook.

To the Start of Something New

I like new. I like when something finishes and something new can begin.  I like new notebooks, new books, new yarn stashes, new projects.  I even look forward to finishing a bottle of shampoo so I can start the new bottle.   It's not the fact that it's new that I like. It's not the fresh scent or the crisp pages that I like.  I like that it means a new start.  I like imagining how I'll fill the new notebook, or what the new yarn will become.

It's like a new year. The whole year is filled with possibilities.  This year could be anything! Something amazing could happen, and this year could be the start of something great.  I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, but I just love the promise and hope that something new brings.

So here's to new projects, new adventures, and new friendships this year.  And new life to old projects, old friendships, and steady adventures.

What's your hope for this new year?