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Beginner

Essential Crochet Stitches for Beginners

Learn the chain, single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet, then practice the small habits that keep your rows steady.

By Purely Crochet Editorial Team · October 23, 2026 · 3 min read

Beginners · Crochet Techniques

Project time: 30–60 minutes · US crochet terms

Hands crocheting grey yarn with a wooden hook

Craft inspiration · Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels

Begin with yarn you can see clearly

A smooth, light-colored yarn makes it easier to find the loops on your hook and the top of each stitch. Choose a comfortable hook near the size suggested on the yarn label. Keep scissors, a yarn needle, and two removable stitch markers nearby.

These instructions use US crochet terms. The loop already on your hook is never counted as a chain. A yarn over means bringing the working yarn over the hook so you can draw it through a loop or stitch.

1. Make a chain

Place a slip knot on the hook. Yarn over and draw the yarn through the loop: you have made one chain. Repeat until you have a short strand of evenly sized loops. Let each loop sit around the full shaft of the hook before making the next one; tightening it around the narrow tip can make the chain difficult to work into.

2. Try single crochet

For a practice row, chain 13. Insert your hook into the second chain from the hook, yarn over, and draw up a loop. Yarn over again and draw through both loops. Work one single crochet in each remaining chain. You should have 12 stitches.

Chain one and turn. For this practice piece, that chain does not count as a stitch. Work one single crochet into each stitch, passing under both top loops. Mark the first and last stitches and keep counting to 12. These mechanics follow the conventional single crochet method.

3. Explore half double crochet

Yarn over before inserting the hook. Draw up a loop, giving you three loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all three. This creates a taller stitch with a soft, substantial feel. When following a pattern, check its turning-chain instructions before starting a new row.

4. Learn double crochet

Yarn over, insert the hook, and draw up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two loops. Yarn over once more and pull through the remaining two. Double crochet is taller again and is the foundation of many granny-square designs.

Build the counting habit

Practice one stitch at a time before mixing them. Pause every row to identify the little V shapes along the top. Notice how each stitch feels, not just how quickly you can finish it. Even tension develops through repetition, and a small swatch is a useful place to learn without a large project in your lap.

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