Rachel 
Photo by Amirhosein MirabBashi on Unsplash
I’m sure you’ve seen this list on any crochet blog that you’ve come across, but I want to introduce a short list for beginners. While the list could absolutely be a mile long, here are six things to keep in mind as you start to learn how to crochet:
1. Abbreviations
When reading patterns, stitch names aren’t completely spelled out. Fortunately, in most patterns, a list of abbreviations with their meanings is available at the top of the pattern. Unfortunately, some patterns only include definitions for specialized stitches present in the pattern because creators assume that the reader knows basic stitches.
2. Language
Going along with abbreviations, it’s important to know if US or UK terms are used in a pattern or video. I always work with US terms, but there are plenty of tables to help convert between terminology if I run across a pattern with UK terms. As I don’t want to accidentally use a picture that I don’t have permission to use, I will show a small table of some of the conversions (US on left and UK on right).
Chain (Ch) is the same
Single crochet (SC) = Double crochet (DC)
Double Crochet (DC) = Treble Crochet (TR)
Treble (TR) = Double Treble (DTR)
3. Hook size, yarn weight, and gauge
Obviously there are three included with this one. These three tend to go together because two of them impact the other. Gauge is a reference for how many stitches and rows are present in a certain area. If a different hook size or yarn weight is used, it changes the gauge and therefore alters the size of the final product.
For hook size, bigger hooks create bigger stitches, whereas smaller hooks create smaller stitches. Simple, right? Of course. Yarn weight affects the stitches the same way. Using jumbo yarn for a project that calls for worsted yarn will drastically change the size of the project. Luckily, patterns include yarn weight and hook size as well as list gauge.
4. Dye lot
When shopping for multiple skeins of yarn, there’s an important number to double check (especially with solids): dye lot. Dye lot indicates that certain yarns were created with the same dyes, concentrations, etc. This means the colors will match between skeins, and you won’t end up with an unfortunate color surprise. Fortunately, if you buy your yarn all at the same time, dye lots tend to be the same. Variegated yarns allow for more leeway with dye lot rules since variation is expected in these skeins.
5. Video vs Written
Learning for one person can be drastically different from how another person learns, so it’s important to figure out which mediums work best for you. For any stitch there are both written and video forms present, and some written patterns will also have videos available to learn from. Even if a video link isn’t present on a written pattern, there’s almost always a video that has enough similarities to help. YouTube and Pinterest are wonderful things when it comes to learning in one way or another.
6. Expression
Finally, remember that crocheting for many people is truly just about expression and/or relaxation. This means that there are a wide variety of ways to crochet and there’s truly no wrong way to do it. If you’re someone who doesn’t even want to follow a pattern, there’s a thing called free crocheting that can be whatever you want it to be.
Although I’m focused on beginners in this post, I recommend experienced crocheters remember this list as well.
