New to Crochet

Starting from the very beginning? - Welcome to the studio, a space to learn the absolute basics from scratch and find your flow. Below are some of the most common words and phrases you'll come across in the crochet world.

The Basics
  • Yarn: The thread or wool used to make your fabric. It comes in different thicknesses (called weights) and materials, which dictate how your finished piece will drape and feel.
  • Hook: The tool used to catch and loop the yarn. They come in various sizes measured in millimetres (mm); a larger hook creates looser stitches, while a smaller hook makes them tighter.
  • Skein / Hank / Cake / Ball: The different ways yarn is packaged. Whether it’s an oblong skein, a flat-bottomed cake, or a classic ball, they all hold your yarn—though a hank is specifically a loose, beautifully twisted loop that you wind into a ball before you begin.
  • Tail: The loose end of the yarn where you first cut or started your project. You will weave this into your finished piece at the very end to hide it.
  • Working Yarn: The strand of yarn leading directly from your hook back to the ball. This is the yarn you actively use to build your stitches.
  • Stitch Count: The number at the end of a pattern row—usually in brackets like (24)—telling you exactly how many stitches should be in that row. It’s your map to make sure your piece isn't accidentally shrinking or growing.
  • Weaving in Ends: The process of threading your leftover yarn tails into your finished stitches using a blunt needle. This secures your work so it never unravels and hides the loose strings.
  • Tension / Gauge: How tightly or loosely you hold your yarn and make your stitches. It determines the final size of your piece; matching the pattern's gauge ensures your garment fits exactly right.
  • Frogging: The crochet term for ripping out your stitches when you make a mistake. It originally gets its name because you "rip-it, rip-it" out, which sounds like a frog croaking!
  • Repeats: Instructions inside asterisks (*like this*) or brackets that you need to do over and over again. It keeps patterns short and clean instead of writing the same step twenty times.
  • Rows vs. Rounds: The direction your project grows. Working in rows means you crochet back and forth in straight lines (like a scarf). Working in the round means you crochet in a continuous circle or loop without turning (like a beanie or a bucket hat).

Testing a gauge/tension swatch

To test a gauge swatch from a crochet pattern, crochet a square using the pattern's specified stitch, lay it flat, and count how many stitches and rows fit within a 4 x 4 inch (10 x 10 cm) area. Because different stitch patterns (like bobbles, cables, or shells) don't always align perfectly with standard measurements, think of the 10 x 10 cm box as an approximation—your main goal is to see how many whole or partial pattern repeats fit naturally into that size.

  • Read the gauge block: Look at the pattern for a note that says something like "14 dc x 8 rows = 4 inches (10 cm)".
  • Make a larger sample: Always crochet your swatch a few inches larger than the pattern suggests so you can measure the relaxed stitches in the center, away from the uneven edges.
  • Count the centre: Lay a ruler across the middle of your swatch. Count the horizontal stitches to check your width, and the vertical rows to check your height.
  • Match the size: If your 10 cm area contains more stitches than the pattern specifies, your tension is too tight—switch to a larger hook. If it contains fewer stitches, your tension is too loose—switch to a smaller hook.

Prefer to learn by watching?
If you need a closer look at things you need to get started, how to pull up a loop or hold your hook, I’ve filmed short, video walk-through for all the absolute basics. You can watch the full playlist over on my YouTube channel @Han.kbyhannah to see exactly how finding your flow looks in motion.