Pattern

Chapter 1: Get a Grip

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Overview

Holding your yarn and hook correctly is one of the most important aspects of crocheting. Bad habits can make even the most simple stitch look sloppy. So, before we get started, let’s cover some basic tips on handling your tools.

What you'll learn

01

Holding the Hook

02

Holding the Yarn

What you'll need

Cotton Yarn

Any color

Crochet Hook

Size G6 / 4.00mm

The Lesson

Note:

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These time codes correlate to the video for this lesson

01

Holding the Hook

There are two basic ways most people hold crochet hooks, we’ll be calling them the “Spoon Grip” and the “Pencil Grip” because you hold them like a spoon and a pencil!

• The Spoon Grip

My personal preference, the spoon grip, is great for things like amigurumi, aka small stuffed crocheted creatures. In this position you get the best range of movement with your wrist and also get more strength so pulling yarn through tiny stitches is easier as well. I would suggest beginners start with this grip.

The Spoon Grip
The spoon grip is great for amigurumi and beanies!

• The Pencil Grip

My personal preference, the spoon grip, is great for things like amigurumi, aka small stuffed crocheted creatures. In this position you get the best range of movement with your wrist and also get more strength so pulling yarn through tiny stitches is easier as well. I would suggest beginners start with this grip.

The Pencil Grip

Note:

With that in mind, I’ll be using the Spoon Grip for Crocheting 101.

02

Holding the Yarn

I’ll be honest, learning to hold the yarn is a bit more difficult than holding the hook. The most important part is controlling the tension of the yarn, which in turn controls how tight you make the stitches. A classic mistake most beginners make is that they crochet too tight, so try holding it loose if you can. Learning to control yarn is something that only comes with practice and time, so be patient.

A lot of people have different ways they hold their yarn, here’s how I do it:

With your non-dominant hand, hold the yarn with your bottom three fingers (1), and wrap the yarn around your index (2). This gives your index and thumb access to being able to pinch and hold your work (3), and allows your bottom three fingers (middle, ring, and pinky) to grip the yarn, letting you more easily control the tension of the yarn.

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3

Continue to Chapter 2...

This chapter will teach you the techniques you need to get started crocheting. You’ll learn how to make the starting knot (slip knot), how to hook and pull the yarn (yarn over), and how to make your first stitch, the chain stitch (ch)!!

8 thoughts on “Chapter 1: Get a Grip”

  1. Hello,

    It doesn’t actually say how to do the pencil grip?

    “The Pencil Grip
    My personal preference, the spoon grip, is great for things like amigurumi, aka small stuffed crocheted creatures. In this position you get the best range of movement with your wrist and also get more strength so pulling yarn through tiny stitches is easier as well. I would suggest beginners start with this grip.”

    It just repeats the instructions for spoon grip.

  2. I couldn’t control tension with three fingers (middle, ring and pinky).
    What is working for now, is holding the yarn between the middle and the pointer.
    As I’m left-handed, I’m testing which hand is less unconfortable haha
    The hook has not been a problem, but how to hold the yarn… is still complicated….

  3. I hold my yarn the following way: over pinky, under ring and middle fingers, and over index finger! I use my the middle two fingers to control tension. So cool how everyone does things a little differently!

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