Chapter 3: The Single CrochetLogin to save pattern
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Overview
Unlike the chain stitch, the single crochet (sc) is likely going to be the stitch you use the most. It can be used to make nearly anything: scarves, blankets, but mostly my favorite, amigurumi. It’s relatively easy too, at least once you perfect the chain stitch.
While this stitch is easy, getting started and making that first stitch can be a bit difficult. But once you finish the first one, you’re good to go. So let’s learn the basics for how to do a single crochet in a row (meaning just going back and forth).
What you'll learn
What you'll need
Cotton Yarn
Any color
Crochet Hook
Size G6 / 4.00mm
Abbreviations
The Lesson
Note:
These boxes are checkboxes
01
The Slip Knot
Okay, so to start, you’re going to be making your single crochet’s by working into the loops in a chain stitch.
We want to start kinda small; we’re only make a little square that’s 8 stitches (or single crochets) in a row, so chain 9 stitches. You will always will need one more chain than the number of stitches you plan on putting in the row to make it go up evenly for single crochet stitches. This will make sense in a second I swear… just make a chain of 9 stitches.
Start
Chain 9
Step 1
Once you have 9 nice-looking chains, you’ll skip the first chain from the hook and put your hook into the top loop of the next chain over.
Step 2
Next you yarn over
Step 3
Pull that loop through the hole.
Step 4
Then yarn over again
Step 5
And pull that loop through the rest of the loops on the hook.
Repeat
Now to keep going! You just need to repeat steps 1 – 5 above into the next chain to the left.
At the end of the row, when you get through all the chain stitches (8), all you need to do is chain one and turn the whole thing around.
Row 2
This is pretty simple; you’ll be doing the same thing as you did before, but instead of putting your hook in the holes of the chains…
You’ll be putting them under these two, and into this hole here.
Make sure to skip that first chain you made though, the one you made at the end of your first row.
Make sure you go under both of these loops for now, but just so you know, this is part furthest from you is the back loop,
and the one closest to you is the front loop.
You can use these for other stitches and techniques later like invisible decreases, but for now, you should work into both these loops at the same time.
I think I’m working too tight or loose…
There’s a decent chance you’ll be single crocheting too tight or too loose when you first start out. You’ll know because you either won’t be able to get your hook into the stitch in the start (working too tight) or the piece will resemble more of a fishing net then what you were trying to make (too loose). I think it’s better to work too loose than too tight because if you’re working too loose you can at least still get the hook into the stitches, so try loosening your grip with your hand that’s grasping the yarn.
This is not really something I can necessarily teach you how to do better or worse, but it will come with time and practice.
Continue to Project 2...
This is one of the first patterns I ever made. I used to make tons of these for friends and family because they’re super simple to make and only take a few minutes.
Add a bobby pin in the back to make it a hairpin, or add a safety pin to pin it to a garment!
Continue to Chapter 4...
Now that you know how to single crochet, let’s start learning how to make things bigger, thus, give them more shape. Increasing in crochet is important for making basically any shape other than a square, and it’s a pretty simple concept. The end goal is to make the ending count of stitches bigger than the amount of stitches in the last row.
