Learning to crochet can feel confusing when you first encounter abbreviations, different stitches and a hook you are still getting used to holding. But you do not need to learn everything at once: a few basic stitches are enough to start making your first pieces.

This guide explains how to chain, single crochet, double crochet and use other techniques found in crochet and amigurumi patterns. You will also learn how to start with a magic ring, increase and decrease stitches, and work in BLO or FLO.

Start with the simplest techniques, take your time and return to this guide whenever you need a reminder.

Before You Start: Materials and First Steps

To practise, you will need:

• Yarn in your preferred colour.
• A crochet hook suitable for creating a dense fabric.
• A stitch marker.
• Scissors.

Avoid fluffy or very dark yarn at first, as it can make it harder to see where to insert your hook.

How to Hold Your Hook and Yarn

You can hold your hook like a pencil or like a knife. Try both ways and choose whichever feels more comfortable.

The yarn should move smoothly without being too loose or too tight. If inserting your hook is difficult, try relaxing your tension.

What Does “Yarn Over” Mean?

To yarn over, catch the working yarn—the yarn coming from the ball—with your hook. Then draw it through one or more loops on your hook, depending on the stitch you are making.

Abbreviations Used in This Guide

Abbreviation	Meaning
ch	Chain.
slst	Slip stitch.
sc	Single crochet.
hdc	Half double crochet.
dc	Double crochet.
tr	Treble crochet.
inc	Increase.
dec	Decrease.
BLO	Back loop only.
FLO	Front loop only.

Abbreviations may vary between patterns. Always check the pattern’s abbreviation key before starting.

To understand rounds, repeats and stitch counts in brackets, visit my guide on how to read crochet patterns.

Slip Knot and Chain: The Beginning of Many Projects

How to Make a Slip Knot

A slip knot creates an adjustable starting loop on your hook.

1. Form a ring with the yarn, leaving a short tail.
2. Pull a small loop of the working yarn through the ring.
3. Insert your hook into this loop.
4. Tighten the knot until it sits close to the hook but can still slide.

The slip knot does not count as a chain.

How to Chain — ch

1. Start with a loop on your hook.
2. Yarn over.
3. Draw the yarn through the loop on your hook.

You have made one chain. Repeat these steps to make a chain of the required length.

Uses: starting many projects worked in rows, creating spaces or adding height at the beginning of a row or round.

Common mistake: making chains too tight. Keep them loose enough to insert your hook into later.

How to Recognise a Stitch and Where to Insert Your Hook

Look at the top of a stitch: two strands form a small V.

Normally, insert your hook under both strands of this V, unless the pattern says otherwise.

To count stitches, identify each V along the top. The loop on your hook does not count as a completed stitch.

When working into a starting chain, count chains from the hook without counting the loop on the hook.

Slip Stitch — slst

A slip stitch adds very little height and allows you to join or move across your work.

Step by Step

1. Insert your hook into the indicated stitch.
2. Yarn over.
3. Draw the yarn through the stitch and the loop already on your hook in one movement.

Uses: joining rounds, joining pieces or moving to another position in your work.

Common mistake: pulling too tightly. Keep your tension comfortable, especially if you need to work into the slip stitch later.

Single Crochet — sc

Single crochet creates a compact fabric and is one of the most commonly used stitches in amigurumi.

Step by Step

1. Insert your hook into the stitch.
2. Yarn over and pull up a loop through the stitch. There are 2 loops on your hook.
3. Yarn over and draw through both loops.

Uses: amigurumi, accessories, edging and pieces that need a dense fabric.

Common mistake: inserting the hook in a different place each time. Look for the V at the top to keep your stitches consistent.

Half Double Crochet — hdc

Half double crochet is taller than single crochet and shorter than double crochet.

Step by Step

1. Yarn over before inserting your hook.
2. Insert your hook into the stitch.
3. Yarn over and pull up a loop through the stitch. There are 3 loops on your hook.
4. Yarn over and draw through all three loops at once.

Uses: garments, blankets, accessories and changes in stitch height within a piece.

Common mistake: forgetting the first yarn over. Without it, you are starting a single crochet.

Double Crochet — dc

Double crochet is taller than half double crochet, adding more height with each row.

Step by Step

1. Yarn over.
2. Insert your hook into the stitch.
3. Yarn over and pull up a loop. There are 3 loops on your hook.
4. Yarn over and draw through the first 2 loops. Two remain.
5. Yarn over and draw through the remaining 2 loops.

Uses: blankets, granny squares, garments and decorative motifs.

Common mistake: drawing through all three loops at once. Double crochet is completed in two stages.

Treble Crochet — tr

Treble crochet is taller than double crochet and begins with two yarn overs.

Step by Step

1. Yarn over twice.
2. Insert your hook into the stitch.
3. Yarn over and pull up a loop. There are 4 loops on your hook.
4. Yarn over and draw through the first 2 loops. Three remain.
5. Yarn over and draw through the first 2 loops. Two remain.
6. Yarn over and draw through the remaining 2 loops.

Uses: creating taller stitches in lace motifs, petals and designs that combine different stitch heights.

Common mistake: beginning with only one yarn over. Remember: double crochet starts with one; treble crochet starts with two.

Magic Ring: How to Start Working in the Round

A magic ring is an adjustable ring into which you work your first stitches. Pulling the yarn tail closes the centre.

There are different ways to make one. Here is the method I use.

Step by Step

1. Extend the index and middle fingers of your left hand. Lay the yarn across them, leaving a tail towards your palm, and hold the tail with your remaining fingers.
2. Wrap the working yarn around both fingers and cross it over the first strand to form an X.
3. Slide your hook under the first strand of the X, catch the second strand—the working yarn—and pull it underneath the first to draw up a loop.
4. Rotate your hook to keep that loop on it. Catch the working yarn again and draw it through the loop to chain 1.
5. Carefully slide the ring off your fingers and hold the starting point between your thumb and index finger so it does not unravel.
6. Work single crochet stitches into the ring, enclosing both the ring strand and the yarn tail.
7. Once you have worked all the required stitches, hold the fabric and pull the yarn tail until the centre closes.

For practice, work 6 single crochet stitches into the ring. The starting chain does not count as a stitch.

Uses: starting heads, bodies, balls and other pieces worked outwards from the centre.

Common mistake: working into the starting chain instead of inserting your hook through the centre of the ring.

When finishing your piece, secure the starting tail carefully with a yarn needle so the centre cannot reopen.

Increase — inc

An increase adds stitches. Here you will learn the usual single crochet increase: work 2 single crochet stitches into the same stitch.

Step by Step

1. Work one single crochet.
2. Insert your hook into that same stitch again.
3. Work another single crochet.

One stitch has become two.

For example, increasing in each of the 6 stitches of a round gives you 12 stitches.

Uses: widening a piece and shaping heads, bodies or bases.

Common mistake: working the second single crochet into the next stitch. Both belong in the same stitch.

Decrease — dec

A decrease reduces the stitch count. In this example, 2 single crochet stitches become 1.

Invisible Decrease

This variation is often used in amigurumi for a less noticeable finish.

1. Insert your hook under the front loop only of the first stitch.
2. Without yarning over, insert it under the front loop of the next stitch.
3. Yarn over and draw through both front loops.
4. Yarn over and draw through the remaining 2 loops on your hook.

Uses: narrowing and shaping pieces.

Common mistake: skipping a stitch to decrease. This can leave a hole; a decrease joins two stitches together.

BLO and FLO: Working into One Loop Only

BLO and FLO tell you where to insert your hook. They can be used with different stitches.

Look at the V on top of the stitch with your work positioned as you are currently crocheting:

• The strand closest to you is the front loop.
• The strand furthest from you is the back loop.

BLO: Back Loop Only

Insert your hook under the back loop only and complete the indicated stitch.

Uses: creating ridges, lines or changes in texture. Worked in rows, it can create a ribbed effect.

FLO: Front Loop Only

Insert your hook under the front loop only and complete the indicated stitch.

Uses: changing the texture or leaving the back loops available to work into later, if the design requires it.

Common mistake: treating BLO or FLO as a separate stitch. If a pattern says “sc in BLO”, work single crochet stitches through the back loops only.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Working too tightly: makes inserting the hook difficult.
• Missing the first or last stitch: makes the swatch narrower.
• Adding stitches accidentally: can happen when working into a chain that does not count as a stitch.
• Not counting: checking each row or round helps you catch mistakes early.
• Trying to master everything at once: start with chains and single crochet, then add other stitches gradually.

What Can You Crochet Next?

Once you feel comfortable with these stitches, visit my guide on how to read crochet patterns and choose one of my free crochet patterns for beginners.

To practise magic rings, single crochet, increases and decreases, follow the tutorial how to crochet a ball in the size you want.

Which stitch are you finding most difficult? Let me know in the comments so I can keep it in mind for future tutorials.