[NFB-Blind-Crafters] Beginner crochet, single

Sat May 9 14:03:50 UTC 2026

We are taking our time to get foundations and fundamentals on how to start a project.  In these posts I want to cover your difficulties. So please let me know if I don’t cover your problem you are having with crochet. 

In the next part we should incorporate the anatomy of a stich, the chain stich you make within a single crochet and how this chain makes the stitch high and proud. No more squished single crochets, yippy! We will look at when you get to the real end of the row and mark this vital stitch.   

4. Single Crochet

By Becky F

Let’s make a small manageable piece. Chain eleven

You will see the word “turn” in just about every pattern. This means literally you are going to the next row. Thus take your needle out of that last loop and turn your piece. You want your hook on the right with your chain stretching off to your left. The front of the chain is the smooth side, not the side with the twist in it. The front of the chain should be facing you.

First row: Skip the first chain next to your hook. (You always want a single chain when beginning a row of single crochet.) Place your needle from front to back through the chain hole. You now have two loops on your hook.

Yarn over, which means take your working yarn from the back and around and across the needle right underneath the hook, and continue around to the back where it began. Now you have three loops on the hook. 

Take the middle loop (which is your chain) up and over your hook. Pull up that loop to a similar size as your chains, smile. Sneaky aren’t I, giggle.

You now have two loops on your hook. Now yarn over once again to have three loops on your hook. 

Finally, take off the two loops furthest from the hook, leaving you one loop on your hook. 

Single crochet Stitch completed. 

Now place a stitch marker of some kind on that loop which is the top of your stitch. Marking that stitch with a paper clip, stitch marker, or safety pin. This will alert you to the fact that this is the last stitch in the row when you turn.

Next single crochet. From front to back place your needle in the next chain.  Yarn over; take that chain up and over the needle. Pull up the loop to a similar size to the chain. Yarn over again and Take the two furthest loops from the hook, up and over the hook. 

Continue to the end of the row. Careful no smooshed single crochets. Nice relaxed tall full single crochets. 

Count tops of those single crochets. You should have ten. If not, you may have missed a chain, or put two stitches in one chain.

Oops, rip it out and try again. 

Row two: Chain one, turn

Now instead of crocheting into a chain, we will begin crocheting into our first row of single crochets. 

In the first single crochet, (the one you just made,) place your needle going in from front to back in what we have referred to as the top of the stitch. (Behind both the front and back loops and in front of the back of the stitch. 

Yarn over, take off the middle loop, (the stitch from the previous row,) adjust the loop about the same size as the chain or about the size of your needle. Yarn over again and take off the two furthest loops from the hook. 

Place a marker on the loop now on your needle to indicate that this is the first stich in your second row. Single crochet across that row. Wait land a goshon, there is a stitch marker, paper clip, safety pin or something to mark that last stich in the row, smile. Told you I was sneaky.

Again you should have ten stitches. 

Third row: Chain one and turn. Do the first single crochet and move your marker up to this row, smile. 

Marking each end of the row will stop the fanning of your piece and stop the shrinkage of your piece, smile. Guess where this old dog learned this new trick, smile. Thank you Cathy F. appreciative hugs. 

Becky Frankeberger

Butterfly Knitting

*	 Ponchos
*	 Afghans
*	 Shawls
*	 Custom Knitting

360-426-8389, Pacific time

On Behalf Of Jeanette via NFB-Blind-Crafters
Sent: Saturday, May 9, 2026 1:02 AM
To: 'List for Blind Crafters and Artists' <nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org>
Cc: kutash-jm at comcast.net
Subject: Re: [NFB-Blind-Crafters] Beginner crochet

Becky, I am going to try again to learn and I inadvertently deleted the single crochet directions. Could you repost them one more time, please?

Thank you so much.

Jeanette Kutash

From: NFB-Blind-Crafters <nfb-blind-crafters-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-blind-crafters-bounces at nfbnet.org> > On Behalf Of Becky Frankeberger via NFB-Blind-Crafters
Sent: Friday, May 8, 2026 10:26 AM
To: 'List for Blind Crafters and Artists' <nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org> >
Cc: Becky Frankeberger <b.butterfly at comcast.net <mailto:b.butterfly at comcast.net> >
Subject: Re: [NFB-Blind-Crafters] Beginner crochet

Chain stitch

Set the mood, “chaining is relaxing,” repeat “chaining is relaxing.” The more anxious you feel the tighter your chains will be. So deep breath, relax and let’s make some wonderful even chains. Chains that are even take time, and practice to do well. The goal is to make each hole of the chain relaxed enough that you can get your crochet hook in without much trouble. Each chain needs to be uniform with a relaxed lofty feel with the yarn halo in good shape. So you are relaxed you are not pulling the yarn you are crocheting.

On the crochet hook we have one loop and that is the loop from your slip knot. 

Loosen the slip knot by gently tugging on the loop side attached to your working yarn. We want it so it can go up the slanted portion of the hook up to the top round part of the needle. Note, if the loop is not hugging the needle, then gently pull on the working yarn. Now let that loop come back down and let’s look at the loop. Do you see how it is larger than the narrowest part of the hook? That is how loose and lofty the chain should be. All your chains need to be similarly sized.  

Yarn over. To do this take the working yarn around behind the needle and bring it around to the front and lay it just below the hook part of the hook and above your slipknot. So you have the hook the working yarn next to the hook and next to that is the slipknot. Now you have two loops on your hook. Take the loop from the slip knot over the first loop (the yarn over) and right on over the hook itself. 

First chain made. Notice the loop from that slip knot, how wide it is. Measure it with your nail. I generally can get the tip of my nail through the hole using a K hook.  Use your nail as another way to measure the holes of the chain. Notice as well the hole is indeed round about the size of your needle, hmm; we are on to something great, smile.

Now gently pull or loosen the loop on your hook so it is similarly sized to the first chain, then yarn over once again, and take the loop up and over the yarn over and then the hook itself. oh my, you now have two chains!

Now this will take practice to get them fairly even. Deep breath. 

Before you next yarn over measure the loop you have just completed to see if it is similarly sized and if so, then continue.

Remember the chain stitch is very elastic. It has to be to get the baby blanket in my case square. The stitches stretch out the chains. So part of why the piece is fanning out to answer someone’s question is your beginning chain is way too tight.

Oops, I have a chain a couple chains back I can drive a truck through. Take your needle out of the loop, insert it where the truck hole is and gently pull the working yarn. Those other perfect chains will come out and the yarn will tighten around your crochet hook. That is exactly what we wanted, smile.  Now, loosen that chain a hair, yarn over and keep going. Better to fix a mistake early then have to rip out a lot of chains or, gulp, stitches. 

Oops, found a chain that my tiniest needle won’t go through. Same deal put your needle back one chain beyond the tight stitch, and tare back to where your needle is.   

Oh dear, now you find that the chain has twisted. Now we can’t have that for it would make it difficult to single crochet the first row. Take it out down to the twist and try once again.

This was one of the difficulties I had when learning to chain, so don’t be surprised if it happens to you as well.

Becky Frankeberger

Butterfly Knitting

*	 Ponchos
*	 Afghans
*	 Shawls
*	 Custom Knitting

360-426-8389

From: NFB-Blind-Crafters <nfb-blind-crafters-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-blind-crafters-bounces at nfbnet.org> > On Behalf Of Becky Frankeberger via NFB-Blind-Crafters
Sent: Friday, May 8, 2026 7:15 AM
To: 'List for Blind Crafters and Artists' <nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org> >
Cc: Becky Frankeberger <b.butterfly at comcast.net <mailto:b.butterfly at comcast.net> >
Subject: Re: [NFB-Blind-Crafters] Beginner crochet

Teaching a small bag on another list. Let’s make sure we know the slip stitch, then chain stitch, then finally for this project single crochet. With these three stiches we can make most anything: small bag with draw string, scarf, hat, afghan of any size, sweater, poncho. But really other stitches added to these three make more sense for the larger projects.  

Soom coming single crochet.

Becky happy hooker 

From: NFB-Blind-Crafters <nfb-blind-crafters-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-blind-crafters-bounces at nfbnet.org> > On Behalf Of Afton Harper via NFB-Blind-Crafters
Sent: Friday, May 8, 2026 7:00 AM
To: List for Blind Crafters and Artists <nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org> >
Cc: Afton Harper <afton5797 at gmail.com <mailto:afton5797 at gmail.com> >
Subject: Re: [NFB-Blind-Crafters] Beginner crochet

Another beginner crochet project could be a trinket bag, or cat toy. 

On Fri, May 8, 2026, 08:57 Tracy Carcione via NFB-Blind-Crafters <nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-blind-crafters at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

Sarah is interested in a beginner crochet class.  Are others interested?  Is there an experienced crocheter willing to teach?  

I’m a beginner+ crocheter.  I can make things, but don’t feel qualified to teach.

I like to make amigurumi—little creatures.  I think, when I was beginning, I made a little purse with a shell pattern.  Also a hat.  What are good beginner crochet projects?

Tracy

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