Today is the big day where we take the skills we have learned so far in basic crochet and go a step further!
Wait, that sounds scary. It’s not scary, I promise!
We’ve made a chain and learned to work into that chain. But what do you do when working into the chain? You can do just about any stitch, but let’s start with what I consider the simplest after the basic chain stitch: the single crochet.
Before I start, just a reminder that I will be using US crochet terms in this blog. So if you are elsewhere in the world, the terminology might be a little bit different, and that’s ok too. I will also be using right handed stitches, so you may have to reverse things if you are a lefty.
Let’s start off with making a chain of about 10 stitches. We aren’t making anything in particular, so the chain length is totally up to you. We’re just going to be practicing our new stitch.
Pick a chain that is 3 or 4 stitches away from the hook. Insert your hook in the chain from left to right, picking up those two top parts of the stitch like we talked about when working into the chain. Push them up onto the body of your hook a bit, and then yarn over the hook, closer to where the hook part actually is. Catch that yarn over in the hook, and slide it through the two strands you picked up from working into the chain. You should have two loops on your hook now.
Next, yarn over again, and catch that strand in the hook part. Slide through the two loops that were previously on your hook, so that you are left with only one loop again.
That’s it! You’ve done a single crochet stitch! Try a couple more in the remaining chain stitches to get the hang of it. It’s normal for it to be tight towards the end of the chain, but do your best. You can pull out your stitches and try again if you aren’t happy with them, after all practice helps you get better.
I’m so proud of you for making it through this first “real” crochet stitch! Was it as hard as you thought it might be? This is a stitch that is used a lot in things like amigurumi, so if that’s your interest you will want to get it down pat.