Tulip's Amazing Crochet 101 (pics coming soon)

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Hey guys! as per request here is my very first crochet tutorial! YAY!
I dont have the pictures up yet, but they will be shortly (as soon as i acquire some batteries for my camera)


Tools of the trade:
To begin you will need a crochet hook and some yarn.
I recommend a G hook to begin with, it’s a large enough gauge so that you can see what you are doing. You’ll need to have more hooks for other patterns. I’ll let you know what use as we get to it.

I also recommend standard worsted weight yarn (like red heart super saver) preferably in a light color. Always make sure that you buy enough yarn for your whole project together so that you can make sure that the colors match. (One skein will make a shorter thick scarf or a long skinny scarf) (Photo 1)

Common Abreviations:
YO: Yarn over
St: stitch
Ch: chain
Sc: Single crochet
Sl: Slip Stitch.
Dbl: Double crochet
Hdc: half double crochet

Okay class, take your seats! Today I’ll be teaching you to make a scarf, a hat, a hackey sack and an amigirumi dragon! So, pull out your hook and your yarn and lets get started.  

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Making the Chain

Most crochet projects begin with the chain. First thing you need to learn how to do is to make one. So! Tie your yarn onto your hook, use a simple knot to do so (slip knots work better but I personally have never been able to make one) (Photo 2)

(I teach right handed because I am right handed if you’re a south paw it’s the same just mirrored)

Hold the hook loosly in your right hand. Get used to how the weight and balance of it are. Hold it on the flat part of the handle much the same way as you hold a pencil (Photo 3) Make sure that your loop is near the hook end.
Gently grasp the yarn in your left hand and YO the hook (Photo 4)
Pull the yarn through your loop. (Photo 5)
There should now be one loop on your hook and one loop hanging below it.
Repeat, YO hook, pull through loop.
Congrats! You’ve learned to chain! Keep practicing with this, chain as much as you want. I usually recommend your first sit down crochet experience be nothing but making chains. You’ll learn how you feel most comfortable holding the yarn and needle and save yourself much frustration.

So, now you have a long chain of yarn and you feel pretty comfortable.

Undoing the chain:

Remove your hook from your chain.
Hold your chain by the first loop and gently pull on the yarn, it should unravel easily
(photo 6 and 7)

Important things to remember:
There is nothing that you can do in these beginning stages that cant be undone. Simply unravel what has been made and redo it. Crocheting is largely a trial and error experience.  

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Working Into the chain/ Making the single crochet Scarf.

The best way to learn to crochet is to do it! So, let’s start simple, we’ll make a scarf. A scarf can be as thin or thick as you want it to be based on how many chains you make. Chain until you feel as though you have a thickness you like. Remember to chain loosely. Working into the chain is a big pain in the butt if you chain too tightly. (Photo 8 )

Chain one more (trust me). Now, carefully examine your chain. On one side there are a bunch of single ridges that look some what like vertebrae. On the other there are what look like V’s. (Photos 9 and 10 )

You want to have the V side up. Now, working into the chain is one of the hardest things about crocheting. It takes some getting used to. If it’s terribly difficult you’ve probably chained too tightly, take it out and do it again, but this time much more loosely.

Take your hook and put it through second Stitch (between the v and the bump) This is why I had you chain one more than you originally intended. (Photo 11)
YO and pull through just the V (Photo 12)
You should now have two loops on your hook.
YO and pull through both loops (Photo 13)
This is called a Single Crochet (SC)

SC all the way across. (Photo 14)
When you get to the end, Ch 1 turn your project and work into each st the exact same way (Photo 14 and photo 15)

Remember: Always chain up ONE at the end of each row or else your scarf will start to get skinnier in the middle.

Once your scarf has reached the desired length you’ll need to finish it off. After your last St make a slip stitch into the same St. This is done by putting your needle through the stitch, YO, and pulling the yarn through all the loops at once, leaving you with only one loop on your hook. (Photo 16 and photo 17). Now, simply trim the yarn, tie it off and weave in the end (Photo 18 )

How to make ridiculously easy tassels/fringe.

Count how many stitches across your scarf is wide. Cut double that number of four inch long pieces of yarn. (30 st across X 2 = 60 pieces of yarn).

Fold the piece in half. Stick your hook through the bottom stitch (photo 19)
Pull the Piece through the St. (photo 20)
Pull the ends through the loop (photo 21)
Repeat across both ends of the scarf.

TA DA! You’ve created your first scarf. (Phtoto 22)  

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Double Crochet/ Changing Colors/ Working in the round (style 1)

Hat Pattern  

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Working in the round (style 2)

Hackey sack  

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Reading Patterns/ Introduction to Amigirumi

Dragon Pattern  

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Trouble Shooting, Q and A, etc...

Also, once I have everything up, I would LOVE your feedback. I'm laying out a "how to crochet" book and really want some input as to what works and what dosent. Also, requests for patterns/tutorials, things that would make you want to buy a crochet book.