the basics: rolling yarn into a ball

When you think of yarn, you usually picture it rolled up into a ball. But if you've ever been down the yarn aisle at a craft store, you'll notice that the yarn is surprisingly not rolled into balls. Instead the yarn comes in skeins or hanks. This is how the yarn is divided up and wound at the factories where the yarn is produced, and then shipped out to get to us.

My dad has told me several "horror" stories from when he was a child; his mom would make him roll her yarn into balls and it would take him hours, so now he is "scarred for life" and won't touch another piece of yarn again. I personally can't wait till Kenendy is old enough to do this for me, Tyler tried it once but couldn't catch on ;)

Although it does take up a decent chunk of time, my dad may be a little dramatic, because as a crocheter it is well worth it to roll your skeins of yarn into balls. 

When I first started crocheting I didn't know why I was taking the time to do this until, on several occasions, I would come across "bad yarn" or knots inside of the skeins. By rolling my yarn into a ball I was able to make sure I wouldn't run into any of these problems in the middle of a project and have to either start all over or cut it off and re attach my yarn. 

Before you begin a project set aside some time to get each of your skeins rolled into balls, I usually do this while watching a TV show, or on the floor watching Kennedy play. It may seem like it takes forever, especially the first few times you do it, but once you get a hang of it you will get used to it and it will wind up quick. 

Find the "tail" (loose end) of your yarn skein.

Begin to wind it a few times around three fingers.

Slip it off of your fingers and begin to wrap the yarn the opposite way creating a tiny ball.

Keep wrapping the yarn around your tiny ball, turning it here and there to evenly distribute the yarn and as you do so it will get bigger and bigger until you have used all of the yarn in your skein and you have yourself a big ball of yarn!

Now you are ready to learn how to make a starting chain!

the basics: where to begin

I have received several requests by friends and family members asking me to teach them to crochet. For a few years now I've been wanting to do detailed tutorials for everyone but I just haven't found the time.

Most people who want to learn to crochet start by picking a pattern and try and learn from there, but that can get really complicated. I would definitely recommend taking the time to slowly learn the process and everything that you need, especially if you are wanting to start a serious crochet journey.

Its great to have a project in mind that you would like to make, but if you take the time to learn the fundamentals and all of the basic stitches in the beginning, you will be glad that you did. 

For this tutorial, I will explain everything that you need in order to begin your crochet journey in detail so that you know everything that you will need. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will post several other tutorials until I have covered everything. Along the way of your journey, if you have any questions or specific things you want covered I would love to hear from you.

Here we go!

Lets begin with everything that you will need along the way. 

Here is  a list of everything you will need to purchase and have on hand. Below, you will find descriptions of everything and why you need them.

SUPPLIES:

-scissors 

-crochet hooks

-yarn

-tapestry needle

-stitch marker

Lets begin with the yarn.

My favorite yarn for all basic crochet projects is I Love This Yarn by Hobby Lobby. Not only is it always super soft, but it is always durable and I have never once had a problem with it. 

For all basic crochet patterns you will normally use 100% Acrylic 4ply medium yarn, like this.

There will be some projects that require a different type of yarn whether it be thinner for small baby booties or chunkier for thick scarves, always make sure to check your pattern first to make sure you purchase the correct yarn in order for it to turn out right.

Now, lets talk about the hooks.

Every crochet project will require a different size hook, and although at first it may not seem like it really matters if your hook is just .5mm off of what you need, I promise this DOES matter! I know from experience ;)

If you are just wanting to know how to crochet one thing and you don't plan on doing any other projects you can just go purchase the size hook that you need, but, I promise it will become extremely addicting and you will want to do more! So….instead of purchasing one hook for the one project, I highly recommend purchasing a set of hooks with all of the sizes. 

I got THIS set at Hobby Lobby and it came with all of the basic hook sizes that you could possibly need at first. Of course it doesn't come with every size on this earth, but you can always go purchase those when you come across a project that needs it. 

The best part about this set is that it is only $14.99 and DONT FORGET to use your 40% off coupon that is always in the ad or simply on the mobile Hobby Lobby site. Just search Hobby Lobby coupon in google and it will pop right up. I can't even begin to tell you how it bugs me when people don't use their coupon ;)

Now that you have your yarn and hooks, you should be set, right? Nope! Don't forget these:

First things first, a good pair of scissors. This may not seem very important but if you are wanting to become  a serious crocheter, it is! I bought a pair of good scissors in the fabric section and have had them for years and they are still as sharp as they were when I bought them, as long as you use them to but your yarn and ONLY your yarn. 

Don't buy a pari and use them for everything, make sure they are designated for your yarn so that they always give you a quick, sharp, perfect cut that won't fray your yarn. I promise, you do not want to fray your yarn with crappy scissors!

Next up would be a stitch marker. This is pictured in the middle next to the scissors. What the heck is a stitch marker you ask? Well it is exactly what its called, it marks your stitches for you. You will not need this for every project, in face the only time I have ever used mine is for complicated projects like little baby booties where you MUST make sure you count every stitch, and that is where this comes in handy. 

You can find this in the same aisle as the crochet hooks and there are several to choose from but it really doesn't matter which one you choose. If you need one, but don't have one and can't get to the store you can use a bobby pin or a paper clip and they do work fine, but I just find these stitch markers to be easier to take on and off of your yarn.

And last, but not least, one of the MOST IMPORTANT things you could possibly need for any project…a tapestry needle! These come in metal or plastic and it doesn't matter which one you get, I just prefer the metal because I can't count how many plastic ones my dog has stollen from me, so with the metal, he can't chew it!

Why is this so important? Because this is how you will finish off all of your work! When you are done with any project you will have little ends of yarn sticking out and it is EXTREMELY important that you do not just cut those, because then eventually your whole project will come unravelled and that would not be very fun!

Now you are ready to begin! Lets start with how to roll your yarn skein into a ball.

Now that you know everything you need in order to begin your crochet journey its time to head out and  get everything! Coming soon, I will have detailed tutorials on everything you need to know, including:

-how to roll a ball of yarn and why you need to do this

-how to make a foundation chain 

-all of the basic crochet stitches

-how to count your stitches

-how to finish a crochet project