Easy Crochet Patterns for Beginners

Learn it first

If you have never held a hook, learn the basics first and the patterns below will make sense straight away. How to crochet: a beginner's guide.

Easy crochet projects for a brand new hook

If you have just learned to hold a hook, this is the right shelf to be browsing. Everything here is chosen because it uses a handful of basic stitches, has a short row or round repeat you can memorise, and finishes soon enough that you keep your enthusiasm. Expect dishcloths and face scrubbies, coasters, bookmarks, headbands and ear warmers, scarves and cowls, simple hats, granny squares and squares-based blankets, market bags, storage baskets, bunting, plant hangers and small amigurumi. There are also a few gentle first garments: rectangle-based tops, simple shrugs and unshaped cardigans built from two panels.

What to buy before you start

• A 4mm and a 5mm hook. An ergonomic handle is worth the small extra cost if your hands ache.
• Smooth DK or Aran yarn in a pale, solid colour. Dark, fluffy or variegated yarn hides your stitches and makes learning much harder than it needs to be.
• Cotton DK if your first project is a dishcloth or coaster; it shows stitches clearly and does not split.
• Stitch markers (or a scrap of contrasting yarn) to mark the first stitch of each round.
• A blunt tapestry needle and small scissors for weaving in ends.

The stitches that unlock almost everything

Five things will carry you through nearly every pattern on this page: the slip knot and chain, the slip stitch, double crochet, half treble and treble, plus the turning chain that lifts you to the height of the next row. Learn them in UK terms and note that American patterns use the same names one step down, so a US single crochet is a UK double crochet. Once those feel automatic, add increases and decreases (two stitches into one, and two worked together), working into the back loop only for a ribbed effect, and working in the round from a magic ring. That is genuinely the whole toolkit for hats, baskets and blankets.

Fixing the problems every beginner has

Two things go wrong almost universally. The first is the widening triangle, where your rectangle grows a stitch at each end: it happens when you accidentally work into the turning chain, or work twice into the last stitch. The cure is to count your stitches at the end of every single row and write the number down. The second is tension so tight your hook barely fits into the stitch. Sit with your shoulders down, hold the yarn loosely over your finger rather than gripping it, and go up a hook size for a few rows; it will loosen naturally with practice. Frogging back and starting again is normal, not failure.

Choosing a first project by how long you have

An evening gets you a coaster set, a bookmark, a headband or a small basket. A weekend gets you a beanie, a cowl, a market bag or a bundle of granny squares. A couple of weeks gets you a scarf or a small blanket, and a month gets you a simple garment. Blankets made from repeated squares are a particularly good beginner choice because each square is a self-contained project you can finish in front of the television, and joining them at the end teaches you a new skill just when you need one. Quick gifts are where beginner crochet really earns its keep: a set of cotton washcloths tied with ribbon looks generous and costs one ball.

Using the PDF patterns

Add a pattern to your library and the PDF is yours to download and print whenever you like. Read the whole thing before you start, especially the tension note and the abbreviations list, and check whether it is written in UK or US terms. Do work the tension square, even for a scarf; it takes twenty minutes and tells you whether your fabric will come out the size the designer intended. When you are ready for more, browse the wider free crochet patterns, try a first sweater from the crochet jumper patterns, or make a quick pair of mitts from the gloves and mittens range.

Common questions

What are the easiest things to crochet first? A cotton dishcloth or a coaster. Both are flat, small, forgiving and immediately useful, and they teach you to keep a straight edge.

What are good quick crochet gifts? Coasters, bookmarks, headbands, small baskets and lavender hearts all finish fast and look smart wrapped.

How long before I can crochet a jumper? Most people are ready after two or three small projects, perhaps six to eight weeks of occasional crocheting. Start with a rectangle-based design rather than a fitted one.

Should I learn UK or US terms? Learn UK terms first if you are in Britain, but get comfortable with the conversion; many of the best free patterns online are written American.