Woof and welcome! Olive the dog here.
 Today I’m going to tell you about the beginner skills you need to crochet. At first I found them really HARD. Many times I just wanted to take my early stitches out into the garden and bury them. But then I learnt! So the first thing I want to tell you is have PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE and then you will succeed.

1. How do you hold the hook and yarn?

Because I’m a dog, and I’m missing a toe as well, my way of holding the hook and yarn is a bit unique. So rather than showing you myself, I decided to research how humans do it. All the resources I’ve linked to below will show you ways to do this. If none of these ways are good for you, go to youtube and find some more to try. The important thing is learning to control the yarn tension with one hand and the hook with the other. It takes some practice, but this is the hardest part of crocheting.

• About.com http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/ss/how-to-hold-a-crochet-hook.htm
• Crochet Guru http://www.crochetguru.com/hold-a-crochet-hook.html and http://www.crochetguru.com/hold-yarn-for-crochet.html
• Crochet Crowd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HczpDBtZjBY&list=PL69F5A7FE3F95232F&index=2
• Crochet Guild of America http://www.crochet.org/?page=RightHandBasics

2. What is a slip knot and how do you make them?

Well, the first stitch you make when crocheting is a slip knot, without it you can’t make the others. Strangely enough it is never included in the pattern. For the ins and outs of it check any of the resources below.

• com http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/ss/Crochet_Slip_Knot.htm
• Crochet Guru http://www.crochetguru.com/crochet-slip-knot.html
• Crochet Crowd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HczpDBtZjBY&list=PL69F5A7FE3F95232F&index=2
• Crochet Guild of America http://www.crochet.org/?page=RightHandBasics

3. How do I make the stitches?

The stitches can all be found on our BEGINNER STITCH GUIDE but you don’t need to learn them all at once. You can’t make anything without knowing chain stitch, so that is where you’ll start. Single crochet and double crochet are the next most popular – the best guide is to look at your pattern and learn the stitches it requires first… aim for one that doesn’t have too many to start and you’ll be fine.

4. What should I do if I make a mistake?

Well this is really very easy. If you make a mistake just take your hook out of the loop and pull the yarn attached to the ball and unravel your work. When you’ve removed the offending part, put your hook in the loop again and crochet some more. We all have to do it it’s nothing to get upset over.

5. How do I keep it from unravelling when I take a break?
   

Sometimes I get so excited when my people come home that I rush to the door with my crochet work in my mouth to show them and I forget that the ball is still on the other side of the room and all the stitches start unravelling… It’s very FRUSTRATION.

However, if I put a safety pin into the loop of my work when I finish working it saves the work from unravelling. I suggest you do the same.

6. How do I finish off?

When you have finished making your project, or the pattern tells you to, you can finish off by cutting the yarn and pulling the end through the loop until the loop shrinks into a knot. After this you sew the end into the fabric with a tapestry or wool needle. If you aren’t good at threading needles … or you have old eyes like mine, you can get a needle threader to help you… they make a big difference for me at least.

Well that is all the woof… I mean help I have to offer at this stage. You’ll go well I’m sure.

Until next time, WOOF

OLIVE