If you’re completely new to crochet, one of the first things to get comfortable with is simply how to hold everything.
Before worrying about stitches, patterns or making the perfect granny square, it helps to get used to holding your crochet hook and controlling the yarn. It can feel a little awkward at first, but that’s completely normal. Your hands are learning something new.
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There isn’t one single “correct” way to hold a crochet hook.
Some people hold it a little like a pencil, while others prefer more of a knife grip. The most important thing is that your hand feels relaxed and you can move the hook easily.
Try not to grip the hook too tightly. A death grip may make you feel very industrious, but unfortunately your crochet will not be impressed.
Hold the hook firmly enough to control it, but loosely enough that your wrist and fingers can move comfortably.
How to hold the yarn
Your other hand controls the yarn and helps maintain the tension.
In the video, the yarn is guided over the fingers and under the ring finger. This gives you a steady strand of yarn for the hook to work with while allowing the yarn to feed through naturally.
You don’t need to pull the yarn tight. The aim is simply to create enough gentle resistance that your stitches stay fairly even.
Everyone develops their own way of holding their yarn over time, so don’t worry if your fingers don’t sit exactly the same way as someone else’s.
Finding the right tension
One of the trickiest things for beginners is tension.
If you hold the yarn too tightly, it can become difficult to get your hook through your stitches. If you hold it too loosely, your stitches may become very large and uneven.
At this stage, don’t aim for perfection.
The more you crochet, the more naturally your hands begin to control the yarn. Eventually you won’t even think about it.
Give your hands time to learn
Crochet involves both hands doing different jobs at the same time, so it can initially feel a little like asking your fingers to perform administrative duties without adequate training.
Practise holding the hook and yarn for a few minutes before moving on to your first stitches.
Once the position begins to feel comfortable, you’ll be ready to start building your granny square.
Watch the tutorial
In our beginner crochet video, we show you exactly how to hold your hook and yarn before starting your granny square.
It’s a simple first step, but getting comfortable with these basics will make learning your first crochet stitches much easier..
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Stylecraft Special DK
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Knit Pro Wave Crochet Hooks
Price range: €3.50 through €6.50 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
