If you are a beginner crocheter you are probably wondering what supplies you need to get started on your crochet journey, so here are 6 essential crochet supplies for beginners.
When you are starting out learning how to crochet it’s important for every crocheter to have the correct supplies, so you can have more fun learning than worrying about what you actually need to get started. This will make the whole process a lot easier for you as there are some crochet supplies that can wait until later to purchase.
In this blog post you will find:
- The 6 essential crochet supplies
- Extra crochet supplies
- My personal recommendations to make it easier
If you are a complete beginner or even a more experienced crocheter you will find this list of crochet supplies helpful to have so here are the 6 essential crochet supplies for beginners:
Crochet Hooks
Choosing the right crochet hooks as a beginner can be a bit of a hit and miss as you’re probably not really not sure what you are looking for. There are so many different options out there and they also come in a lot of different sizes, shapes and materials which all have their own pros and cons so let’s delve in deeper.
Sizes
Crochet hooks come in a large range of sizes and the best way to decide what size hook you need is either by looking at the yarn label that you are about to use. This will always state what size hook they recommend with that particular yarn or if you are about to follow a crochet pattern look at what the designer has recommended you use.
Here’s some popular hook sizes that are used:
- 3mm – Fingering yarn/4ply
- 4mm – DK
- 5mm – Aran/Worsted
- 6mm – Chunky/Bulky
- 9mm – Super Chunky/Super Bulky
Materials
There are lots of different materials for crochet hooks like plastic, bamboo, aluminium, wood and steel. Each of these have pros and cons and everyone prefers different for example, plastic crochet hooks are a popular choice with beginner crocheters as they are light weight and very easy to use, but too much pressure can end up snapping them so they aren’t very durable in the long run.
Some aluminium crochet hooks can be squeaky and some wooden hooks can split the yarn so I would suggest trying a few different types of crochet hooks to see which you prefer and that you can work with easily.
Shape
There are two different main shapes for crochet hooks, one being inline and the other one being tapered.
An inline crochet hook has a sharper pointy lip on the head where you grab the yarn and I would say these are less beginner friendly as it can be harder to pick up the yarn, whereas a tapered crochet hook is more smoother and the yarn runs smoother through it but again this comes down to what you feel comfortable using and what is easiest for you to use so I wouldn’t worry too much on the shape of your crochet hook when choosing one.
Best Crochet Hook For Beginners?
For a beginner crocheter I would recommend a Clover crochet hook as they are really smooth to work with, lightweight and very beginner friendly. These are the ones that I regularly use and would recommend to anyone whether you are a beginner or a more experienced crocheter.
Best Crochet Hook Size For Beginners?
If you are just starting out crocheting I would recommend a H/5mm crochet hook with an aran yarn, the hook in this size will be nice to handle and the yarn will be easy to use also in this weight.
How Many Crochet Hooks Do I Need?
When you are starting out I would choose just one that corresponds with the yarn that you are using so you can learn to crochet or you can practice your crochet stitches. Once you start getting better and more confident in crocheting you will then be able to buy more yarn and more hooks and follow crochet patterns.
Yarn
There are so many different yarns to choose from, some are easy to work with like acrylic or merino and then there are some that look incredible but are more difficult like velvet yarn as it’s hard to see the stitches. So when it comes down to choosing your yarn it can feel a bit overwhelming as you have to choose from a variety of weights, fiber content and textures and colors. Let’s look into it a bit further.
Yarn Weight
There a few different types of yarn weights:
- Lace
- DK
- Aran/Worsted
- Chunky/Bulky
- Super Chunky/Super Bulky
- Jumbo
For a beginner crocheter I would recommend choosing an aran weight yarn or even a chunky yarn, you will be able to see the stitches more clearly with these unlike thinner yarns but remember to look at the yarn label for the hook size recommendation.
Fiber Content
Again there’s a few different choices to choose from like acrylic, cotton, wool and silk. Most beginners edge towards acrylic yarn as it’s cheap to buy and easy to use and it is a good choice when learning to crochet. Cotton yarns are harder to work with and more often than not they split making it more difficult to work with.
Texture
There’s lots of different textures to choose from so stay with something simple whilst you are learning or practicing like acrylic yarn or merino wool and stay away from anything that is fluffy, silky or bumpy, as your crochet skills get better you will be able to choose different textures to work with.
Color
With many different color types to choose from like solid, multi color and self striping, as a beginner for the moment stick with a solid color and a color that isn’t dark like black, gray or navy as this will make it harder to see the stitches,
Best Yarn For Beginners?
Stick with an aran yarn like Lion Brand Vanilla’s Choice or a chunky yarn like Lion Brand Hue & Me – Both of these are easy to use, beginner friendly yarns and inexpensive.
How Many Different Yarns Do I Need?
If you are just starting out I would recommend only buying one easy yarn to work with and get used to working with that yarn because if you keep swapping and changing you wont get used to what you’re working with and it will take longer to improve your new skills.
Tape Measure
A tape measure is an essential crochet tool as you will need one of these to measure your gauge swatches if you are following a crochet pattern and the width and length of your crochet projects to make sure it’s coming out at the correct size. For a crocheter I would recommend using an easy retractable tape measure as they are small and easy to use and they don’t take up much room especially if you plan to take your crochet out and about.
Yarn Needle
A yarn needle is a must for all crocheters as these are used to weave in your ends of yarn which gives your crochet project a finished look, you may have heard a yarn needle also be called a darning needle or a tapestry needle.
These needles have an eye hole where you thread your yarn though and a blunt end (straight or curved) which makes it easy for you to weave in your yarn ends or to sew pieces together, you can get metal ones and plastic ones and the eye hole can come in different sizes so use one where you can easily get your yarn through, for example with thicker yarn you would need to use a yarn needle with a bigger eye hole.
Best thing to do is to buy a pack of needles that has different sizes and then you can easily choose the right one.
Scissors
Having scissors with you is a must for any crocheter as these will be used to cut off yarn ends or to trim any unwanted yarn bits off your crochet projects so they come in very useful.
You will need to find a pair of good sharp small scissors that can easily fit into your crochet bag, these pastel scissors and these fancy scissors look great and they have great reviews too!
Stitch Markers
Stitch markers are used to help you mark your stitches for example you can use them to mark the beginning of a round or at the beginning or end of a row if you are working flat, they are also great to use to keep track of increases and decreases in your work.
You will find stitch markers come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and materials but not all are suitable for crocheting, either go for split ring stitch markers or locking stitch markers and stay away from the closed stitch markers like O rings as they are suitable for knitting needles only.
Extra Crochet Supplies You May Like
Once you have all your 6 essential crochet supplies from above, you may want to add some extras to your basket to treat yourself, here are some recommendations for you to try:
Notepad and Pen
A notepad and a pen are great way of taking any notes whilst you’re a beginner crocheter as you can write down reminders and any notes that will help you on your crochet journey.
Crochet Bag
Most project bags are aimed at knitters (like the picture above) but i found this one where there’s actually space to put your crochet hooks and there’s plenty of room inside to keep everything all in one place especially if you have a few different projects going on at once.
Crochet Hook Case
If you’re not quite ready to go all out on a project bag just yet, you will still need somewhere to store your crochet hooks, needles, tape measure etc so i have found this really cute one to store your important crochet supplies.
Yarn Bowl
Yarn bowls are actually really handy to have, you put your yarn in to the yarn bowl and slide your yarn through the swirl and then start crocheting.
This now keeps your yarn from going everywhere like the floor and couch etc, you can easily put the yarn bowl on the table and it will stay put so very handy to have.
You can get a few different ones, I really like this wooden one and this ceramic one, there are a few different shapes and sizes available but essentially they all do the same thing.
Stitch Book
Once you have learned to crochet you may want to get a stitch book to help you learn some new stitches that you can practice, this is a really good way of expanding your crochet skills.
Row Counter
Row counters are a great way of keeping track of what row you are on especially if you are new to crochet as it can be hard to count the rows or rounds if you don’t know how. Having a row counter can eliminate any stress with this, you can get a few different ones like ones that can go on your finger or ones that you wear as a watch but the best one i have found is ones that you just manually click like this one, it’s only small but it does the job.
Blocking Mats and Pins
Blocking mats and pins come in so handy as they are used to block crochet projects. Sometimes you need to block crochet projects to open up lacy crochet stitches or to get straight edges and it will give your project a really nice neat finish once dry. You can get really expensive ones but I personally use normal foam ones and they do the job perfectly.
What’s Next?
Now you are ready to begin your crochet journey with the 6 essential crochet supplies for beginners list above and some added extra crochet supplies to help you along.
Happy Crocheting!
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