How to Crochet

By Allison Metschke 

Learning to crochet takes time and patience.

“Getting started is the most difficult thing. When you’re first trying to get the hand motions right it’s a little bit awkward,” says Karina Scott, a 3-year member of the Ames High Fiber Club. She’s talking about the learning process of crocheting. For the average beginner, the most difficult part is when you start learning. Many people find themselves struggling with the hook and yarn, and give up. Don’t be discouraged! The key to learning how to crochet is to practice as much as you can. She advises that you need to “get into it” and work past that learning curve, and adds that “Once you get it down it’s the same thing over and over.” 

Scott shares that the ability to crochet is well worth the steep learning curve. There are a lot of things to learn, and a big thing that many beginners struggle with is the tension of the yarn.“A lot of time when beginners first start they’ll have a lot of really tight stitches and a lot of really loose stitches, and then that’ll make their end result really uneven.” says Scott. Learning to have even tension is vital to crocheting. It comes down to practice, and how much of it you get. Remember to focus on tension while practicing. She recommends beginners start with granny squares because they are versatile and simple to make. 

Once you get past the initial learning stage, crocheting can be very rewarding. Many benefits can be found from crocheting. “If you ever need to de-stress, this can really help,” says Scott. “It’s really easy to do once you get the hang of it. You don’t even have to look at it.” “It makes me feel more productive rather than just sitting there,” Scott adds that crocheting can provide mental health benefits, and enjoys that she can see the product of her work. “You can be like I made that, that’s cool,” she says. 

Not only can crochet boost your mood, but it won’t empty your wallet either. The only supplies you need are yarn and a crochet hook, and anyone learning how to crochet doesn’t need lessons or professional classes. Scott herself is mostly self-taught. She learned the basics from a friend and used YouTube and Pinterest to teach herself the rest. “Mainly Pinterest. Pinterest has a lot of good stuff.”, says Scott. The internet is a fantastic place to find many patterns and resources. 

Scott finishes with one final piece of advice. “Don’t jump into something super complicated as soon as you start.” “You’re going to get frustrated and give up. Start with simple things.” A beginner’s first project should not be a massive blanket or a complicated sweater. Start with a realistic project and work your way up from there. Crocheting can become a fun and productive hobby to do in your downtime. Don’t be discouraged if your project doesn’t turn out the way you hoped. Developing new skills takes time and practice. 

What High School is like in 2023

There have been times that I’ve felt what I was learning was pointless. I wanted to go into a STEM field, what in the world was I doing in a history class? The truth of the matter though, was that those English and history classes taught me more than what was just on the syllabus. By sitting through that yawn-inducing lecture and studying hours of notes I learned an important lesson. 

Buckling down and getting my work done, as my dad would put it. This was so difficult for me because previous to high school, I never really had to try. In elementary and middle school I was considered gifted, and I never had to try to get above the other students. Later on, being gifted really kicked me in the butt.

When I hit high school I found that I wasn’t flying through lessons with ease. Suddenly, I wasn’t doing better than everyone else. I had been an advanced student as a child, but now I was at the same level as everyone else. The difference between me and them though, was that I didn’t know how to try. I had to teach myself how to study and take notes, keep my attention in class, and not give up when I didn’t understand a topic. This is where the history and English classes became so vital. I didn’t enjoy the material much and I struggled with getting my work done in those classes. Because of this, my grades dropped. At some point, I realized I had two options. I could not try, and end up getting bad grades, or I could start putting in the effort and be rewarded for it. So, I decided to buckle down and learn how to be a good student. Sure, it was difficult, but it was so worth it. I would say in my 3 years in high school, learning how to try when it’s the last thing I wanted to do has been one of the most valuable skills I’ve learned.
I’m encouraging anyone who’s reading this to take the more difficult road. Do the things that you may not want to do, even if you’re scared, or it seems like a lot of work. Do the things you don’t want to do because you don’t want to do them. Take advantage of every opportunity you’re given because it’s so worth it. Join your school’s sports team. Sign up for that volunteer spot. Start that club. Do whatever you can because, in the end, this is the life you’ve been given. You can choose to do nothing or make the most out of something.