The Most Complete Crochet Course for Beginners: Learn All the Basics

1. Introduction: Learning how to crochet is a truly invigorating activity. The feeling of making something with your own hands for yourself or to offer to those you love is incomparable. My name is Emilie, and as you can hear I'm a French Canadian from Quebec, and crochet is my passion. I like to design modern patterns that are easy and pleasant to make. I'm the girl behind Crochetmilie brand, which started thanks to the Etsy platform in 2015, and I'm so happy to finally share my knowledge with you thanks to this course. It was at the age of eight that I discovered the pleasure of crocheting, and I never thought I'll be able to make a living with my passion. Thank you. 21st Century Internet. In this class, you will learn the basic skills You'll need to crochet anything you want, whether you're left or right-handed. Oops. We will start with the theory very quickly, then how to hold the hook and the yarn, the different stitches and techniques of crochet, the finishing of a project, and at the end, you will learn how to read a pattern so that you'll be ready to go it on your own because there is a whole world of crochet waiting for you. What makes this course unique and successful is at the end of each lesson, a quick project will be proposed to let you practice immediately what you have just learned, and you're going to be amazed by your new skill after only one lesson. I promise you, when you're done, not only will you be comfortable crocheting whatever you want, but you'll notice all the positive effects on your mental balance and your stress, and given that the equipment is easy to bring with you. All the waiting moments will turn into relaxing moments. Are you ready? Let's start this crochet journey. Have fun and get hooked. 2. THE BASICS - Hooks & Yarns: Let's start with the basics to know the difference between each yarn and hooks. Here are some types of crochet hooks that exist. The most common and least expensive one that you can find in any craft stores is the one made of aluminum or plastic. There are also bamboo hooks. Personally, I don't recommend them. They tend to get cut in the yarn. There are also ergonomic hooks made in China, which you can easily find either in stores or online. They do have a good price quality ratio. But if you'd like your crocheting experience to be as enjoyable as possible, I recommend the ones from the clover brand, which are superior in terms of quality, and they are made in Japan. I haven't tried all the brands on the market, but I've been using these for over 15 years, and they're super comfortable. The yarn glides smoothly, and above all, their ergonomic handles prevent our wrists from getting tired after long hours of crocheting. As you can see, there is a wide range of hook sizes, which are identified in millimeters, and sometimes a letter is associated with. In a minute, we'll see what these sizes are used for. There is a huge variety of yarn on the market, so I won't cover everything that exists, but I will talk to you about the three main types of yarns you can find. There are those made of natural fibers. It can be cotton, wool, bamboo, linen, anything that is made with something natural. There are synthetic fibers, often made from acrylic, polyester or nylon. These are the ones you see most often in large craft stores, which generally offer better value for the cust. There are fibers that are blended, often with a percentage of wool and acrylic, cotton, nylon, et cetera. Over time, you'll know which material you prefer to work with. It all depends on your project and the texture you want to give. Now let's look at the different thicknesses of yarn available. You'll see these numbers printed on each yarn label, ranging 0-7 from super fine to super thick. And you should know that within the same category, the thickness can still vary slightly. Here's an example of the information you'll find on a label. You'll find the weight of the skin and its total length if you unroll it. The thickness logo, we just saw there is also often a suggestion of which hook to use, but honestly, it's not a rule. I often see that it doesn't make sense. So you should see it more as a guideline. Next, you have the yarn composition, care instructions, and where it comes from. You can use different hook sizes for the same yarn. Fine yarns should be crocheted with smaller hook sizes, and thicker yarns should be crocheted with larger hooks. The choice will depend on the desired effect if you want your project to be more or less tight. You can see the difference here when I crochet the same thing with the same yarn, but with different hook size. And if a yarn you like isn't thick enough, you always have the option of double it by crocheting with two strengths together. And you could crochet with even smaller hooks and very fine yarn. That reminds us of those little doilies we saw at our grandparents' house. Even though these are masterpieces, I don't recommend starting with this kind of material, so you don't spend the whole year on a single project. Also, avoid this kind of thread, those that are fluffy, the less defined one, and colors that are too dark, which will prevent you from clearly seeing the stitches you're going to make. The ideal way to start learning would be to practice with a thread that doesn't separate that is made of a single strand like tube yarn, made of nylon encased in a self cutting envelope. There are a few brands on the market that offer this kind of yarn, and you can also find them directly on my website. The essentials you'll need for your crusher projects are scissors, a yarn needle, stitch markers, and a measuring tape. In the next ten lessons, I'll be using worsen weight yarn with a four millimeter hook and Super book yarn with a seven millimeter hook. Each lesson will show you how to crochet with both. This way, you'll have the opportunity to experiment with each thickness, and left handed crusheters aren't left out because I've specially designed a version for you that will be right below the right handed videos. You can get the supplies at any good craft stores or choose my How to Crochet box, which includes my favorite crochet hooks, quality yarn, and everything you need to practice each lesson and make all the projects. See you in the next video where you will learn the concept of crochet. 3. The Concept: In this lesson, you will only need your hands and any strand of a good length that you can find at your home. It can be your cell phone charger cord, yarn that your granny gave you, and even dental floss. Clean please! Get your yarn, we start right away! Every crochet project can start by making a slipknot. The easiest way to do it, if you have a very long thread, is to try to make a regular knot, And you will see that the thread will not have time to pass through the loop that you will have made your slipknot. But I will still show you the official method to do it. Cross the yarn so that it forms a loop. Hold the end that is not connected to the skein with one hand. Put your other hand through the loop and grab the yarn you are holding. And pull it to form another loop. Now go get the strand that is attached to the skein. And hold the two ends together while continuing to pull on the loop you have formed. And there you have your slipknot made. You should be able to undo it easily by pulling on both ends. So it's similar to a regular knot, only we will not pass the yarn completely through the loop. I show how to do it here from another angle. Hold the yarn well so that it does not enter the loop and pull simultaneously on the loop as well as on the thread. I'll show you another method by wrapping the loop around 2 fingers and going to get the yarn to form our slipknot. We will now crochet a chain with our fingers. You will be able to pass through the loop and come to get the yarn that is connected to your skein or the longest side of the cord that you have gone to get. And you will repeat the movement. You put your fingers in the loop that's formed and you always go to get the yarn to pass it through it and you continue like this for as long as you want. When you have had enough, you can either keep this masterpiece as a souvenir or simply pull on the strand to undo everything super easily. It's certainly much easier with real yarn, but I'll show you here that with the same technique you can practice with any strand. You can also have fun trying this technique with your family. I left my niece unattended and she was off to go around the world with her chain. You have just learned the concept of crochet. This will replace your fingers, but the principle remains the same, to pull the yarn through the loop. Let's practice with a real hook in the next lesson. 4. The Starting Chain: Before getting into the subject, I wanted to show you how to find a thread in a new skein. The first way is to take the ending thread, which should be obvious. Otherwise, pull on a looser looking thread and the end should appear fairly quickly. The advantage is that this will keep the skein intact until the end, but you'll have to pull on the thread often to make it spin and unwind. The other method is to find the beginning thread, which is inside. Sometimes it sticks out a little, making it easy to find, but often it's well hidden inside. So you'll have to pull out a kind of baby skein to finally find it. The advantage of this method is that the thread is super easy to pull out afterward. The skein will hardly move while you crochet. The inconvenience is that it will leave a gap inside if you don't finish it completely. It won't keep its shape as well as the first method. It's up to you to explore both ways and choose which one you prefer. It's now time to grab your hook. The starting chain is the foundation of every crochet project. It is made up of several chain stitches joined together. You will start by making a slip knot as you learned in the previous video. Now you will insert your hook into the loop and you can tighten the knot around it but not too much. Your hook must be able to slide well inside the loop. Your left hand will come to control the tension of the yarn. You can pass it like this. You open your hand, you wrap the yarn around your little finger, passing through the inside, and then you turn your hand over, and you are going to bring the yarn on your index finger. And with your thumb and middle finger, you are going to come and hold the little knot that you made, like that. You are going to work this way. The index finger will always be in the air to control your tension. I'll show you a second time. You'll see, after about 15 minutes, this movement will become very natural. Once you're well positioned, you can hold your hook in two ways. There is the knife way, or the pencil way. You can test both methods to find out which one you are most comfortable with. We will now make our first chain. The head of the hook facing you, you will pass the hook under the yarn, so you make a movement towards you. You will try to hook the thread on the head of the hook and you will bring it back towards the loop to pull it through it. Your index finger will help you control the tension so as not to tighten the loop. You can make a small rotation movement of the hook downwards so that it can fit well into the loop. And then you twist your hook upwards so that the yarn does not escape. You have made your first chain. Don't worry if it is not as beautiful as mine. Trust me, you will succeed by the end of the video. You should not force the hook to get inside. You see that with my index finger, I control the tension of the yarn well so that it is easy to pass it. When I tilt my index finger a little bit, the loop gets bigger. So it's important that the loop on your hook always has a little bit of slack so that your yarn can pass through it properly. So let's make our second chain stitch. With the hook head facing you, you pass this one under the yarn, and you will catch it by making a small rotation of the head downwards, and you pull it through the loop. You see here, I have a little bit of difficulty because the thread is a little tighter on my index. So I could have brought it a little closer to give myself more play. To do this, you can place your right index finger on the loop of the hook, so as not to lose it. And relax your left hand, pull a little bit, and reposition your fingers. Which will give you a good length of yarn to work. At the same time, you can always bring your thumb and middle finger closer to the hook. They will always hold what you're doing. A mistake to avoid will be passing the hook over the yarn. You see that it doesn't work. You can't put it in the loop. But really the hook towards you. And you're going to catch the thread by passing it under it. This movement is called a yarn over. The yarn goes over the hook. So I'll let you continue a little bit to observe my movements. And I'll show you the common problems in a few moments. So it's very important to facilitate your work to always bring your fingers close to the hook. And you can see it very well here, that I can control the opening of my loop with my index finger, and by pulling the hook up. And if you ever drop your loop, or you've made a chain stitch that you don't really like, it's super easy to undo it by simply pulling on the thread to the next loop. This is one aspect of crochet that I really like. It's so easy to correct a mistake. You just have to put the hook back in with the little braid of the chain facing you. Don't insert the hook behind it, but in front of it. Like that. And you put your hands back and you continue your chain. Let's move on to the problems you might encounter. If you are not able to pass your thread through the loop, it is because your tension is much too tight. So release the thread a little bit from your index finger, pull your hook up so you can see a gap in your loop. I'm showing you here the movement you should do when it's too tight. So I'm releasing the tension, I'm making sure I have a gap to get into my loop. The opposite problem, if your loop is too big, like this, the small braid, your starting chain, will not be very homogeneous. It is important to keep the same tension throughout our chain for a beautiful result. So if this happens to you, you just have to pull on the thread and start again. And the last problem will be too loose tension between your index finger and your hook, which will make your thread almost impossible to catch. You should keep a comfortable length between your index finger and what you are crocheting. Also, it is important to keep your hook above what you are crocheting. Don't go passing your hook under your chain to catch the yarn. Each little chain stitch of your starting chain should be similar. Each chain is made up of two V shaped strands that make a small braid. And that's the right side of the chain. And the back side looks like this. So it's very easy to recognize the right side, the one with the small braid. I'll now teach you how to count each chain stitch. You can use the strands from above to count them. The first one will be just after the loop that is on your hook. And we will count the following strands up to our slip knot. This one does not count as a chain. The last visible strand before the slip knot will be our last chain. The first one you made. You will understand in lesson 2 why we count the stitches in the chain from the hook and not in the order you made them. Now let's try the same technique. But with a super bulky yarn. With the 7 mm hook this time, we will redo a starting chain. Maybe you will find easier to work with this thickness of yarn. You will start in the same way, with a slip knot. And you put your hook inside the loop and tighten the knot on the hook so that it can slide well through the loop. Position the yarn that is connected to the skein on your left hand by wrapping your little finger up. to your index and your thumb and your middle finger will hold the slipknot. Again, you can hold the hook in the pencil way or the knife way. I personally prefer the latter because it puts less strain on the wrist. So with the tip of the hook facing you, you are going to grab the yarn from below, rotate the hook head slightly downward to pass it easily through the loop, and then you turn the hook up. And we continue to chain. You will find that it is much easier with a large hook and a thick yarn to pull through the loop. On the other hand, you will have to adjust your left hand much more often to keep a good tension, given that each stitch will take much more yarn than a worsted weight yarn. Continue practicing your chain stitches. And remember that you can always use your index finger on your right hand to hold the loop on the hook as you adjust your left hand to keep a good tension. When you are completely comfortable, you can increase the speed. And again, if you have difficulty passing the yarn through the loop, it's because your tension is too tight. So release your left index finger, enlarge your loop to pass the thread easily. Aim to have an equal tension between all the stitches of your starting chain. If you see one that is too loose, you can simply undo it and start again. You should, once again, have a nice, even foundation chain. And this is how we should count the chain stitches from your hook. Always looking at the strands that are above. I made 9 in this case. Now let's practice with the first project. 5. The Bracelet - PROJECT: Welcome to your first crochet project. You will need a little bit of worsted weight cotton yarn in the color of your choice, a four millimeter hook, and scissors. Please note that you can use any other yarn to make this little project. We will start our bracelet by making a slip knot. Insert the hook into the loop, place the yarn as you learned on your other hand to keep a good tension. And you are ready to begin your starting chain, which will constitute your bracelet. You will make 100 chains. In a pattern, it will be written chain 100. So this is the perfect project to practice your technique. Try to make each chain look the same for a nice even foundation chain. And if you lose count, don't worry. I'll show you how to know where to stop. When the tension gets too tight from time to time, you can pull on the skein to give yourself some slack. You can pause the video. When you've finished your hundred or so chains, to know if it's the right length, it should be fit three times around your wrist. So you can add or remove some as needed. You can check if your little braid, your chain, is always in the same direction, so that the little V's are always visible on the right side of the chain. You can take the hook out by pulling on the loop, cut the thread, Leaving a good length. And you have two options to secure your thread. The first one is to put your fingers in the loop and go and get the ending thread and pull on it. To be able to finish your knot. The second method will be to simply pull on the loop until the end thread comes out. So that's two ways to secure the end for your project to come undone. You can choose which method you like best. Then, you will make a double knot with both beginning and ending threads to close your bracelet. And if you see that it is still not strong enough, you can make another knot. And that's it! You can cut the excess, leaving just a little length, like this. And you're ready to wrap it around your wrist, making three turns. And there you have it! Your first crochet project is complete. You can be very proud of yourself. Join me in the next lesson, where you will learn how to make single crochet. 6. The Single Crochet - Part 1: Now let's get into the real thing, where you'll learn how to build something using your hook. The concept is that you will work on the starting chain that you have just made by crocheting from right to left. When you reach the end, we will turn our project back on itself to continue working on the stitches that you have just made, and so on. This way of doing is called crocheting in rows. I'll show you how to do this in parts 2 and 3 of this lesson. For now, let's learn how to make a basic stitch, the single crochet. With your 4 mm hook and worsted weight yarn, make a foundation chain of 10 chains. You can pause the video. We will now build on this chain. We will make a single crochet into the second chain from your hook. By bringing your fingers together to hold the chain closer to the hook, you will hold the loop that is on your hook with your right index finger. And you will come to insert the hook into the loop that is upper of your second chain, like that. Then, you will come to catch the thread, make a yarn over by passing it under this one. And you will pass it through the loop of your chain. Pull the hook up so that you can see the two loops clearly, now on your hook. Put your fingers back in order to see clearly what you are doing, and create space in the loops. You will make another yarn over. Always passing the hook under the yarn. And you pull it through the two loops that are on your hook. And as with the chain, you can turn your hook up so as not to lose your loop. It doesn't look like much, but you've just made your first single crochet. Now we're going to make a second one. To know exactly where to make it, you see when I pull on my single crochet? The little strand of the chain moves. So that means we've already entered this one. So the next strand, the next loop, will be this one. The one that's not stretched. And everything will fall back into place at the end. Don't worry if you see that it makes little holes. So you're going to go into this strand. You hold the loop with your index finger, you insert your hook. You can use your middle finger to guide it into the top loop. You're going to make a yarn over. Do not do it by passing your hook over the yarn. That's another method, but really pass the hook under the yarn to get it. And you pass through the chain, you replace your fingers to see your two loops well, and you make another yarn over, and you pull it through the two loops that are on your hook. So there are two steps to the single crochet. Let's look together their anatomy. You see that it creates a small braid on top. And the strand that you see completely to the right, this is the chain that we skipped at the beginning. We sometimes call it the turning chain. You will understand why in the following video. You can place your stitch marker on it. It will help you to find your way in the following rows. We're ready to continue with our single crochet. You can enter the next chain. You see that this one that has a big gap, it's already taken. So it's not in that one, but really in the next one. You enter your hook into the chain, you yarn over, you pass through the chain, you yarn over, and you pull through the two loops that are on your hook. You can continue until the end of your starting chain. If you ever miss a single crochet stitch, skip the chain, or make two in the same chain, you can simply pull the yarn to undo until the next loop that will appear on the braid that your stitches form. Then you will insert your hook from right to left into the loop, And you are ready to start again. Your chain may be very stretched after undoing a single crochet, but you'll see everything falls back into place at the end. I'll let you continue, you can pause the video. We need at the last single crochet to do. So the last single crochet will be in the first chain that you made, the one that is right after your slip knot. So you have just finished row 1 of your little project. You should have 9 single crochet plus your turning chain in row 1. You can tell how many there are by counting the little braids that are on top. Let's take a look at the anatomy of single crochet. When you look at the right side of a single crochet stitch, you can see that each of them forms small Vs. And on these, there are the strands that form the small braid that corresponds to them. If we turn to the other side, we look at the single crochet on the wrong side. You see that it creates small inverted Vs with one strand on top. We call it the posterior loop. So for the next row, we will come work into the two loops of our small braid that is on top. You can put a second stitch marker in the last single crochet that you made. We will continue the next row in the following video. 7. The Single Crochet - Part 2: I showed you in the previous video that you can construct something by crocheting in rows. In this lesson, I'm going to show you two methods that can be applied to any kind of stitches. The first one will give you straight edges on the sides, while the second which is a bit easier will give you undefined edges. After we practice with both methods, I will show you in which situation each of them will be the best choice. By picking up where we left off in the last video, You can replace your fingers, your hook and make a chain. It is used to give height to be able to build our second row. We will therefore always start a row by making one or more chains depending on the stitch used. We will then turn our project on itself by turning it outwards, like this. Do always crochet from right to left. So now, we will crochet row 2 in each of the stitches of row 1, taking the 2 strands, both loops, of the small braid. And in this case, since we're going to use the method with straight edges, our chain will count as a stitch. It will replace a single crochet. So we're going to make our first single crochet in the next stitch, that is the one right after the marker. You can remove the marker, but remember where you have to go. And you enter into the next stitch, which is this one, by entering both loops. And you make your single crochet as usual. Yarn over, you pass through the stitch. Yarn over, you pull through two loops. That's the single crochet you just made. And here you have your turning chain. The one that counts, which means we're going to use it to insert the last single crochet of the next row. You can place your stitch marker on a loop of it, the one that's facing you. We're going to continue row 2 by making single crochet in each of the following stitches, still taking both loops like this. I'll let continue. We'll meet up near the next marker. Pay attention to really go into each of the little braids of each stitch. You can pause the video. Now I have a little braid visible, so I'm going to make my single crochet in both loops of this one. And we're going to finish by making a single crochet in the turning chain. The method to have straight edges requires that we always finish in the turning chain of each row. And it is normal to enter only into one strand of the chain. As when working on a starting chain, we only take one strand of the chain. You can remove your marker, and we will look together at what we have just done. You should normally, as in row 1, have 9 single crochet done, plus your chain, where the marker is. For a straight project, you will absolutely always need the same number of stitches in each row. Unfortunately, we can't cheat this time. If you skip one or make too many, you will have to undo to correct the mistake. That's why, in the beginning, it's important to count the stitches in each row, so we can see if we've made mistakes as quickly as possible. You can put your marker back on the last single crochet that you made. You're going to make a chain. And always turn outwards. And we're going to start our third row. So where is your marker? It's called the same stitch. The last one you made in row two. So we're going to enter the one after, the next stitch. And you make your single crochet. You put the marker back on your chain, which is just before your single crochet. Enter into the loop that faces you. And by the way, you won't always need these little markers. It's really to get you used to recognize your stitches. And you continue by making single crochet in each of the following stitches. We meet just before the next marker. Same as in row 2, we're going to make our last single crochet in the turning chain of row 2. So sometimes you may find it difficult to get into the little strand here. You can use your fingernail if you have one to help the hook to pass through. And you have completed row 3. Let's look at the anatomy together again to understand how to count stitches and rows. So here's the 9 single crochet you made, plus the chain from the beginning. And here's how to recognize the rows. We find row 1, which is just above your foundation chain. Row 2 will be on wrong side, so you will see the shape of the inverted V with the small strand on top. And row 3, we return on the right side, where we can clearly see the small that the single crochet make. Since we turn the project every row, there is not really a right or wrong side. It looks much the same. But generally, the right side will be the side where the starting chain is visible and the right side of row 1. If we turn, that we just did, to the other side, we can clearly see the starting chain as well as row 1, which are on the wrong side. But as you will notice, there are no precise rules for crochet. The important thing is the visual result. If it's more beautiful on one side than the other, we'll choose the most beautiful side. That will become the right side. The one we're going to show. A common mistake that happens to all of us when we start crocheting would be to enter our hook in the same stitch instead of entering the next stitch. Because we use the straight edge method, that would add a single crochet to your row. Therefore, an increase. You will immediately see a small bump appear on the edge. So just double check after each row that you didn't add one by accident. The same way, remember to always end your row in the small chain. Otherwise, you will miss a single crochet in your row. Another mistake would be to skip a stitch. The appearance of the mistake is subtle, but it will come to shrink what you are doing, even create a small bump from there. The importance, again, when you start to count each of the single crochet well, to make sure we haven't missed any. Now that you're used to inserting your hook into both loops of each stitch, I'll show you that you can insert your hook in different places to get a different style. You could insert your hook in front loop only, the one that is facing you. Whether your project is right side or wrong side, when the instruction tells you to go in the front loop, it is always the strand that is in front of you. And usually we will follow this indication for a full row. This will make a small line appear on the other side of the project. You could also pass your hook through the back loop only, so the strand that is furthest away from you, which is right here. You can tilt the work a little bit down there to see that you are entering the back loop only. And this time, it's going to give you a little line on the front of what you're doing. Let's practice now with the super bulky yarn and the second method for building rows. 8. The Single Crochet - Part 3: Now that we have practiced the first method to make straight edges, I will show you the second method that you will find maybe a little easier but that gives less defined edges. You can practice this time with the 7 millimeter hook and the super bulky yarn. You're going to make a starting chain of 10. So chain 10. You can pause the video. We're going to start the same way as the first method. You're going to make a single crochet into the second chain from your hook. You enter the loop that is upper, you yarn over, you pass through the chain, and you make another yarn over, and pull through the two loops that are on your hook. So your first single crochet of row one is done. You can place your stitch marker on this one. In the second method, the turning chains do not count as a stitch. We will never crochet into these. You can make your second single crochet into the next chain. Enter the chain. Yarn over. You pass through the chain. Yarn over. You pull through the two loops on your hook. And you continue like this all along your foundation chain. We meet just before making our last single crochet. By the way, I wanted to show you what it looks like when you make 2 single crochet in the same stitch. You'll see that there are 2 small braids, 2 stitches that are formed into the same one. If this happens to you, you just have to undo one and continue. So your last single crochet of row 1 will be in the chain that is right after your slip knot. You can count to see if you have made 9 single crochet. You can then place your second stitch marker on the last single crochet you made. As with the first technique, we will make a chain before turning our project to continue with row 2. The difference this time is that you will not make your first single crochet in the next stitch, but in the same stitch, the one where is your marker. If the marker is in the path, you can remove it, but remember where to go. That's why this technique is a little easier because you don't have to think about where to enter your hook. It's simply in the available stitch that is closest to your hook. And you enter both loops of the stitch. So the first single crochet of row 2 is done. You can put the stitch marker back on this one. And as you see, we completely ignore our turning chain. So you're going to continue to make single crochet in all the following stitches, always entering both loops. And we meet up just before finishing our row. Your last single crochet of row 2 will be where you put your marker, in the first single crochet of row 1. And we totally ignore the small turning chain. You will see you will have done again 9 single crochet. So to summarize the second method, we start each row in the same stitch, And we finish it in the stitch just before the chain. So you can place your stitch marker on your last single crochet. We will continue with the third row. You're going to make a chain, turn, and you start by making a single crochet in the same stitch. The stitch where your marker is. Place the marker back on the single crochet that you just made. And continue by making a single crochet in the next 8 stitches. Your last single crochet will be where your marker is. Let's look at the anatomy of what we just did. We have our starting chain, then row 1, where we can clearly see our single crochet with the shape of a small V. Row 2, which is on the wrong side, in an inverted V. In row 3, we can see our single crochet stitches that are on the right side, with the small braid that forms on top. And you should always have 9 single crochet stitches in each of the rows. Since we don't finish the rows in the turning chain, that's why the edges are a little less defined, because it creates a gap between the 2 rows. And sometimes, if you have trouble seeing the anatomy of the stitches, you can always use your fingers to feel your single crochet. to know how many rows you have. With this method of constructing rows, the variations of style will still remain the same. If you were told to go in the front loop only, well, you would start in the one of the same stitch. Just a reminder, the front loop is always the one closest to you. Similarly, if you were told to go in the back loop only, you would start in the one of the same stitch. The first one you see. Now, how to choose the right method? The difference between the two is seen by their edges. When we start the row in the next stitch and finish it in the chain, the sides will be straight. When we start our row in the same stitch and finish it just before the chain, as we just practiced, it's easier to work with but the sides are less defined. So you can choose the method that suits you best depending on whether the borders will be visible or not. If they are visible, the ideal choice will be the first method with straight edges. Otherwise, the second method will be ideal for pillows, because the sides will be sewn together anyway, or for crochet projects that have a lot of color changes, often in the form of graphs, that you will practice in the third project. And finally, If your project includes adding a border, you will have the option of taking the easy one, since the edges will be hidden. In any case, it will be important to keep the same method for all rows. You may have wondered, does the direction you turn the project at the end of a row make a difference? I taught you to turn it to the back, but some crocheters will turn it to the front. Note that there is no wrong way to crochet, as long as you keep the same method throughout. There are two reasons why I prefer to turn to the back. First, it will be much easier when you do large projects. For example, in each row of a blanket, it will always go in your face. Also, the turning chain is harder to see, and the hook more complicated to pass in it. I show you here the aesthetic difference between the two methods. It is really a matter of taste and it's up to you to decide which one you prefer. Now, let's practice with your first real crochet project, the mug rug. 9. The Mug Rug - PROJECT: This little project is perfect for practicing your single crochet. So you will need about 12 grams of worsted weight cotton yarn, a 4 millimeter crochet hook, a yarn needle, scissors, 2 stitch markers, and a tape measure. Start with your slip knot and chain 16. You can practice counting your 16 chain stitches. Make your first single crochet into the third chain from the hook. Go into the top loop of the chain, like this. Make a yarn over, pass through the chain, yarn over, and pull through the two loops that are on your hook. Continue to make a single crochet in the next 13 chains. You can put your stitch marker on the turning chain, just before your first single crochet, which is right here. And continue your single crochet. Are you wondering why I made the first single crochet in the third chain from hook, and not in the second one as I taught you in the lesson? Well, I wanted to show you that in crochet, there are no really any mandatory rules. Even though, logically, you have to start the first row in the second chain stitch, well, you must have noticed that one of the corners of your small sample when you practiced in the lesson is not very straight and tends to curve back on itself. So, I decided to add a chain and to start my first single crochet in the third one to leave more space. And make a straighter corner. This is an example of freedom that we can take in crochet if the final result is more aesthetic. At the end of your first row, count if you did 14 single crochet in total. Then place your second stitch marker in the last single crochet that you made in row 1. Each subsequent row will begin by making a chain, the turning chain. And you will turn the project to always crochet from right to left. You will make your first single crochet in the next stitch, that is the one just after where the marker is. And insert the hook in both loops of the stitch. Remove the marker and, if you need it, replace it on the turning chain. For the rest of the video, I'm going to show you that it's possible not to use the markers and be able to recognize the stitches yourself. But if you find it too difficult, don't hesitate to use them. So, row 2, we're going to continue by making 1 single crochet in all of the following stitches, always entering into both loops of each stitch. You will have a total of 14 single crochet in row 2. You can pause the video. Your last single crochet will be in the turning chain. Where is your marker So you can guess that we are crocheting in rows with the straight edge technique. So we will always start our row in the next stitch and finish in the turning chain. Count again if you have 14 single crochet stitches. From row 3 to row 15, we will follow the same instructions. So you can chain 1, turn, and you will make 1 single crochet in the next stitch. Which is right here, right after the last stitch you made in row 2. So you will make 1 single crochet in the next 14 stitches. The last stitch being in your turning chain. And make sure to count 14 single crochet stitches at the end of each row. Repeat this 12 more times and we'll meet at the end of row 15, where I'll show you how to count them. Your coaster should now look like this. We'll count together if we have 15 rows. I've drawn each row, the little V's corresponding to the odd rows, if you're holding the project on the right side, on this side. And the little inverted V's that correspond to the even rows. I'm now going to show you how to finish a project. So to secure the thread, you will remove the hook from the loop, and you will cut the thread, leaving a good length. You will then pass the thread through the loop to secure the end of your work. It's that simple. You may notice that one of the corners is curling up on itself. I'll show you in a few minutes how to fix it. For now, I'll show you how to tuck the threads in to hide them and keep them from coming undone. You can take your yarn needle and weave one of the two strands inside it. Turn the project so that the wrong side is facing you and you will weave the needle through the single crochet stitches. There is not just one way to weave in the ends. I'll show you another technique right after. So you can go through about three single crochet, like this. You pull the yarn and you go back the other way, this time entering the strand right after the one you came out of. And you repeat one last time on the opposite side, still entering the strand immediately after where you came out. So the thread is well stuck and it will be very difficult for it to come out by itself. You can cut off what's sticking out. Test to see if you hid your thread well. With the second one, I'm going to show you another technique that I often use. It's to zigzag between the strands that are transverse. These ones here. So as long as you feel a certain tension, you will go from top to bottom and from bottom to top through these small strands, following the same principle that we just did. You go back and forth three times to secure your thread. You can choose the method you want to weave in your ends, as long as you like the visual result. And cut off the excess. This second technique will create a small thickness where you weaved in your thread. So you might find it's best to use when the back of a project isn't very visible. Congratulations! You've almost finished your coaster. All that's missing are the little decorations. We're going to make fringes on the sides. With your measuring tape and your scissors, of course, cut 32 strands about 7 inches long. When you have your 32 strands, you're going to put them one by one on the sides of your coaster. With your hook, you're going to go into any outer strand that you see on the first row or the last. It doesn't matter. Go get a thread, grab it on your hook, and pull it through the strand. And go get the two threads and pass them through the loop. to secure them well. And you will repeat this all along the side. There will be one fringe per row, and we will add one at the level of the starting chain. So, 16 fringes on each side. If you prefer, you could remove the hook after passing the yarn through the strand, and use your fingers to pick up the rest. I'll let you continue with the method of your choice. If you are not sure which strand to enter, here is a plan that can guide you. And the last two fringes will be right here. It should look like this. Now repeat the same thing on the other side. Your coaster now needs a good haircut. Cut the fringes so that they are about an inch long. And there you have it, your coaster is finished. I hope you are very proud of yourself. It should be about 10 cm long, without the fringes, by 9 cm high. Now, if the little corner that rolls up is bothering you, I'm going to show you a technique called blocking. When a project needs to be flat and you want it to keep its shape, blocking will come in handy. It's used to relax and fix the yarn so it takes on a more stable shape. It's super handy when crocheting clothes and the famous granny squares. You may never need to do this, but I'll show you the technique in case you do. The first step is to soak your project in water, either in a bowl or from the tap, and remove the excess water with a towel. Then you could either use a styrofoam with pins, a blocking board, your couch, and if you don't have anything on hand, any fabric surface, like a cushion, will do the job. The goal is just to pin our project evenly so that it stretches just a little bit, which will make it flat. And I'll prove to you that you can really block with anything, yarn needle, bobby pins, if you really have nothing on hand and want to test the process. Usually, you measure each side so that it's even, but in the case of our coaster, you don't need to measure perfectly. Go by eye. What we want to get is a coaster that is perfectly flat, with no corners that curl up. And the last step is to let it dry. And there you have it. Your coaster is perfectly flat. See you in the next lesson, where you will learn how to change color 10. Change Colors: In this lesson, you will learn how to change color and how to attach a new skein of yarn. It's easier than you think. The only thing you have to remember is that just before finishing your stitch, in this case the single crochet, you will join the new color by making a yarn over with it and pulling it through the two loops that are on your hook. And you continue to crochet with this color. After you make your first stitch with the new color, you can pull on the threads on the back to tighten them. If it was time to change colors and you forgot, simply pull your thread to undo the last stitch. Put the hook back through the loop and start over. So, you insert the hook into the stitch, you yarn over, you pass through the stitch, you go grab the color to join and you yarn over to pull it through the two remaining loops. For any crochet stitch, it will always be at the last step that you join your color. It's that simple. Now, let's see how to join the color when we want to start a new row. The last single crochet that you are supposed to do in your row, you are going to join the new color to the last step of the single crochet. And just start the next row. I'm going to show you three techniques to make the colors follow. Because depending of the project you're doing, maybe you don't want to see these threads sticking out like that. The method that hides all the threads well is the tapestry method, which is always to crochet over your thread of the other color. So when it's time to change color, you can join it and then you're going to crochet the next stitches over the old color. So you're going to include it when you will continue your single crochet. The previous color will follow you while crocheting. And make sure that the yarn stays on the back of the project to hide it well. And when you need that color again, it will be at your disposal. And you will do the same thing with the thread of the previous color. And there you have it, your color changes are all clean. You will only have to weave in the thread from the beginning at the end of your project. Now let's see how to follow the yarn when working a row that is on the back of the project. This time, you will follow the yarn in front of you. So you will pass the hook under it. while entering the next stitch. The idea is to hide the thread on the back of your work. This is how you will know whether to follow the thread to the front or the back of your stitches. Let's say I want to change color right here. I'm just going to take the yarn of the next one and pull it through the two remaining loops. And I'm going to put the previous color on the back of the project, which, in this case, is in front of me. And I'm going to include this yarn in all the following stitches I make, until I change the color again. If your project is reversible, this is a good technique. But as you can see, because we crocheted it in rows, the beige yarn is visible. So to avoid this, another technique that I personally use often, especially when the back of my project is hidden, like a cushion for example, is that every 3 or 4 single crochet, I will include the thread. I will crochet over it, like the method we saw previously. So, right now, I chose to change color after two single crochet. So, let's say I have several single crochet of the new color. I would do two single crochet. And at the third one, I would include the previous colored yarn to make it follow well. Don't pull it too much. Just make sure it's nice, straight, and follows your work. And you see the result On the good side, you can't see at all that you've made the thread follow. The third method I'm going to show you is the lazy one. When you change colors, you totally ignore the other thread and continue crocheting. And when you need the other color again, you can take it, leaving a good length, so that it doesn't fold your project over itself. You crochet with it, and at the end of your work, you will only have to cut all these threads and make double knots with another strand that is next to it. Obviously, this side will have to be hidden because it is a really not beautiful work. But I use this method when I make pillows, for example, since there are two panels sewn on top of each other. But you see that the good side is perfect. You can decide which method you prefer, keeping in mind that it is the final visual result that counts. When you finish your project with multiple colors, you will probably have to weave in some ends. Just make sure that you weave the ends into their corresponding colors. You're crocheting and you see that you're about to finish your skein of yarn. To join a new one, nothing could be simpler. It's like a color change. At the last step of your stitch, you join your new skein of yarn. And at the end, you can make a double knot with the threads. If your project is reversible, you can weave in these threads as usual. Otherwise, you can leave them visible, making sure to place them on the side that will be hidden. Another method that I really like is the magic knot. The concept is that you take two strands and you tie a knot on each of them, respectively. It's a little hard to explain like that, but I made you two different videos so that you can see and understand it well. After you tie the knots on each strand, you pull the two threads. And you cut off what's excess. You can pull back on the threads again to be sure that the knot is solid. And while crocheting, when you get to the little knot that you have made, just make sure that it stays on the wrong side of the project. This time I'm going to show you with two different colors so you can see better. So I'm making a knot with the rust color around the beige yarn. And I'm going to make a knot around the rust colored yarn with the beige one. We pull on the two threads and cut off the excess. And finally we just re pull on them to make sure it's solid. Join me now in the next video where you'll practice changing colors with the mini rug. 11. The Mini Rug - PROJECT: You will now practice changing colors with the mini rug. You will need worsted weight cotton yarn in two different colors, a four millimeter crochet hook, a yarn needle, scissors, stitch markers, and a measuring tape, which is optional. In the previous project, we practiced working in rows with the straight edges method. Now we're going to use the second method we learned in lesson two. Which was to start in the same stitch. This is the ideal method for projects that use a graph like this one. And even if the edges are not very straight, we will hide them by adding a border and small tassels. And like the second project, your mini rug should measure about 9 cm by 10 cm. Here we go, let's begin. With the contrasting color, you will make a slipknot and chain 15. Count if you have made 15 chains. We will start the first row. Here is the pixelated graph of what we are going to crochet. The odd rows will be made on the right side of the project, and when you crochet the even rows, it will be in the back, the wrong side that will face you. Each little square, each pixel, corresponds to a single crochet stitch. So you will easily know when to change color. For now, our first row will stay the same color. Make a single crochet into the second chain from the hook. If you want, you can place a stitch marker on this one. And single crochet in the next 13 chains. Your last single crochet will be right here. Count if you have 14 single crochet stitches in total in row 1. We have just finished the first row of our graph. But you see that we have to change color in the second row. So you can undo the last single crochet stitch you made to join the second color. So you start doing your single crochet. And at the last step, you're going to yarn over and join the new color. We're now ready to start the second row. Row 2 will be made of 14 single crochet again. In a neutral color. So chain one, turn. And since our rug can still be reversible, we will use a tapestry method. Which is to follow the colored threads while crocheting. The first single crochet will be made in the same stitch. That is the last single crochet that you made in the first row. You can put a marker to guide you. Tighten the threads of the color change a little, and you will make the first single crochet of row 2, where your marker is. Once you know where to make your stitch, you can remove the marker. Otherwise, it will be in your way. So if you remember the tapestry technique, we want to make the contrasting colored yarn follow. So, you're going to bring it to the back of the project that is in front of you right now. You're going to pass your hook under this thread while entering the stitch. You can use your index finger to help you hold the yarn. And always enter both loops of each stitch. And you make your single crochet with the neutral colored yarn. And now your contrasting one is ready for you to follow throughout row 2. So keep it facing you, on the back of the project. If you want, put the marker back on your first stitch. And make a single crochet in the next 13 stitches. Always including your contrasting color yarn. At the top of the screen, I put what I wrote in the pattern. Usually, when there are graphs with multiple colors and since we use the same stitch throughout the project, I simplify the writing by telling how many single crochet will correspond to each of the colors, either neutral or contrasting. The last single crochet will be where your marker is, which is actually the first single crochet of row 1. Make sure to insert the hook into both loops of this one. And that's it for row 2. You should count 14 single crochet. Place the marker on the last one you made. Okay, now that we have finished the second row, the third will be a little bit more challenging. Every 2 single crochet, we will change color. Start by making your chain 1, turn, and this time, since the right side is now facing you, You will follow your other color yarn behind. So you make your first single crochet still in the same stitch, while including the colored yarn behind. You will make another single crochet with the neutral color, and just before finishing it, you will join the contrasting color. You can pull on the thread in the back and continue. You make a single crochet, this time including the neutral colored yarn, another single crochet, With the contrasting color. And you will join the neutral color at the end. You see that with the tapestry technique, it is very easy to go find a colored thread. It is always at our disposal when we need it. Now, we are going to make 2 single crochet with the neutral color. Including the contrasting color yarn behind it. And you are going to change color again at the last step. of your second single crochet. It comes quickly, but it's great practice. And you continue like this by alternating the colors every two single crochet. In the pattern, I wrote row 3 this way. We made two single crochet in a neutral color. Then what is in parenthesis, we will repeat it three times. That is two single crochet in a contrasting color followed by two single crochet in a neutral color. And the last one is right here. Well done! You've made the most difficult row. Here is the front and this is the back. Now you'll notice if you make projects with multiple colors that the yarn tend to wrap around each other. So at the end of a row, get the habit of untangling them. It will be much more enjoyable. Now let's move on to the next row. We are now at a row of neutral color only. So you will make 14 single crochet with this one. You always start by making a chain. You turn, this time you will make the yarn of the contrasting color follow in front of you, since the wrong side of the project is facing you. Start your first single crochet in the same stitch, and continue to make single crochet including the yarn of the other color until the end. And you will still have a total of 14 single crochet in row 4. If you have good memory, the next row will be a row with the contrasting color. So just before you finish your last single crochet, join this one. You have already completed a third of your mini rug. You're going to repeat everything we just did two more times. I'm putting the graph here. You can refer to it to continue. To help you keep track, every five seconds I'm going to check a row. So just press pause, and when you've finished your row, Press play again to move on to the next one. Keep in mind that we always start a row by making a chain. And that we will always start the first single crochet in the same stitch. And that we will end the row with the stitch just before the turning chain. You will also have a total of 14 single crochet in each of the rows. Feel free to rewind the video if you'd like to see how to do it again. Have fun! And there you have it. I hope you liked following the little graph. It should look like this. We're now going to crochet a border all around. Without cutting the yarn, you will simply continue to crochet on the side of your little rug. Starting with a single crochet in the chain stitch, which is just after your last single crochet. Place your stitch marker on this one, and we're going to continue crocheting a single crochet in each of the rows on the side. A bit like the fringes that we put in the second project. So you can insert your hook into an outer strand of each of the following rows. I'll do it with you. It's a little hard to see, but really you can go in anywhere, as long as you have the right number of single crochet on the side. You'll notice that I'm entering into the turning chain of the even rows, as well as the outer strand of the last single crochet of the odd rows. Here I'm showing you what it looks like if you ever enter more than one strand. If you go a little further, it will appear. It's not that bad, but I wanted to show you the difference. We have now completed one side of our little rug. You should have 12 single crochet stitches made. Now, to make our outline straight, We're going to have to make some increases. I'll talk about it in the next lesson, but it's very simple. It's to make several stitches at the same place. So in this case, in this small space that corresponds to the beginning of the starting chain, we're going to make a single crochet, a chain, and a single crochet. All in the same space. This will ensure that the corners of your mini rug will be nice and straight. And now, a new concept that is super practical, that you will find in several patterns, is to work on the opposite side of the starting chain. You remember when we start row 1, we work on the loops that are on top. The lower ones are therefore available for us to crochet on them if necessary. This is what we will do with the lower edge of our project. I'll show you two ways to enter the loop. on the opposite side of the starting chain. The first one I'm going to use, which is the easiest and strongest, is to enter at the intersection of two loops, at the level of the small V. I'm trying to give you a description of what I'm doing, but it's actually super simple. This is the place where it's most intuitive. The hook will go into the space by itself. Another method that may be easier to visualize is to just take the one loop, like this. It's not bad, I did this for a long time, but aesthetically, it will create a sort of empty space between the first row and what we are doing. So continue to make your single crochet all along the bottom edge. Again, you should have made 12 single crochet on this edge, not counting the stitches that are in the corners. At the end, in the small turning chain, you'll do as in the first corner, a single crochet, A chain, and a single crochet, still in the same space. And we continue on the next side, in the same way as the first one we did. I'm putting there little arrows here to show you where to do them. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just remember to do one single crochet per row, taking an outer strand. You will have 12 to do on this side too. Continue like this, we will meet at the next corner. When you reach the third corner, you will do the same thing. This time in the first single crochet of the last row. You will make a single crochet, a chain, a single crochet, always in the same stitch. Only one side left and it's over. Make a single crochet in the next 12 stitches of the last row. And when you get to the stitch just before the one where your marker is, you're going to finish your last corner by making a single crochet, a chain, and a single crochet in the same stitch. Sorry for the camera focus. And you finish all that with a slip stitch. This may be a new term. I will show you how to do it. It's simply to enter in the stitch, yarn over, and pull through the stitch as well as the loop that is on your hook. It's a stitch that is used to make a join or to finish a project, like in this case. You can take the hook out of the loop and cut the thread. In the second project, I showed you that you can secure the thread at the end by putting it into the loop. But while I'm showing you lots of new things in this project, here's another way to secure the thread at the end. You could just pull on the loop until the yarn comes out. This method is ideal if the join at the end of your project is visible. I'll show you how to weave the yarn at the end so that your junction is invisible. You will enter your yarn needle into the next stitch, after the one where you made your slip stitch. You will then enter your needle into the stitch that is just before the slip stitch. That is the last single crochet you made. You're going to enter from the front to the back, in the back loop only. This will give you the most beautiful junction possible. You won't even know when your project begins and ends. I know it's a lot of information but know that everything I've just taught you is really to make your project as aesthetic as possible. You could just choose to tie a knot, weave in your ends, like in the second project. You might not even know the difference. But it's fun to know the best techniques. I'll let you now weave in all the ends with whatever method you like. We'll meet up for the finishing touches. Cut 12 strands about 7 inches long. You're going to enter 3 strands in each of the 4 corners. With your hook, you enter one of the corners and you're going to come to find the middle of the three strands that you're going to pull through the corner. The same way as the fringes in the second project. You will go grab the remaining threads to pull them through the loop. And you repeat in the other three corners. Once finished, cut each small tassel so that they are about an inch long. To make them a little curlier, you have two options. Either you separate each strand with your yarn needle, or the super fast option, if you have a comb on hand, brush them to separate the strands more easily. And there you have it, you have completed your third project. It may have been a challenge, but I'm sure you're very proud of yourself for having accomplished it. See you in the next lesson! 12. Increases & Decreases: To increase or to add a stitch, you simply have to make two stitches in the same one. In this case, two single crochet in the same stitch. And that's it. It's as simple as that. I'll show you a second time and we'll look together at the anatomy of what it looks like. So I just made two single crochet in a stitch from the previous row. You can see the two little V's that the single crochet made. If you want to add stitches in your row, usually it will be at the beginning and at the end of it. When working with the straight edges method, when you start the row in the next stitch, the way to make an increase at the beginning of the row, instead of going into the next stitch, you will start in the same stitch. This will add a stitch to the row. And at the end, you would make 2 single crochet in the turning chain. By adding a stitch at the beginning and at the end, you will therefore have 2 more single crochet in your row. In this example, I had 9 single crochet in the previous row, and now I have 11. If you work your rows like the third project, starting the first stitch in the same one, This time, you will make two single crochet in the same stitch to make your increase. And at the end, you will make two single crochet in the last stitch, the one just before the turning chain. And again, you will have two more stitches than the previous row. There are two ways to make a decrease that consists of removing a stitch. When using the straight edge method, when you're supposed to start in the next stitch, the first way would be to simply skip the next stitch, ignore it. And start in the one after. And at the end of a row, you could skip the second to last stitch and make your single crochet into the chain. The result will be that you will have two stitches less than the previous row. The second way to make a decrease would be to make one stitch in two stitches. Two single crochet together. I'll show you how to do it. So you insert your hook into the next stitch. Yarn over, you pass through the stitch and stop there. You insert your hook into the next stitch. Yarn over, you pass through the stitch. You make a yarn over and you pull through the three loops that are on your hook. So we just made a decrease. We transformed two stitches into one. You will see in the patterns the abbreviation single crochet two together. sc2tog. I'll show you how to do it another time. And at the end of a row, it will be the same principle, you will enter the second to last stitch, as well as the chain, to do your decrease, your single crochet two together. Again, the choice of method to use will depend on the visual result of what you prefer. With single crochet, we don't really see a difference, but you'll see that with other crochet stitches, maybe you will prefer not to skip a stitch, but to make two stitches together. And as you can see in the pictures, decreases are used to remove stitches on a row. And that's how we make triangle shapes. If you use the method of crocheting a row by starting in the same stitch, to make a decrease, you will simply skip the same stitch, and you will start in the next one. And at the end, you will skip the penultimate stitch, and you will make your single crochet in the last one. But as you can see, since we are working with thicker yarn, it will make a small hole. The fact of having skipped a stitch has created a void. So the solution is to use the second method for a nicer finish. So you would make two single crochet together. You enter the next stitch, yarn over, you pass through the stitch, you enter into the next stitch, yarn over, go through the stitch, yarn over, and you pull through the three loops that are on your hook. And you can see that there is no more empty space between the two stitches. Before we get to the practice, I wanted to show you that you can do the sc2tog in a slightly different way. You might see some people go into the stitch. Yarn over, pass through the stitch, and that's the difference. We would yarn over, And pull through one loop only on the hook. And then we would go into the next stitch. We would yarn over, pass through the stitch, yarn over, and we would go through the three loops that are on the hook. The official method is the one I taught you earlier, but if you see this other method, know that it is just as good. The result will only be slightly different from a visual point of view. And personally, I often choose this method when I find that it gives a more aesthetic result. For example, when I design the pattern for little baby booties. Let's now practice increases and decreases with the Cozy Mug. 13. The Cozy Mug - PROJECT: The Cozy Mug is the perfect project to practice increases and decreases. You will need about 30 grams of super bulky yarn, a 7mm hook, yarn needle, scissors, stitch markers, a measuring tape, and a button about 1 inch in diameter. And, of course, your favorite mug. First, measure the circumference of your mug with the measuring tape and write this measurement down on a paper. In my case, the mug has a circumference of about 11 inches. Leaving a good length of yarn at the beginning, start by making a starting chain of 5 chains. We start the first row by making 1 single crochet in the second chain from the hook. If you want, you can put the stitch marker on this one. Then continue by making 1 single crochet in the next 3 chains. You should have a total of 4 single crochet made in row 1. Again, if you need to add a marker, you can put it on the last single crochet you made. For the second row, chain 1, turn, and you will make 1 single crochet in the same stitch. The stitch where the marker is. If you had not put a marker, it is really the stitch that is right next to the hook. And continue by making 1 single crochet in the next 3 stitches. And don't forget to enter into both loops of each stitch. Again, you should have 4 single crochet made in row 2. Row 3, we're going to start making increases. So you're going to chain 1, turn. And start with two single crochet in the same stitch, the stitch that's right after your hook. So you're going to make your first increase. You make two single crochet in the same space. If you want, you can place your marker on the first single crochet you made. Continue by making one single crochet in the next two stitches. And make two single crochet in the last stitch. You will have made two increases in the third row, which will add two stitches. So you will have a total of 6 single crochet made in row 3. Row 4, chain 1, turn, single crochet in the same stitch, and a single crochet in the next 5 stitches, for a total of 6 single crochet in this row. Count if you have made 6 single crochet. If you still have difficulty locating the stitches, don't hesitate to use your stitch markers. In row 5, we will make 2 more increases, one at the beginning and one at the end. You can chain 1, turn, make 2 single crochet in the same stitch, and 1 single crochet in the next 4 stitches. And the second increase, you will make 2 single crochet in the last stitch. You will have a total of 8 single crochet in row 5. Row 6, we will repeat until we have the length we want. And it goes like this. You will chain 1, turn, 1 single crochet in the same stitch, One single crochet in the next 7 stitches. For a total of 8 single crochet in the row. You can repeat this row until you have a length that is 2 inches less than the circumference of your mug. You can pause the video, we'll meet up to count the rows together. When you're done with your rows, you can measure your work to be sure that the measurement is indeed 2 inches less than the circumference of your mug. Mine was 11 inches. So after doing 23 rows in total, I get the correct length, which is 9 inches. You don't have to count the rows, but we'll do it together, so that you can get used to seeing them. You see these little strips that form on your mug cover? They correspond to two rows. This can help you count them. So you have the first row, which is just after the starting chain. The second, third, four, five, six, seven. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. Oof, I realized that it's faster to count in French. So I'm going to continue with the next row, which will be row 24 for me. No matter how many rows you have done, just continue following the instructions for the next rows. We will now start making decreases, so that our mug cover returns to its original shape. You will chain one, turn, you will skip the same stitch, and make your single crochet in the next one. This way, we remove a stitch from the row. And continue by making one single crochet in the next four stitches. In the last 2 stitches, we will make 2 single crochet together. The technique that I taught you in the lesson. You enter the hook in the next stitch, you yarn over, you pass through the stitch, you enter the next stitch, you yarn over, pass through the stitch, and you yarn over and you pull through the 3 loops that are on your hook. You have made 2 decreases in this row. So you will have a total of 6 single crochet. The next row will be very simple. You will chain 1, turn, 1 single crochet in the same stitch, and 1 single crochet in the next 5 stitches, for a total of 6 single crochet in this row. In this row, we will make 2 more decreases at the beginning and at the end. Start by making a chain, turn, skip the same stitch, and make a single crochet in the next 3 stitches. And make a decrease in the last 2 stitches by making 2 single crochet together. You will have a total of 4 single crochet in this row. Chain 1, turn. Single crochet in the same stitch. And single crochet in the next 3 stitches. For a total of 4 single crochet in this row. You are now at the last row. You will chain 1, turn. Make a single crochet in the same stitch and in the next 3 stitches. And last step, we will make the cord that will attach to the button. You're going to chain 3, turn, and you will do a slip stitch into the chain 1, the turning chain. To slip stitch, you enter into the strand of the chain, yarn over, and pull through the stitch as well as the loop on your hook. And that's it! You can cut and secure the thread. Now we will weave in the ends and sew a button with one of them. You're going to sew it on your mug cover with the thread from the beginning. Put it in your yarn needle and pass the thread between the strands to bring it out between row 2 and 3. It's going to be right here. This is the first row, the second and the third. Right in the middle. You take the thread out and you're going to sew the button. And to properly secure the button, you can wrap the thread around it. And we're going to bring this thread into the back of the project. There is not really a good or wrong side to your mug cover. Just make sure to weave the threads on the opposite side of the button. And now, weave the ending thread. Make sure to weave it on the right side, which is the one behind the button. And there you have it! Your cozy mug is finished! Well done! You can make a nice hot chocolate or a cup of tea to enjoy your creation right away. And even if your mug doesn't have a handle, it's still beautiful. Now I'll see you in the next lesson where you'll learn how to crochet in rounds. 14. Crochet in Rounds - Part 1: In this lesson, you'll learn how to crochet in the round, which is really useful for making hats, mittens, or any other creation that has a round shape. I'll show you two techniques for starting a project in the round. The first way to do this is to start with a slipknot, and chain two. To create a circle, you'll make six single crochet in the second chain from your hook. The first one you made, always enter the same chain, the same space to make all six single crochet. And if the hole gets bigger as you work your single crochet in it, that's completely normal and we'll fix that right after. And be careful to actually work your single crochet one next to the other, not one on top of the other. So you can push on the side the previous single crochet to make room for the others. Once you have finished your six single crochet, you will pull on your starting thread. To close the circle, you can pull very hard. Next, we'll close our first round by making a slip stitch into the chain that We skipped at the beginning. It's possible that after closing the round, the small chain is well hidden. So try to pull your stitches a little to see it. It's normal if you have a little difficulty getting into this chain. I'm showing you this specific method for the purposes of this lesson, but I'll show you another technique that you might find a little easier in a few minutes. So you slip stitch into the chain one like this. And we are now ready to begin our second round. You will chain one and to enlarge our circle, we will increase in each of the stitches. So you'll start by making two single crochet into the next stitch, which is your first single crochet of rnd one. Be careful to always work through both loops of the stitch, and you'll make your second single crochet still in the same stitch. And it's completely normal. If you find it a little difficult to start rounds one and two, the space is very limited, but you'll see it'll become more and more enjoyable. That's why I didn't make you use your stitch marker at the beginning because it would have been really in the way. So now's the time to use it. You can place it on the chain stitch that's located just before your two single crochet. And you'll continue by making two single crochet in each of the following stitches in each of the remaining five stitches. As a general rule, on the second round, we'll double all our stitches. We are going to make increases in each of them, and if we do a little math, if you double your six stitches, that will give you 12 single crochet in round two. Okay. Now let me explain a very important concept. Maybe you really want to do your single crochet in what it looks like a stitch, but it's not one. When you slip stitch into the chain one, it creates a connecting thread that's located just before your chain. If you want your circle to remain a circle, you absolutely must not crochet inside it. I will give you a little trick to tell if it's a single crochet or not. Usually you see the little V of the single crochet. In this case, there is absolutely nothing underneath. Another way would be to tell you to never crochet into the strand That is just before the chain stitch. In any case, the best way to know if you've made your round correctly is to count your stitches at the end of each round. So in this case, you have 12 single crochet made. The chain one will not count as a stitch, since it only serves to give height So you can start the round. So everything looks good. Now we're going to join with a slip stitch into the chain one where your marker is. It'll be easier to make your slip stitch without the marker, but just remember where it is. So you'll ignore the joining stitch and go directly into the chain one. By the way, the slip stitch used to join a round will never count as a stitch. It'll not be part of the total number of stitches in a round. It'll only be used to join the end of a round to its beginning, and there you have it. Your second round is now complete. Before moving on to the next round, I'll explain the theory behind the technique for crocheting in the round. First, you absolutely must increase in the rounds. Otherwise, it'll look like a very small hat to construct a uniform circle We'll make increases in each round until we reach the desired diameter. These increases will be proportional and not exponential. We won't double our stitches on each round. Instead, we'll add the same number of stitches on each additional round. For example, if we start the first round by making six single crochet on the next round, we'll add six single crochet, making 12. To add six stitches On round three, we'll make proportional increases. We'll increase every other stitch the next round, every out of three, and so on. This probably reminds you of your multiplication tables from elementary school. We'll finally put them into practice by crocheting. Now back to our little circle. We're going to start the third round, so chain one. Place your marker On this one, as I just explained, we won't double each stitch, but we'll make one increase in every other stitch to have a total of six increases. Six additional single crochet in round three. So you can start by making two single crochet in the next stitch. Make one single crochet only in the next one, two single. crochet in the next stitch. Followed by one single crochet in the next stitch. And you repeat this all around, one increase, one single crochet. I've shown at the top of the screen how this could be written in a pattern. This would be to make two single crochet in the next stitch, followed by one single crochet in the next stitch. And everything in between The parenthesis repeating six times in total. You can pause the video. We'll meet again at the end of round three, and you should finish your last stitch with one single crochet and count If you have 18 single crochet in round three, not including the chain one. Once again to close the round, we'll skip the connecting stitch and make a slip stitch in the chain one where your marker is, and we're ready to begin the next round, you're going to chain one, replace your marker in it. And this time we're going to increase every third time. To have a proportional increase of six additional single crochet, you'll start by making two single crochet in the next stitch an increase. And this time you'll make one single crochet in the next. Two stitches, and you'll repeat this all around. Two single crochet in the next stitch, followed by one single crochet In the next two stitches, you might see patterns that simplify the writing. This way, in parenthesis, we will repeat an increase, followed by two single crochet. Six times. It's exactly the same. It's just a different way of writing, and that's good to know. If you want to explore different patterns after the course, I'll leave you alone. Now to finish your fourth round, you should have 24 single crochet in total at the end count If you have made 24 single crochet. And again, ignore the connecting stitch, which is just before the chain one. And you make a slip stitch into this chain one. You now know how to crochet in rounds. Note that to make it larger, you will need to add six single crochet proportionally equally around on each round until you reach the desired diameter. I've provided a table showing the mathematical rule to follow to enlarge your round. Regardless of the number of stitches you choose to make it in the first round, the table is in the downloadable documents. Just below the video, the method we just saw for joining the rounds in the chain will create a seam line like this. In the next video, I'll show you another technique and you can decide which one you prefer. Now we'll count the rounds together. You'll see it's much easier than working in rows. We can see round one, the small circle at the beginning, round two, round three, and round four. Each round creates a little stripe that's easy to spot. And just before finishing, I wanted to show you that if you ever enter in the joining strands. The joining stitch, it'll add an extra one, and you'll quickly realize that your circle isn't very round anymore. And as the rounds go by, you'll have far too many stitches as well as a teardrop shape. Now let's look at a different technique for starting to crochet in the round as well as for joining the rounds. 15. Crochet in Rounds - Part 2: If you have super bulky yarn, you can use it to continue this lesson. This time we won't start by making a slip knot, but by making a magic ring or a magic circle. Start by wrapping the yarn twice around your hook and holding it with your right index finger. Make sure to leave some slack when wrapping the yarn around the hook. Adjust your index finger to hold both loops. Place the yarn as usual on your left hand and with your thumb and your middle finger. Hold the ring that has formed under your hook. Pinch all the loops together downwards. Then simply slide your hook to catch the yarn and pull it through the loop. Pull your hook upwards to give space to the new loop. And while keeping the circle facing you don't let it go. You're going to make a chain to close the whole thing. This is my favorite technique for making a magic ring. This gives us much more space to work the first round than with the previous technique. I'll now pull it up at normal speed. After passing our yarn through the loop, it's important to secure it with a chain. I'll show you a second method for making the magic ring. This way, you'll have alternatives if you can't manage it with this one. One that I found quite easy to explain is to wrap the yarn around your left index finger twice. Insert your hook under these two threads using your right index finger with your thumb. Hold the thread you want to pass under the first loop. You can take your finger out of the ring while keeping it intact. Place the yarn as usual on your left hand and hold on tight the circle with your thumb and middle finger and you'll close this one with a chain stitch. I preferred the method I showed you earlier, but it's up to you to choose which one you're more comfortable with. Now, let's start the first round. If your magic ring isn't already on your hook, you can make it any way you like. Don't forget to chain after making your magic circle. And now we can begin by making six single crochet into the ring. Try to always keep the ring facing you and it shouldn't wobble around the hook. Use your left hand to guide you and hold it securely in place. When you have finished making your six single crochet, you can pull the beginning thread to close your magic ring, and this time you will join with a slip stitch into the first single crochet you made. The one right after the chain. Go through both loops and make your slip stitch. As I mentioned in the previous video, the slip stitch will never count as a stitch. So we have the first single crochet where you made your slip stitch, which is at the very top, and the sixth one, which is just before your slip stitch. We'll continue with the second round. You're going to chain one. And since we joined in the first single crochet, you're going to make your first single crochet of round two in the same stitch, the one where you made your slip stitch. And since we're going to double each stitch to make our circle larger, you're going to make another single crochet still in the same stitch. You can place your marker on the first single crochet you made. The one immediately after the chain. And you will continue by making two single crochet in each of the next five stitches. Follow your circle with your left hand so that the stitch in which you're working with is facing you. You should have made 12 single crochet in total, not counting the chain one and the connecting strand, which happens to be the slip stitch. You're going to make your slip stitch in the first single crochet where your marker is. This seems far away, but you'll see it'll make a perfect circle. Your second round is now complete. If you have good memory on the next round, we will increase every other stitch to always add six single crochet proportionally around the round. We'll start with a chain and you'll make a single crochet in the same stitch. If we went into the next stitch, we would be missing one at the end. So remember that when using this joining technique in the first single crochet of the round, you must always start in the same stitch. Place your marker on your single crochet and you'll make one increase in the next stitch. Two single crochet, and repeat all around. Single crochet in the next stitch, followed by two single crochet in the next stitch. So you'll make six increases in total, and you'll have 18 single crochet in round three. I don't know if you noticed the difference from the previous practice. I reversed the order of when to make the increases instead of starting with an increase. We'll end with one. Just to show you that in crochet, there are no fixed rules as long as you follow the mathematical formula, which is to make your increases proportionally around the circle. So whether you start or end with an increase, it'll always give the same thing. We'll have the same number of stitches in the end. I'll let you continue. We'll meet again at the end of the round. You should finish your round with an increase. Be careful not to go into the joining stitch and count if you have made 18 single crochet. Finally, you can make a slip stitch in your first single crochet to join your third round. Round four we will increase once every third stitch, and we'll continue with the same logic by making the increases at the end of a sequence. Since we joined in the first single crochet, don't forget after your chain one, to make your first single crochet in the same stitch. Place your marker on this one and you will continue by making a single crochet in the next stitch. Followed by an increase, 2 single crochet in the next stitch and continue this pattern all the way around Single crochet in the next two stitches, followed by an increase. Once again, you'll have added six single crochet proportionally, and that will give you a total of 24 single crochet in round four. I'll let you continue. We'll meet again at the end. At the end, you will finish with an increase in the last stitch. Count If you have 24 single crochet made in round four and finish by joining with a slip stitch in the first single crochet of the round, ignore the joining stitch as well as the chain. And go directly into the first single crochet you have now discovered two slightly different techniques, but they give essentially the same result. The difference will be in the seam line of the rounds. Here we have the method we just used when joining in the single crochet and here when joining in the chain. It's up to you to decide which one you're most comfortable with and which one you prefer. In any case, if you're following a pattern, it'll generally indicate which method to use. Personally, I like to join in the first single crochet. I think it gives a slightly more aesthetic finish, and you can use these same methods when crocheting in the round with any other crochet stitches. And your learning isn't over yet, because in the sixth lesson, you'll learn how to crochet in the round without joining them. But first, let's move on to a little project to practice even more with the scrubbies. 16. The Scrubbies - PROJECT: Now, let's practice the crochet rounds with the scrubbies. To make two of them, you will need about 10 grams of worsted weight cton yarn and the color of your choice, a four millimeter hook, yarn needle, scissors, and a stitch marker. If you have your practice on hand from the previous lesson, you can simply continue with this one. And join me on Round five at seven minute 30 in the video. Otherwise, follow the instructions from the beginning. Start with the technique of your choice, either by making a slip nought, chain two, and starting the first round in the first chain or by making a magic ring. And don't forget to chain after making your magic ring. You are now ready to begin the first round. Make six single crochet in the ring. Make sure you have made six single crochet and pull the beginning thread to close the round. Join with a slip stitch into the chain you made just before your single crochet. It might be a little difficult to find. So here's a little tip. You can count your single crochet starting from the last one you made, and the chain stitch will be right next to the sixth single crochet right here. If you prefer the technique I showed you in the previous lesson of joining with a slip stitch in the first single crochet, you can go with this technique and note that the slip stitch as well as the chain will not count as stitches. We're ready to continue with the second round. Chain one, and you will make two single crochet in each of the next six stitches. If you used the technique of joining in the first single crochet, remember that you will have to start in the same stitch in the one where you made your slip stitch. Place your marker on the chain you made, the one just before the two single crochet. And continue by making two single crochet in the next five stitches. Make sure you increase in each stitch. That is two single crochet in each one. I'll let you continue. We'll meet again at the end of the round. You should have a total of 12 single crochet in round two. At the end of the round, if your circle in the middle starts to get bigger, you can always pull the thread at the beginning to close it. Count if you have 12 single crochet in round two. Close the round by making a slip stitch in the beginning chain, the one with the marker. As you learned in the previous lesson, we'd like to crochet into what appears to be a stitch, but it's actually the junction slip stitch made at the end of round one. So you ignore it, you skip it, and you make your slip stitch directly into the chain one. And we continue with the next round. Round three, we're going to increase every other stitch. You will start by making a chain one and then make two single crochet in the next stitch. Place your marker on the chain just before the two single crochet and continue by making one single crochet only in the next ditch. And repeat all around what is in the parenthesis. You will make two single crochet in the next ditch, followed by one single crochet in the next one. You will have a total of 18 single crochet in round three. I'll let you continue. You can pause the video. We'll see you at the end. You should have finished your round with one single crochet in the last stitch. Count if you have 18 single crochet, skip the slip stitch from the previous round and make your slip stitch in the chain where your marker is. Round four will increase once every three stitches. You'll chain one, two single crochet in the next stitch. Replace your marker on the chain and continue by making a single crochet in the next two stitches. Repeat all around with two single crochet in the next stitch. Followed by a single crochet in the next two stitches. You will have a total of 24 single crochet in round four. I'll let you continue. We'll meet again at the end of the round. Count if you have 24 single crochet in round four. Skip the connecting stitch and make your slip stitch in the chain where the marker is. In round five, you will start by making a chain one and two single crochet in the next stitch. We will increase once in four times. Replace the marker on the chain and make one single crochet in the next three stitches. And repeat a round two single crochet in the next stitch, followed by a single crochet in the next three stitches. You will have a total of 30 single crochet in round five. A little tip here for when you make larger projects, if you're lost of when making your increases, in this case, they are always made over the previous increase. You see the visual is different here. There are two stitches in the same stitch. So the increase will be made on the first one. Your eye will quickly get used to it as you practice. I'll let you continue. At the end of your round, do as usual. You will join with a zip stitch in the chain. For the last round, you will learn a new crochet stitch. You can start by making chain one, and then we will make reverse single crochet stitches. This isn't a stitch you'll find often in crochet projects. It's more used to create a beautiful finish. Since I particularly like the effect it creates, I absolutely wanted to share the technique with you. Instead of crocheting four, you will work the single crochet in the opposite direction backwards. Insert your hook from front to back in the last single crochet you made in round five. Yarn over, pull through the stitch. Replace your hook so you can clearly see the loops. Yarn over and pull through both loops like an ordinary single crochet. And continue backward. You will enter the previous stitch and hold the loop that is on your hook and enter in both loops. Yarn over, pull through the stitch. Replace your hook and fingers, yarn over, pull through two loops on your hook and continue this way through all the previous stitches of round five. No need to count. Just go into each stitch you see. The steps are the same as for the single crochet, only you go in the opposite direction. You can see that this is really a finishing stitch because you couldn't crochet over the reverse single crochet stitches. It doesn't create the little bread you usually see in normal stitches. It's just to create a border for our project. You'll see after a few reverse single crochet, you'll start to get used to it. If you really can't do it, don't worry. As I told you, this is a fairly rare stitch in crochet projects. You could simply either stop your little scrubby on the fifth round or work an additional round with the proportional increases learned in the previous lesson. I'll let you continue. We'll meet at the end of the round to know how to close it. Your last reverse single crochet should be made in the first single crochet made on Round five. And if you ever have one more or less, don't worry. It won't show at all. And to close the round, you'll make a slip stitch, obviously reversed at the level of the chain one you made at the beginning. It doesn't matter if you don't really know where to go, as long as you enter into strengths at that level, everything will be beautiful. And you finished your little scrubby, and your last round should look like this. You can cut the yarn and pull the loop until the yarn comes out. And with your yarn needle, weave the thread through the back of your project. You can work into the small posterior loops of the single crushes stitches from one of the previous rounds as long as you feel a slight tension to secure the yarn. And do the same thing with the thread from the beginning. You can wrap it around the first round to secure it. And that's it. Well done. You can make a second one, and why not practice using the technique learned in the lesson, which was to join with a slip stitch in the first single crochet instead of the chain. This way, you will have well integrated the two techniques learned in lesson five. Now join me into the next lesson where you will learn how to crochet in three dimensions. 17. Crochet in 3D: Thanks to this lesson, you will finally understand how to crochet three dimensional shapes essential to create little crochet creatures, often called amygrmi. It will be the same technique, the same math learned in the previous lesson, which is to crocht the round. Only at a given point to form a sphere, we'll stop increasing. We'll work simple rounds to give it high, and then close it with decreases following the same formula as the increases. And even if we could join the rounds as we did in the last lesson, to make it more visually appealing, we'll have the option of crocheting in a spiral in a continuous round. There will be no joins, no visible sein, which will make the stitch marker your best friend for knowing where the rounds begin. Now, let's get into practice. Take your super book yarn and the seven millimeter hook, and let's start with a magic ring or the technique of your choice to start crocheting in the round. And don't forget to chain one immediately after making your magic ring. And we begin the first round. Just like the previous lesson, you will make six single crochet in the ring. After making your six single crochet, you can count them. Pull the beginning thread to close the ring. Unlike the previous lesson, don't slip stitch, but you'll start your second round immediately by making a single crochet in the first single crochet of Round one. Place your stitch marker on it. Since in the second round we'll be increasing all stitches, you'll make one more single crochet in the same stitch in the same space. Continue by making two single crochet in each of the remaining five stitches. You may notice that the writing of round two has changed compared to the previous lesson because generally we will only use single crochet to create a three dimensional shape. We want a solid structure that we won't be able to see through, and single crochet are ideal. For this reason, you'll often see simplified instructions and patterns. Instead of adding more text by writing two single crochet in the next six stitches, we write the increased abbreviation. In this case, there will be six consecutive increases in round two. So you'll have a total of 12 single crochet. You might also see this type of instruction with the number placed just before the abbreviation for increase. At the end, count if you have 12 single crochet. And your stitch marker shows you where to start the third round. Remove the stitch marker, and you will make two single crochet and increase in the next stitch, which is actually the first stitch of round two. And this is very important. Replace your marker on the first one you will make. Don't forget to make your second single crochet, your increase. And since we're going to increase every other time, you'll make only one single crochet in the next ditch and continue all the way around. Two single crochet in the next ditch and increase, followed by one single crochet in the next ditch, six times in tall, which will give you 18 single crochet in round three. Since you're used to crochet rounds, I'll let you continue. We'll meet again at the end of round three. Count if you have 18 single crochet in round three. We can already see that a spiral is forming. You see the small circle of round one at the beginning, next round two, which starts here and round three, which starts on the first single crochet of round two. This is completely normal. If you have trouble to see where the rounds begin, your stitch marker is there for that. The advantage of crocheting in a continuous spiral is that you won't have a joining stitch or chain to start around. So we're less likely to make mistakes by entering the wrong stage. Now we finished our increase rounds. We're going to do simple ones to give our little spare some height. So on round four, you'll make a single crochet in each of the following stitches, making 18 single crochet in total, and don't forget to place your marker back on the first stitch. Once again, you see the simplified instruction. Instead of writing single crochet in the next 18 stitches, we can simply write 18 ac. I'll let you continue. We'll meet again at the end of the round. You'll notice when we stop increasing, our project tends to fall on itself, forming a small ball. The right side of your project is on the inside, which is not what we want. So you can pop your circle outward so that the right side is clearly visible, and you always crochet from the outside to the inside. It's quite easy to know which side is the right one. It's the one where you can clearly see the little Vs of the single crochet. And we can count the rounds together. We have the first round here, the small circle at the beginning, the second round starting here, the third and the fourth one we just made. The next two rounds will do exactly the same thing we did in Round four. You'll make a single crochet in the next 18 stitches. Don't forget to replace your marker on the first stitch, and I'll let you continue. We'll meet at the end of Round five because I don't want you to forget to replace your marker for the next one. At the end of round five, make sure that you are still working from outside to inside so that the right side of the project is facing you. Continue with round six by making a single crochet in each of the following stitches. Remembering to replace the marker on the first one. I'll let you continue. We met at the end of the round. The small sphere has now ground in height. As a general rule, to obtain a perfectly round shape, we will work as many simple rounds as the number of previous rounds. We have finished the increased rounds on the third one. So we've done three simple rounds. Now we're ready to close the sphere. And I'm going to show you a way to make an invisible decrease. You were used to making your single crochet decreases this way in lesson four. This isn't a bad technique, but you'll notice that it doesn't blend in very well. It's not very pretty. So here's the official technique that you can use in all of your three dimensional projects. You will insert your hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches. You will yarn over, pull through both loops. Yarn over and pull through two loops on your hook. The result is much more aesthetically pleasing. It really looks like a regular single crochet. You can place your stitch marker back on this one, and since we'll be removing six stitches in total in around seven, we'll decrease every other stitch. So you can make a single crochet in the next stitch. If you're unsure where the next stitch is, here is a little tip. You can pull your hook. If the stitch moves, it's already been worked. It will be the one immediately after. When you work around with decreases, it's a good idea to tighten the stitches you make to have as little space as possible between them so that it doesn't create small holes. You will continue by making a decrease, insert the hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches. Make a yarn over like a single crochet, pull the yarn through the loops, yarn over, pull through the remaining loops, and you're going to make one single crochet in the next stitch. And you repeat this all around, a decrease, a single crochet. You'll have a total of 12 stitches and around seven. And you should finish your round with a single crochet. Our little spare is almost completely closed. Before making the last round, we'll take the opportunity to add the stuffing inside. Remove your hook, leaving a long loop so you don't lose your work. Win the beginning yarn to the inside. And if you have polyester fiber fail, this is the best way to do it. But if not, you can just use leftover yarn. It will do the work. Make sure the fibers aren't too compact and use small amounts at a time, so the filling is even. Ideally, it should be well stuffed, firm, but not too much. You shouldn't see the stuffing peeping through the small holes between the stitches. When you're satisfied, you can replace the hook in the loop. Now we'll do our last round. You're going to make six decreases in a row. So you enter the front loop of the next two stitches. And use the middle finger of your other hand to hold the stuffing away from your stitches. This will prevent you from catching it with your hook. Replace your marker on your first decrease and continue to work around it. Don't forget the little trick of pulling on the hook to make sure you don't go through the same stitch twice and use your other hand to guide your hook because the space start to be narrow. And make your stitches tight too. Once all your decreases are complete, you should have made six. You can remove your stitch marker and make a slip stitch in the next stitch, taking both loops. This isn't mandatory, but it makes a nicer finish. It's like closing our spiral. And that's it. You finish your little yarn ball. Remove the hook, cut the yarn, and secure. I'll show you how to close the end. Wrap the end of the yarn into your yarn needle and you're going to enter from the outside into each of the front loops of the fwing stitches. Turning around like this. At the end, pull the yarn and insert your needle right in the middle of the hole to bring it out anywhere between two stitches. And pull to close the end. And you can secure and hide the yarn inside by weaving it in and out through the stitches on each side and go back and forth to secure it. Cut off the s, and that's it. Now you know how to make a three dimensional little ball. Using the same concept, we're going to practice by making a slightly more complex shape with the little heart. 18. The Heart Keychain - PROJECT: You will now practice making three dimensional shapes. To crochet this little heart, you will need about 10 grams of worsted weight cotton yarn in the color of your choice. A four millimeter hook, yarn, needle, scissors, a stitch marker, polyester stuffing. And if you want to, a key chain, start by making six single crochet in the magic ring. Or in the second chain from the hook if you're using the two chains technique. Count if you have six single crochet if necessary. Place your marker on the first one you made, just so you know where to go when you're going to tighten the circle and immediately begin the second round by making two single crochet where your marker is. So you'll be making increases in each stitch. Two single crochet in all stitches of round one. Replace your marker over the first one you made and continue. You should have 12 single crochet in total in round two. I will put the video on Fast forward, we'll meet again at the end of round two. Count if you have 12 single crochet made. Round three will be a simple one. You'll make a single crochet in each of the next 12 stitches. Don't forget to replace your marker on the first one. You can pause the video. We'll meet at the end of the round. Since it was a simple round, right after an increase one, you can see that the small bowl is forming so you can pop your round outward to have the right side facing you. Remove your stitch marker and make a slip stitch into the next stitch. We finished our first piece. Remove your hook, cut the yarn, and secure it to avoid too many threads getting in your way For the following steps, I recommend tying a double knot with the end and the beginning thread, but not too tight. You don't want the little circle to fall back on itself, so like that, it's perfect. And cut the threads to leave them about a centimeter long. You can also put the marker back where it was, where you made your slip stitch. If you don't remember where it is, it's really not a big deal. Set this part aside. You're going to make a second identical one only. Don't cut the yarn at the end of the third round because we'll be incorporating the first one you made while crocheting. I'll put the instructions on screen if needed. You can rewind the video to see how to repeat rounds. 1 to 3. Round four. Start by making a single crochet in the next 12 stitches. And don't forget to put your stitch marker back on the first one. This will be essential for knowing where to start the next round. I've put the video on. Fast forward. Join me at the end of your 12 stitches. We'll now integrate the first part you made once again, to avoid getting tangled up in the thread. If the one at the beginning, the one in the middle of your little circle is too long, trim it just a little. so, it doesn't get in your way. Go get the first part. Make sure your yarn is behind what you're doing. And insert your hook from the outside in the stitch where your marker was. If there is no marker, you can simply enter any stitch. Replace the yarn over your other hand and make your single crochet Yarn over, pull through the stitch yarn over both loops. The first part is now attached to the second. You are going to continue on this one by making single crochet all around. You should have 12 on this section. Be careful not to enter twice where you made the slip stitch. So you should really have made 12 on the first part. And you see now that the stitch marker is very essential because here we don't know at all where to go, but after making your 12 single crochet on the first part, you skip directly to where your marker is and make a single crochet. This will be the first one of round five. Replace your marker on this one and you can count if you have made 24 single crochet in total in the last round, and continue round five by making a single crochet in all of the following stitches for a total of 24. And be careful at the junction not to skip a stitch. You can pull the first part a little to better see where to go. The top of your little heart is starting to take shape. We will now begin decreasing rounds to form the base of the heart, and that's normal. If you see a small hole where the two parts join, we'll close it at the end. On round six, you will make a decrease followed by a single crochet in the next two stitches six times, so you'll make an invisible decrease. Insert the hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches and make your single crochet replace your stitch marker on it and make a single crochet only in the next two stitches, and you can use the little trick of pulling on your hook to be sure you're entering the right one. And continue all around with a decrease followed by two single crochet. I will put the video on Fast forward, we'll meet at the end of the round. You should now have a total of 18 single crochet in round six. The next round will be a simple one. You will work a single crochet in the next 18 stitches. You can pause the video. We'll meet at the end. Round eight, we will decrease every other stitch. You'll make a decrease followed by a single crochet six times for a total of 12 stitches in the round. We're almost done. The next round will be a simple one. You'll make a single crochet in the next 12 stitches. You can pause the video. We'll see you at the end. Now it's time to fill our little heart with the polyester stuffing. Just like I taught you, go with small amounts at a time. It needs to be firm solid, but without the stuffing showing between the stitches. But for now, it's normal for you to see the stuffing sticking out at the junction of the two parts. We'll hide this later. When you're satisfied, replace the hook in the loop. We'll do the last round. Make six decreases in a row, and remember to use the middle finger of your other hand to push the stuffing back so you don't catch it with your hook. And finish with a slip stitch in the next stitch entering into both loops for a nice finish. And that's it. Cut the yarn, secure it, and before closing the end. If you want to add a little more stuffing, you can do it with the tip of your hook. When everything looks nice, you can close the end with your needle. You enter the front loop only of all the following stitches, and you go around like this, always entering the needle from the outside to the inside. And at the end, you pull and insert your needle in the middle of the hole to bring it out at the very top where the two parts meet. Now we're going to close this little hole. You can simply insert some strands just to tighten them together. And if you catch any fibers along the way, it's okay. We'll do a little cleaning at the end. You can really go any way you like as long as you can't see the little hole at the end. If like me, some stuffing gets caught in your threads, you can simply pull it out a little with your fingers or your, your needle and cut off the excess, being careful not to cut your work. Then if you were planning to add a key chain, insert your needle to bring it out at the top of one of the two sides. And you will insert this thread into the small chain at the base of the key chain and secure it by wrapping the thread between two stitches and inserted a second time through the chain to secure it. And push the needle through to bring it out anywhere. Check that your key chain is safe and well fixed and secure the thread by wrapping it around two stitches and hiding it inside. Congratulations, you've made your first little heart. It was still quite a complex project, so you can be very proud of yourself. Now, let's move on to the next lesson where you'll learn how to make another stitch than the single crochet. 19. The Half Double Crochet - Part 1: Now that you've learned the fundamental techniques for constructing something in crochet, whether in rows or in the realm, even if you practice all this with single crochet, know that the same principles will apply to all other basic crochet stitches. It will always be the same movement. Only the number of yarnovers and even the place where you insert the hook will vary, allowing you to create all kinds of textures. In this lesson, you will discover the half double crochet, a stitch just a little bigger or higher than the single crochet. As in the single crochet lesson, I'll use the worsted weight yarn for the straight edge technique and the super bulky yarn for the other one. Just to show you the two ways to construct rows with half double crochet. Start with your four millimeter hook and your worsted weight yarn. Tie a slip knot, followed by a starting chain of ten chains. You can pause the video. We'll join when you finish them. We're going to make our first half double crochet. The big difference with the single crochet is that you'll make a yarn over, passing the hook under the yarn. Hold it with your index finger. Next, you will insert the hook into the third chain from the hook. Why insert the third chain and not the second one like the single crochet? The half double crochet is a little higher. It measures about two chain stitches in height. So these two chains that we skip will allow us to reach the right height to begin our row. Insert your hook as usual into the chain. Yarn over, pull through the chain. Reposition your fingers so you can clearly see what you're doing, and so you can pass the hook through the loops. Yarn over and pull it through the three loops on your hook. And you've just made a half double crochet. Let's practice some more. Yarn over first, holding the yarn securely with your finger. Go into the next chain. Yan over, pull through the chain. Replace your fingers, yarn over and pull through the three loops on your hook. It's important that you leave some slack in your loops. Otherwise, the hook will have a lot of difficulty pulling through. Keep practicing to become more and more comfortable with the half double crochet. Remember to always yarn over before entering your next stitch, and it's very helpful to hold your yarn over on your hook so you don't lose it. The steps are essentially the same as for a single crochet. Yarn over, still pass through the stitch. Yarn over, but this time, pull through three loops. Continue to work half double crochet in all the following chains. We'll meet again at the end to steady its anatomy. In a pattern, the abbreviation for the half double crochet will be HDC. Ultimately, you should become comfortable passing the hook easily through all three loops, maintaining the right tension so it slides easily. It will take ad practice, but you'll get it by the end of the lesson. Since we skipped two chains at the beginning out of ten, you should have eighth table crochet made in row one. Since they're a little higher than the single crochet, it's easier to see them. You can also count the little braids that each one forms. And now let's analyze the anatomy of the half table crochet. Given that we've added a loop, a yarn over before entering, you will see a small V with a strand above it, and you still have the two loops that makes the small braid, the one you will enter in the next row. If you look at the half double crochet from the other side on the wrong side, you'll see a small V with a strand sticking out just above it. Since we made our last arnover through three loops, there will be one that will be behind the back of our half double crochet, where I put the little green line on the screen. Some call it the post loop, the middle loop, or the third loop. It will be useful for creating a different texture that I'll show you in the next video. As I told you earlier, you can see that this loop is ticking out a little more. This should not be confused with the front and back loops where we insert the hook normally. So for now, don't pay attention to the third loop, only to the front and back ones for the rest of the lesson. We'll continue with the second row. Chain two that equal the height of half double crochet. And just before continuing, you can place stitch markers to know where to start and end the second row. Place one in the last half double crochet you made on row one, which is right here, and place a second one on the chain stitch just before your first half double crochet, which corresponds to the second chain you skipped at the beginning. You have the half double crochet here and the two chains we skipped. So you place your marker right here on the upper one. And we'll continue. You're going to turn. And since we're using the straight edges method, your two chains will count as a half double crochet. So you'll start in the next stitch, the stitch right after your marker. And don't forget to yarn over before entering into both loops. If you tilt your work slightly towards you, you'll carely see their front and back loops where you will go. Yarn over, pull through the stitch, yarn over and pull through the three loops on the hook. Now move your stitch marker to place it on the second of the turning chains, the one just before the half double crochet you just made, and continue by making half double crochet in all the following stitches. Always enter into both loops as usual, the front and the back loops. Do not confuse them with the posterior loop, which is actually under the small braid. And the last half double crochet will be made where your marker is on top of chain two. You have now completed the second row. You should have eight half double crochet plus the chain two. Now place your marker on the last half the ball crochet you made. Chain two, turn and start by making your half the bow crochet in the next ditch, the one after the marker. I'll let you continue. We mean at the end of the row. Don't forget to yarn over before entering into bow loops of next Ditch. And your last half the bow crochet will be on top of chain two. It's always a little more difficult to go into a chain. You can either work it with the end of your hook or use your fingernail to help it through. You have now completed row three. Let's count them together. Here we have row one, where we see the right side of the half double crochet. The second row where we see the back of the half double crochet with the middle loop or third loop sticking out a little. And the third row where we see our half double crochet on the right side again. So this is how we work a row with half double crochet using the straight edges method. Watch the next video to practice the second technique with the super bulky yarn. And 20. The Half Double Crochet - Part 2: Let's now practice the second method to construct rows, the one with undefined edges. You can practice with super bulk yarn or the yarn of your choice. Start again with a slip nut, and this time, chain eight for your foundation chain. Yan over before entering the third chain from the hook. Hold your yarn with your index finger and insert the hook into the top loop of the chain. Yarn over, pull through the stitch, replace your fingers and yarn, yarn over and pull through the three loops on your hook. This time, place your marker on the half double crochet you just made. And continue to make a half double crochet in each of the following chains. I'm going to put the video on Fast forward. Join me at the end of the row. Remember to always yarn over before entering the stitch. Otherwise, it will become a single crochet. Since our starting chain had eight chains and we skipped two at the beginning, you should have six half double Krosa made in row one. And if we look at the anatomy of the stitches on the back, you'll see the third or the posterior loops sticking out at a low. Be careful not to confuse them with the front and back loops, the small break, where we usually insert our hook. Now place your second marker on the last half double crochet you made, and we will continue with row two. Chain two, which correspond to the height of a half double crochet. Turn. And with the undefined edges method, the turning chains will not count as a stitch. So you can immediately work the first half double crochet in the same stitch, the one right after your turning chains, where the marker is. If you wish, you can place the marker back on your first half double crochet. Or you can practice trying to see the stitches yourself. Continue to work a half double crochet in each of the following stitches. Always work through boll loops. Be careful not to include the post loop, the third one, but really enter the two strands of the small braid only. And your sixth and final half double crochet will be where your marker is in the stitch just before the chain two. Let's continue with the third row. Chain two. Turn and begin the first half double crochet in the same stitch, the one right next to your turning chains. Still work through both loops of the small braid and continue to work half double crochet in all subsequent stitches. The last one will be right here in the stitch just before the chain to from the previous row. You should again have six half double crochet made in row three, and it should look like this. Even though it doesn't seem like much, this technique will create undefined edges. So if you're using it in a project, you might decide to add a border to make it more uniform. Now let's count the rows together. Here we have the first row where we see the right side of the half double crochet. Then the second, where we see the back side of the half double crochet with the posterior loops sticking out a little. And the third row where you can see the right side of the half double crochet again. If you turn the project over, it will be the other way around. You will see the half double crochet of the first and third rows on the back side and the second row on the right side. When working in a row with half double crochet, it's important to take into consideration that we'll always see the posterior loops forming a small line every two rows, something we didn't have with single crochet. I can create an interesting visual effect. It adds a bit of texture. In the next video, I'll show you all the variations where you can insert your hook to give your projects a different look. H 21. The Half Double Crochet - Variations: To increase with half double crochet. It's exactly the same principle as with single crochet. You'll make two in the same stitch. A decrease could be made simply by skipping a stitch at the beginning or at the end of a row, as you saw in lesson four. But here's how you combine two half double crochet together to create a decrease. You're going to yarn over you. Enter the next stitch. Yarn over, pass through the stitch and you stop there. Yarn over again. You enter the next stitch yarn over, pass through the stitch. Replace your fingers so you can clearly see the loops yarn over and pull through all the loops on the hook. So we're transforming two stitches into one. In a pattern. You'll see the abbreviation. hdc2tog And if the entire pattern uses hdc, you might see the abbreviation DEC for decrease. I'll do it again so you can see clearly Yarn over. Go into the next stitch. Yarn over, pull through the stitch stop here yarn over. Go into the next Stitch Yarn over. Pull through the stitch. yarn over, pull through the five loops on your hook. A little tip to remember the technique is that with any stitch that you combine together, you skip the last step, the last yarn over before closing the first stitch, and go into the next one. Make your stitch as usual, and in the last step, you include the remaining loops from the step you skipped. I am now going to show you some variations in the places where you can work half double crochet. First, we'll try in the back loop only. This is the strand that is furthest from you if you tilt your project slightly toward you. This will be the strand that is highest in the small braid. You can practice making a few half double crochet in the back loop only of the following stitches. In a pattern, you may see the abbreviation BLO for back loop and it'll be clearly indicated. Whether you will need to follow this instruction throughout the row or just for a few stitches, I'll put the video in. Fast forward, we'll meet up at the end to show you how it looks. You can see that this creates a different texture on the project. Now, let's try in the front loop only this time you'll use the front strand of the small braid, the one closest to you. Don't get mixed up with the posterior one, the third loop. It is really a strand that's right here. You'll see the abbreviation FLO for front loop, and this time it'll make a little line on the other side from the loops we didn't take. And finally, I'm going to show you how to see the posterior loop, which is always on the back of the half double crochet. And it's a good thing when you're working in rows. You turn the project to the other side and you have it right in front of you. So you see the little braid here. The post loop or third loop is just below, so it's the lowest strand. You can insert your hook from the bottom up and make your hdc At the beginning, it can help you to always tilt the project towards you to clearly visualize where your braid is and identify the post loop that is just below. We often use this variation to create a knitted effect. You'll see it at the end of the row, and be careful not to enter the stitch from top to bottom, but really from bottom to top. And at the end of a row, it can be a little tricky to see this loop. Since it's a little stretched, you can rely on the little braid of the front and back loops, and you'll simply go into the strand that's just below. And don't worry if you're having a little trouble locating all this. It's not a technique we often use, but it's good to know how to do it. And you see, when we turn the project. We see our small braid that gives a knitted effect and is very elastic. It's a technique often used for hats or garment edges. Unlike single crochet where there was no space between each stitch, the hdc have a little more height and space available between each one. We can therefore choose to insert our hook between each half double crochet. To create a different effect, you can use your fingers to guide you through inserting your hook into the space created between each stitch. This is a very useful technique if you're using a fur like yarn or a yarn that isn't very well defined, that would prevent you from seeing your stitches clearly. By entering between each of them, it'll be easier to keep the exact number of stitches in each row and it'll look like this another advantage. As you can see, the right and wrong sides look very similar because we've included all the strands. This gives a more uniform and less tight work. And we continue. It's not over yet. We're now going to make a Front Post half double crochet I'll show you how we're going to encompass our stitch. So you make your yarn over and you'll enter from front to back around the next stitch like this, and you make your half double crochet as usual coming out where you entered. So your yarn over will wrap around the hdc from the previous row, which will pops out towards the front of you. Let's try another one. Insert your hook from the front towards the back, and you come out on the other side of the stitch. Yarn over you. Pass through the stitch yarn over. Pull through three loops on the hook. In a pattern, it'll be indicated immediately after the Stitch abbreviation. In this case, the half double crochet. It's a stitch that creates a lot of texture, a good thickness to the project. You'll have to choose to do it on the right side because on the back it's not very pretty to remedy to the situation. You can alternate front post HDC with back post HDC. I'll show you how this time you'll enter your hook from back to front around the next hdc Hold your yarn over firmly with your index finger. Insert your hook from back to front and out the back. Yarn over. Bring it back the way you entered. Reposition yourself. Yarn over and pull through all three loops. The little bump will now be at the back. Let's make a second one. Insert your hook from back to front and out the other side of the stitch. Yarn over. Pull it through. Yarn over. Pull through the loops. It won't look very beautiful on this side, but on the other one, it'll look as if you've made front post HDC by alternating between the two methods. Your project can be reversible and will look just as good on either side. This technique is also used to make borders on hats or clothing. So everything you just learned, all the variations are ways to make our project unique. And this will always be indicated in the patterns. If one of these technique will be used and you've just discovered the versatility of crocheting with just one stitch, simply by changing where you insert your hook, we can create a completely different design. Now, let's practice making a project with half double crochet with the newborn heart. 22. Newborn Hat - PROJECT: Now let's crochet the little baby hat. You'll practice crocheting in the round with half double crochet. You will need about 45 grams of super bulky yarn, a seven millimeter hook, yarn needle, scissors, and a stitch marker. You can start with the technique of your choice. Either by making a slip knot followed by three chains and crocheting round one in the first one you made. Otherwise, the ideal method is to start with the magic ring followed by chain two. Make 10 half double crochet in the magic ring. Reposition your hands often so you can clearly see where to enter. And be careful not to stack the half double crochet one on top of the other, but to place them side by side, the circle will get bigger, but we'll close it at the end. The magic Circle is useful for enlarging the space if needed. Count. If you have correctly made 10 half double crochet, the two chains at the beginning will not count. So your first half double crochet is right here. And what you see before the half double crochet, these are the two chains you made at the beginning. So you can join with a slip stitch in the first half Double crochet you made, located just after the two chains. Tighten the ring by pulling on the starting thread and we'll continue with the second round chain two and increase in each stitch. We'll start by making two half double crochet in the same stitch, the one where you made your slip stitch. Where is right next to the chain two you just made After making your first half double crochet, you can take the opportunity to place the stitch marker on this one. Make your second half double crochet. Still in the same stitch. And continue by making two half double crochet in all the following stitches a I will put the video on. Fast forward, we'll meet again at the end of the round. To count the stitches and know where to join. You should have 20 half double crochet in total from your marker. You can count them. Then you will skip the connecting slip stitch. As we learned in lesson five, which is right here just before the chain 2 you will join with a slip stitch in the first half double crochet where your marker is. So we completely ignore the ch2. They won't count as a stitch. They just add height to begin a round round three, you can Ch2 And now we'll increase every other stitch this time. So make two half double crochet in the same stitch. If you wish, you can place the marker back on the first one and continue by making your second half double crochet in the same stitch. Continue by making one half double crochet only in the next stitch. And repeat this sequence all the way around. Two half double crochet in the next stitch. Followed by one half Double crochet in the next one. You can pause the video we meet again at the end of the round. At the end, you should make one half double crochet in the last stitch and count whether you have made 30 half double crochet in total in the round. You can take advantage of this to analyze a little how to see where are the increases and where there is only one half double crochet in the stitch here we see that in the same space there are two half double crochet inside. This can help you avoid mistakes or spot them more easily, and you can close your third round by making a slip stitch in the first half double crochet where your marker is. Remember to skip the connecting slip stitch and the two chains. Round four will be a simple round. Our circle is large enough to cover a baby's head so you can chain two, then make a half double crochet in the same stitch. Replace your marker if you wish. And work a half double crochet in all following stitches. For a total of 30, you can pause the video. We'll meet for joining the end of the round. You can make a slip stitch in the first half double crochet And as you've learned when working in the round, it tends to close on itself on the wrong side. So just pop it over to clearly see the right side of the half double crochet, and always work from the outside to the inside of the hat. Round five to eight will be identical to the one you just did. They will all be simple rounds and I wanted to give you a little tip. If you are having trouble not entering the joining stitch, just before closing your round, you can place your marker there. When you reach the end of the round, you'll know not to enter that stitch. So I'll show you the instructions for round five to eight and we'll meet at the end of the eighth. One. Your little hat should now look like this. It should be very even, and you should still have 30 stitches, 30 half double crochet in the last round you made here you have the first one, the small circle at the beginning, the second, third, 4, 5, 6, 7, and eight. It's quite easy to count. You can really see the visible bands forming the rounds. The beginning thread should be on the inside and the right side of the half Double crochet on the outside. Now we'll move on to the finishing round. We'll practice making front post half, double crochet and back post half double crochet To form the brim of the hat, you'll start by chain two. And make a front post half double crochet around the same stitch. The first one you see, it's the one immediately after the chain 2 from the previous round. You will insert your hook from front to back around the stitch. Yarn over you, pull through the stitch, yarn over and pull through all three loops. And you will work a back post half double crochet around the next stitch. This time you will insert your hook from the back to the front and bring the hook out to the back to make your yarn over. The little bump is now at the back inside the hat. You will alternate these two stitches to create the ribing, so you make a front post half double crochet, followed by a back post half double crochet in the next stitch, and continue this way all the way around. You can pause the video. I'll let you continue alternating between front post HDC and back post HDC. You should end with a back post. hdc Join as usual with a slip stitch in the first half double crochet that you made. You can enter into both loops as you normally do, and it should look like this. Alternating front and back bump, this tightens the hat a little and makes a kind of elastic band. Well done. You have finished the little hat. You can now cut the thread and secure it. All that's left is to weave in the ends. I'll put the video and fast forward to show you how I do it. As always, there is no exact method as long as your thread is well tucked in the inside and is strong enough not to come out, and it'll be important to weave in the beginning thread that is inside the hat so it doesn't come undone. And that's it. All you have to do is find a baby to give your beautiful hat to join me in the next video to learn the last basic stitches. 23. The Double & Treble Crochet - Part 1: You are now going to learn how to make stitches that will be even higher than the half double crochet. These will be the double crochet and the treble or triple crochet. With your four millimeter hook and the worsted weight yarn, make a starting chain of 10 chains and we'll begin with the double crochet. As with the half double crochet, you will make a yarn over on the hook before entering the chain. And this time you will enter into the fourth chain from the hook. We'll leave three turning chains, which correspond to the height of a double crochet. And a little trick that will help you not lose your yarn is to always place your index finger on it before entering the stitch. Make a yarn over, pull through the chain. Reposition your fingers to clearly see the loops. Yarn over and pull through. Only two loops. Yarn over again and pull through the last two loops, and you have just made a double crochet. It's a little bit higher than the half double crochet since we added a step. We'll do another one Yarn over before entering the next chain. Yarn over, pull through the chain, replace your fingers and yarn over. Pull through only two loops. Yarn over again and pull through the last two loops on the hook. You might find it easier to make a double crochet than a half double crochet since it feels more natural to pull through two loops at a time instead of three At once, continue practicing on all remaining chains. I'll show you the steps on the screen. Since we skipped three chains at the beginning, you'll have a total of seven double crochet in the row, as in the previous lessons, we'll practice row construction with straight edges, which means that our turning chains will count as one stitch, one double crochet. In this case, place your first stitch marker on top of the three chains that we skipped at the beginning. It'll be the small chain right next to the first double crochet you made. Place your second stitch marker on the last double crochet you made. Before continuing with the second row, let's look at the anatomy of the double crochet. From the bottom, you see the small V with a cross line on top, like the half double crochet. But on top of it you see another small V appear. and above As with any crochet stitch, you have the two loops where you will enter the next row. And if we look at the back of the Double Crochet, it looks like this. There is no third loop or post loop that we had when we made the half double crochet So it's very rare that we'll work on other strands than the front and back loops as you're used to do. Since the stitch is higher, you have much more space between each one. This makes very airy projects where you can see through. So we finished with the anatomy of the double crochet. We'll continue with the second row. You can make three chains, which corresponds to the height of one double crochet turn. In this case. Given that turning chains count as a stitch, you will make the first double crochet in the next stitch. The one that comes right after the marker, you yarn over, enter the stitch into both loops. Yarn over, pulled through the stitch yarn over, pulled through two loops and yarn over and pull through the last two loops. If you wish, you can transfer your marker to the third chain that you made just before the first double crochet and continue by making a double crochet in each of the following stitches always working through both loops. You can pause the video. We'll meet at the end of the row. And the last double crochet will be where your marker is on top of chain three from the previous row. Again, you should have seven double crochet plus your chain three. Let's practice with one more row. You can chain three. And just a quick note, some patterns may tell you to chain two instead of chain three in a double crochet row. This will be a purely aesthetic choice because the double crochet is located between two or three chain stitches, so you can choose either one if you think it looks good. Visually, the important thing will be to maintain the same technique throughout the project. So after making your chains, you turn and you're going to make your first double crochet in the next stitch. So not in the same stitch, which would be your last double crochet of the previous row, but in the following one. If you're not yet comfortable enough to visually locate the stitches, you can always use your stitch marker. And continue making double crochet in each of the following stitches, ending at the top of chain three from the previous row and the last one on top of ch3 Let's count the rows together. Now we've made three rows with double crochet stitches. It's very easy to see thanks to the small spaces between each double crochet stitch. And when we look at the back, it looks like this. The double crochet stitches look quite similar from both the front and back. I am now going to show you how to make the treble or triple crochet, which will be a stitch that is even higher than the double crochet. To begin the row, you can chain four, which corresponds more or less to the height of the treble Crochet Turn. And this time you will make two yarn overs on your hook, so you wrap the yarn twice around before entering the next stitch. Even if you go into the wrong stitch, it's okay. We're just practicing. So as usual, you yarn over, pass through the stitch, yarn over, you will pull through two loops, yarn over two loops, and finally yarn over. And you pull through the last two loops. So you see it's the same concept. We go through the stitch and then we yarn over and always go through two loops at a time. It really makes a long, airy stitch so you can practice in the next stitch. Make two yarn overs. Go into the stitch, yarn over, pull through the stitch, yarn over, pull through two loops, and repeat two more times. And the same principle can be used indefinitely to make even longer stitches. For example, you could make a double treble crochet. You would make three yarn overs on the hook enter the stitch yarn over, pull through the stitch, and then yarn over, pull through two loops as many time until there is only one loop left on your hook. The double or treble crochet is often used to make cables, bags, clothes that are truly see-through. And like the half double crochet. You could make half treble crochet, half double treble crochet to add that little third loop, which can be very useful for varying textures. The same principle will apply when you reach the step where you have three loops left on the hook. Here you will work into these three loops. You will therefore skip the last step of the regular treble crochet. In the next video, we'll practice making the second method of row construction with double crochet. 24. The Double & Treble Crochet - Part 2: This time let's practice making rows of double crochet stitches with the second undefined edge method. With the seven millimeter hook and super bulky yarn, make a starting chain of nine chains. This time yarn over before entering the fourth chain from the hook. Yarn over, pulled through the chain, replace your fingers, yarn over, pulled through Only two loops. Yarn over. Pull through the last two loops on the hook and continue in this way in all the following chains. Since we started with nine chains, we skipped three. You should have made six double crochet in total in row one. They are very easy to count because of their height and the spaces between each one. And what you see here is the right side of the double crochet. And when you turn over to the other side, you see them from the back. And just before continuing the second row, you can place your stitch markers on the first and last double crochet you made. You can follow the first double crochet with your eyes and place your marker on the small braid that is just above it. And the second easier one in the last stitch you made, you can chain three turn. And this time the turning chains do not count as a double crochet, so you will start in the same stitch. The last double crochet you made is where your marker is. Yarn over enter into both loops of the stitch. Yarn over. Pull through the stitch yarn over, pull through two loops and yarn over two loops, and continue practicing by making double crochet in all the following stitches. You can pause the video, we'll meet again at the end of the row. And the last stitch will be where your marker is. In the one just before the turning chains, you should have, once again six double crochet in row two. So at the very end you have your turning chains, which don't count, and your six double crochet. Let's continue with the third row. You can chain three. Turn. If you need the marker, use it. Otherwise, try to do it visually so you make the first double crochet in the same stitch the one immediately after the turning chains and continue making a double crochet in the next five stitches. And don't work into the chains, which are here. We leave them alone. So this is how we construct rows of double crochet with undefined edge. It'll be ideal to add a border if you're working on a project using this method. Now let's look at the different variations we can make with the double crochet. 25. The Double & Treble Crochet - Variations: Now let's look at the different variations we can make with a double crochet first to make an increase. As with all stitches, you make two double crochet in the same stitch. To decrease Now you still have the option of skipping a stitch, but here's how to combine two double crochet together. You yarn over, you insert the hook into the next stitch. Yarn over. Pull through the stitch yarn over, pull through two loops, and stop there. So we always stop at the last step of the stitch to combine two. You will make a yarn over. You enter the next stitch. Yarn over, pull through the stitch yarn over, pull through two loops, and finally you yarn over and you pull through all three loops on the hook. You have just combined two double crochet. Let me show you how to do it again In a pattern, you'll see the abbreviation DC two together. You might also see DC decrease. And the same principle applies to all other stitches. The treble crochet, the double treble crochet, At the last step of the first stitch, you stop and go into the next stitch to make the second one. And complete the two stitches together at the last step. You can make double crochet in the back loop only, just like with all the other stitches. It's the same principle. This is the strand furthest from you, and this will always be indicated in a pattern when to do it. This will give you a small line on the front of your project. Working in the front loop only will be made in the strand closest to you. And this time the small line will be on the back of your project. You could also as with half double crochet, make double crochet between the stitches in the spaces located between each of them. This makes a project a little thicker, more stretchy, and above all reversible. Once again, as with half double crochet, you could make front post double crochet. So after making your yarn over. You insert your hook from front to back and bring it out to the front. You make a yarn over, pull through the stitch yarn over two loops and yarn over two loops, so your stitch is really around the stitch of the previous row, and that creates a raised effect that is in front of you at the front of your project. This will give you texture at the front of your project, but at the back it won't look very nice. We can therefore alternate between the front and back post double crochet, which I'm showing you now. This time after making your yarn over. You will insert the hook from back of the project to the front and bring your hook out from the back to wrap around the stitch. You make a yarn over, you pull through the stitch yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over two loops. And the texture is now found on the back. As with half double crochet, we'll use the front post and back post double crochet to create borders or patterns, and know that all these variations can be made with the treble crochet, double treble crochet, et cetera. We'll now practice with the following project. 26. The Headband - PROJECT: Let's practice double crochet stitches With the headband, it's easily adjustable both in width and length. You will need approximately 45 grams of super bulky yarn, a seven millimeter hook, yarn needle, scissors, stitch marker, and a measuring tape. Start by making a slip knot, followed by a starting chain of 10 chains. Make a double crochet in the fourth chain from the hook. And make a double crochet in the next six chains. You should have a total of seven double crochet, plus your three turning chains. If you would like a wider headband, you could make a starting chain with one or two additional chains. For row two, you will ch three turn and we'll make our double crochet between the stitches of the previous row. So where are the spaces between the double crochet And continue by making one double crochet between all the following stitches. And the last double crochet will be in the space between the turning chains and the first double crochet of row one. You should once again have made seven double crochet, so we have the turning chains here and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and seven. Since it's a little difficult to go wrong, given that we're really going into spaces very visible. The stitch marker won't really be necessary, but feel free to use it if you prefer to. The following rows will all be identical to what you just did. You will ch three turn and make a double crochet Between all the following stitches, you will always have seven. Double crochet in total, plus your three turning chains. And you will repeat this row until your headband measures 19 inches long or 48 centimeters. See you in a few minutes. Once you have completed all your rows and you have a length of 19 inches, you can cut the yarn leaving a good length and secure it. And to close the headband, we will sew the last row onto the foundation chain. Insert the end thread into your your needle. Align the two parts and begin sewing from the end where your thread is. Visually Start on the chain that appears closest to the edge and enter the double crochet braid that is right next to the knot. And exit through the next chain stitch. You are entering the bottom loop. You left free from the foundation chain and continue. You enter from front to back into the next stitch, and you exit through the next chain stitch. To properly attach the two parts together. And you'll see that it's really not a big deal. If you have a little difficulty seeing which stitch goes with which one, we will all hide it afterward. The important thing is to sew the two parts together properly. It should look like this. Next, you are going to pinch this part like this towards the inside of the headband, and we're going to sew this part together so that the headband keeps this shape. There is no specific technique. You can do whatever you want as long as it holds well. Make sure your seam is about an inch wide and centered on the headband junction. Well done. You have now finished. You can weave all your ends for the final step. Make sure to tuck them in, obviously inside the headband. You can enter any strand you see that will be hidden by your head as long as the thread is secure, and that's all. This is an easy, quick pattern to make, and above all, very customizable. Remove or add chain stitches to your foundation chain to modify the width and remove or add rows to modify its length. You could also leave it unpinched in the middle for a very flat headband. In the next lesson, we'll combine everything you've learned. 27. Mix Stitches: In the last lessons, you learned how to make a single crochet, a half double crochet. A double crochet. A half treble crochet. A treble crochet? And even a double treble crochet. Basically, all crochet projects are made from these stitches. The different styles, patterns and textures are created either with a combination of these or a different way of picking up the yarn or where the hook enters. The movement will always remain the same. Insert our yarn into a loop. So yes, after this crochet class, you will be able to follow any pattern and even try creating your own projects. The degree of difficulty will depend on the level of concentration required and the ability to recognize stitches. The first example I'm going to show you is a combination of single crochet and double crochet worked alternately. Some call it the lemon peel stitch or seed stitch. The names aren't important. You'll always be told the steps in a pattern, not just the name of a stitch, since there is no official nomenclature for all the combinations. So we'll practice together. You can make a starting chain of ten chains. We'll start by making a single crochet in the third chain from the hook. The two skipped chains will count as a double crochet. Next, you'll make a double crochet in the next chain. A single crochet in the next chain, followed by a double crochet in the next one. And continue alternating single crochet and double crochet in the following chains. You should finish with a double crochet at the end of the row. This combination creates a fairly opaque fabric, and the stitches are not very well defined because a double crochet is somewhat sandwiched between the single crochet stitches. And on the next row, we will make sure to work single crochet onto the double crochet and the double crochet onto the single crochet of the previous row. So you can chain one since we finished with a double crochet, so that will correspond to a single crochet on it, you can turn you will make a double crochet in the next stitch, which is right here. It happens to be a single crochet from the previous root. You can recognize it because it's a little lower. Here, we use the straight edge method. So be careful not to make your first stitch in the same stitch, but rather in the next one, which is here. So you make a double crochet in this one, and you continue alternating a single crochet in the next stitch and a double crochet in the next one, and so on. A single crochet followed by a double crochet. And And you will finish with a single crochet on top of chain two, the two chains that we skipped in a row one. It should look like this. The double crochet are found on the single crochet on the double crochet stitches of the previous row. You can practice for an additional row. Since we finished with a single crochet, you can chain two which correspond to a double crochet, turn, and you will do a single crochet in the next stitch in the last double crochet you made on the previous roof. And don't hesitate to use your stitch markers if you are still having trouble knowing which stitches next. Then you will make a double crochet in the next stitch, and you will continue alternating single crochet, double crochet in the following stitches. And you will finish with a double crochet in the chain one of the previous row. And that's what the lemon zest stitch looks like. Many people use it for items that they don't want to show through, such as hats, scarves, cushions, bags, clothes, anything. And it has the advantage of being reversible. Both sides look very similar. Let's try the bubble stitch now, which will consist of four double crochet worked together in the same stitch. It will make a little ball sticking out of the project. We'll practice on the same switch. So you could make chain one. Turn. And in the next stitch, we're going to combine four double crochet together. So you make a yarn over, insert your hook into the next stitch. Yarn over pass through the stitch. Yarn over, pull through two loops only and stop there. It's a bit like the double crushet decrease. You yarn over, go into the same Stitch. Yan over, pass through the stitch. Yarn over, pull through only two loops, and you step there. You repeat this two more times. Always in the same Stitch. At the end, you yarn over and you pull through all five loops on your hook. This will create your little bubble stitch, and to make it stand out as much as possible, you can make a single crochet in the next ditch, making sure that you pop your bubble stitch on the correct side, the one facing you. This is a really interesting stitch. It adds a lot of texture, and it can be done with a different number of double crochet inside to create a more or less voluminous effect. We can make a second one. So you make a yarn over, you enter the next stitch, Yarn over pass through the stitch, Yarn over two loops. Stop there and repeat this three more times. Uh And finally, you yarn over and pull through all five loops on your hook. Put it out towards you and make your single crochet in the next stitch and make sure it's very tight. So you've learned that you can combine several stitches to create different textures. Have fun creating all sorts of shapes and patterns. There are no rules in crochet. As long as it's beautiful and to your liking, it works. Join me to complete the last project of the course, while you will learn a new stitch combination. Oh 28. The Washcloth - PROJECT: Welcome to the last project of the course. Besides being a practical project that makes a great gift, you will learn my favorite stitch combination, the ustich. We will alternate single crochet with chain stitches. It's a reversible combination, quick to crochet and doesn't require a lot of concentration. This creates a fairly flexible fabric, so it's ideal for scarves, blankets and clothing. To crochet your washcloth, you will need about 30 grams of worsted weight cotton yarn, a four millimeter crochet hook, a yarn needle, scissors, and a stitch marker if needed. Start by making a slip nut and chain 33. Make a single crochet in the third chain from the hook. Then chain one, you will skip a chain of the foundation chain and you will make a single crochet in the next one. And you repeat this all the way down your starting chain. You chain one, you skip one chain, and you make a single crochet in the next one. I'll let you continue. We meet at the end of the row. You should finish with a single crochet in the last chain. And it should look like this. You should have a total of 31 stitches plus your two turning chains. And you should see 16 single crochet in row one. The chain between each of the single crochet will create small spaces where we will work in the next row. If you would like to use your stitch marker, you can place it in the space between the two chains that we skipped at the beginning and the first single crochet. It's not super obvious to see, but don't worry, even if you don't put it in the right place, everything will fall into place on the second row. And place the second marker in the space of the last chain that you made, which is right here. And we will continue with the second row. Chain two, turn, and you're going to make the first single crochet in the space of the last chain you made, where your marker is. You see it creates a small hole. So this is really where you need to go. Then make a chain followed by a single crochet in the next chain one space. Chain one. And if you want, you can place your Stitch Marker in the space between turning chains and your first single crochet. This time, it's easier to see. And you continue after making your chain one, you're going to make a single crochet in the next chain one space, and you repeat this all the way through. Chain one, single crochet in next chain one space. This role will require a little concentration, but after that, you will see super easy. You won't even have to wonder where to insert the hook, and don't hesitate to use your fingers to properly guide you to locate the space, which is between each single crochet stitch. It should look like this so far. Your single crochet are now between the single crochet of row one. I'll let you continue. We'll meet at the end of the row. So at the end, after making your chain, you will make the last single crochet in the chain to space. I know it's not easy to see, but if you insert your hook at the end like this, it should be in the right place. The hardest part is over. Now you're going to have fun starting with the next row. You should once again have a total of 31 stitches plus the two turning chains, and you should have made 16 single crochet. No. All subsequent rows will be identical. You will chain two, turn, make a single crochet in the first chain one space, which is right here, and you will see the hook will enter by itself in this space. Don't forget to chain one after and then continue with a single crochet in the next space. Chain one, single crochet in the next space until the end. Once you get used to this technique, your brain can really relax until the end of the project. And if you happen to forget to make a chain between two single crochet, don't unravel your project. It really won't be noticeable. You'll just have to work between the two single crochet and the next rope. I'll let you get to work. We'll meet at the end. You will finish with a single crochet in the chain to space of the previous rob, which is right here. It's a little easier to find this time. Before continuing with the following rows, I'm going to show you how to count them. It's quite easy. You see the single crochet stitches form small V shapes. Those in the first row are a little flattened, but the others are very clear. You can see them very well. So each row of small V shaped stitches correspond to one row. Up to now, we've done three, and it's just as easy to count them from the other side because this stitch is reversible. The following rows will all be identical to this one. You will go up to Road 26, and I'll put the instructions on the screen. You can pause the video. We'll meet at the end of Road 26 to do the last step of our project. And if you still need help, you can simply go back to review row three. See you soon. After your 26th row, it should look like this. Don't worry if you made one more or one less row. It won't be noticeable at all. Your wash cut should be square and measure approximately 6.5 ". Replace your hook in the loop. We're going to crochet a small loop at the end of the washcloth. You can make ten chains. Then make a slip stitch at the base of your last single crochet you made. And that's it. You can leave a good length of yarn so you can properly tuck it in and cut it. Secure the thread by pulling it into the loop. I'll show you the video in fast forward to demonstrate how to weave in the beginning and end threads. As long as you do it on the same side, you can choose the one you like best and weave in the ends behind. And that's it. You finish your washcloth. If you'd like to make a larger one in the future, you'll just have to add chains to your starting chain as long as the total number is odd, and you'll add rose. Join me now in the last lesson where you will learn to read any written pattern. Yeah. 29. Read a Crochet Pattern: Welcome to the very last lesson of the course. Knowing how to read a crochet pattern is essential if you want to be able to reproduce something created by a crochet designer. Even if at first glance it seems difficult to understand, you will be perfectly capable of following ones since you are already familiar with all the terms thanks to the small projects we did together. So we're going to break down the general anatomy of a pattern using the course projects document. The layout of patterns from designers may be different, but the basic structure remains the same. So once you have followed one pattern, you can easily follow others. On the first page, you should clearly see what you're going to crochet and also the required skill level. As I mentioned in the previous lesson, nothing is really very complicated and crochet. The movement remains always the same only you will need more or less concentration and experience to correctly recognize the stitches. All projects are within your reach. Now that you know all the basics, the next page is really important because it will tell you the materials you will need, as well as all the abbreviations for the stitches used in the pattern. So even if a term is slightly different from what you are used to, the explanation of the stitch or the abbreviation will always be indicated here. There will also be instructions regarding certain rules to use throughout the pattern. In this case, I indicate that all stitches will be crocheted through both loops unless otherwise indicated. In some patterns, they may indicate whether the turning chain count in the tall stitches for the row or not. Everything will be specified on this page. You will also have the gauge for most patterns. This is a sample to make to get the same result, the same measurements as the person who wrote the pattern. The general rule is to make a ten by ten centimeter square or four by 4 ". Most people ignore this information because it involves an extra step before starting the project. I would tell you that it is very important to do this if you are crocheting clothes, slippers, or larger items because a small difference can result in a disappointing outcome, and you certainly wouldn't want to have to start all over again. But for small crochet projects, I like to provide a mini sample that's super quick to make, which will give you an idea if your yarn and your hook will be suitable for the project. If your gauge swatch is smaller than the given measurements, you can use a bigger hook or a thicker yarn or looser tension. And if your gauge is bigger, you can use a smaller hook, a thinner yarn, or use a tighter tension. Now it's time to read a pattern. You'll see it's easy because you already know the abbreviations and rules to follow. If more than one crochet hook is used in the pattern, it will be indicated, and the color of yarn to use will also be specified. It will always start with the foundation chain. So you will see here the number of chains to make to begin. 16 chains here in this example. Row one, you will make a single crochet in the third chain from the hook and a single crochet in each of the next 13 chains for a total of 14 stitches. I like it when patterns include the total number of stitches in each row, so you can be sure you've done it right. You see that I wrote to turn at the end of the row, whereas in the lessons I had you turn after making the turning chain, I find it easier for you to know that you have to turn at the end of the row and not continue in the round. And at the beginning of the next row, you easily know how many chains there will be necessary to do. And the additional instructions will be written after the pattern. Let's now take a look at the instructions for a project with a lot of color changes. To simplify the writing, you will often be given a rule to follow throughout the project or part of it. Here, I wrote that all the stitches will be single crushing. So I can simply specify the color code used after the number of stitches without repeating that they are single crochet. So you will start with the contrasting color by making a foundation chain of 15. Then row one, you will make a single crochet in the second chain from the hook and a single crochet in a contrasting color in the next 13 chains. Row two, specified that the technique used is the one where you start the row in the same stitch. This greatly simplifies the reading of pixelated graphs. You simply have to follow the sequence of small squares that correspond each to a single crochet. And since we turn the project at each row, the graph will be read in the direction the row number begins, regardless of whether you are right or left handed. So for example, row two will be read from this side and row three from this one, and so on. The one in the example is symmetrical, but that's good to know for more complex designs. So if we go back to the written pattern on row three, after making your chain, you would make two single crochet in the neutral color. At the second one, you would make the color change in the last step as you learned and then repeat three times what is in parenthesis. That is a single crochet in contrasting color in the next two stitches, followed by a single crochet in neutral color in the next two stitches. And we repeat this three times in total. You can see parenthesis and also brackets, which often include a longer instruction and which can also contain other parenthesis. You have to pay attention to follow the sequence correctly. So when it says, repeat what's between the brackets three more times, it means that in total will have done it four times. Was when it only says times three, it means three times in total. It's a small subtlety that's often found in patterns. It's important to understand the chosen words. You will also often have pictures linked to certain instructions to help you visualize them better. I like to put them on the next page identified by letters. Now let's look at a pattern for a round project. This time, we will use the term round instead of row to indicate that we will crochet without turning after the row. This will also indicate which technique we will use the closed rounds by joining with a slip stitch at the end of each one, as in this case, or if it will be in continuous round, as in the following project where we don't want to see a scene joining the rounds, especially when making little stuffed animals or amigum. And you have the choice of starting either with a foundation chain of two or a magic ring followed by a chain. In this example on round one, you will make six single crochet in the second chain from the hook if you started with a foundation chain. Otherwise, it will be in the magic ring. And in this case, we'll join at the end with a slip stitch into the beginning chain. You'll notice that it doesn't say to turn at the end of the round. You continue round two in the same direction. You always crochet on the same side. In round three, you see a sequence in parenthesis that will need to be repeated six times in total. And if there is a term you don't recognize, you can check the first page of abbreviation to find out what it is. In this example, RSC will need reverse single crochet. And since it's not so common to use this technique, a picture with an explanation can refresh your memory. The next project will be worked in continuous rounds, so it will be indicated. And if it's less confusing for you to close your rounds at the end of each one, I've written how to do. You'll notice that here the text is less dense than the previous one. When crocheting things in three dimensions, it will often be done with only single crochet stitches. So a bit like with the color change project, we will simplify the instructions. Instead of writing two single crochet in the next stitch, we will simply write the increases abbreviation. And instead of writing SC two together, we will write the decrease abbreviation. Also, instead of writing one single crochet in the next two stitches, we'll simply write two SC. So when you see that the pattern uses the terms increase or decrease, everything is simplified. It's important to understand that the number before the abbreviation of the single crochet is the number of stitches to be worked individually and not 24 single crochet in the same stitch. And even sometimes we'll just write a single number, but you'll know that they are all single crochet stitches. Another particular thing in the patterns concerning the different sizes. When the measurement of a length is important, we can write the rows in this way, row two, two, three dots to indicate to continue up to a certain length. So the number of row won't matter, but the measurement taken by your measuring tape will be. For slippers or clothing patterns, there are several sizes. For example, here, there are four sizes from small to extra large. Therefore, the instructions will be different for each of these shoe sizes. Often to simplify the notation, again, the differences will be in parenthesis. Here you will make half double crochet in the next five chains if you have chosen to make the small size in the seven chains for medium, nine for large, and 11 for large. Throughout the pattern, we will indicate in parenthesis the number of extra stitches to make for each size. You will therefore only follow the number of the chosen shoe size. Some will use a different color to help you avoid making a mistake. Depending on the shoe size, you will work more or fewer rows. It may be indicated this way. Rows seven to 34 for the small size and up to 40 for the large size. And it will be the same for the mensa sizes, which are right next to them. I think I've pretty much covered the specifics of written patterns. The designers goal is to make it as clear as possible for you while maintaining a readable and uncluttered structure. Don't hesitate to write to them if you don't understand an instruction. Usually, they are here to help you. As for me, I'm always happy to help you if you need it in one of my pattern, and it helps me improve my work to offer you patterns that are easy to follow. Perhaps you've gotten used to following video patterns by now, but challenge yourself to follow one just by reading it. You'll be proud of yourself and you'll gain confidence. It's now time to dive into the world of crochet. See you in the next video for the final words. Thank you. 30. Final Words: Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your Krusha journey. I hope you had fun. I can't wait to see pictures of the small projects I propose. If you'd like to share them with me, feel free to contact me by email or by tagging me on my social networks. If you enjoy this course and my style of roche creations, you can find my collection of roche classes and modern patterns on my website. I have a ton of new ideas. I can't wait to share with you. You can subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date and be informed about current promotions. And you know what? You're no longer beginner. Now you have all the basic knowledge you need to be able to crochet whatever you want and continue to learn other kinds of stitches and variation of techniques. Go shop your yarns and your patterns. There's a whole creative world that just opened up to you. And finally, I wish you a lot of crochet in your life au revoir.