What Do You Need to Crochet?

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Must-Have Crochet Beginner Supplies

One of the best parts about crochet is that you only absolutely need five things to crochet. Here are the essential crochet beginner supplies so you can get crocheting right away!

1. Crochet Hooks

A crochet hook is an essential tool for crocheting. A crochet hook (also called a crochet needle) is a special tool that has a u-shaped curve at the end.

Crochet hooks are what allow you to crochet by pulling yarn (or other materials) through loops to make stitches. Hooks can be made of aluminum, bamboo, wood, plastic, steel or other materials. For beginners, aluminum hooks are ideal as the yarn slides smoothly.

Regular crochet hooks range from 2.25 mm (or a size B/1 in US sizing) all the way to up to 30 mm (or T/X in US Sizing). Read my Complete Guide to Crochet Hook Sizes & Chart.

The most commonly used hooks, especially for beginners are aluminum hooks in sizes D – 3.125 mm through K – 6.50 mm. These 8 sizes are so popular that many companies offer a crochet hook set that includes these sizes.

Crochet hook sets are relatively inexpensive (around $10 – $15 USD). I recommend beginners invest in a hook set so you practice with different hook sizes.

I personally use Simplicity Aluminum Crochet Hooks and they offer this Crochet Hook Set for the most commonly used sizes (3.125 mm – 6.50 mm or D / K). I purchased a similar set when I first started crocheting and have never had to replace them! As I gained more experience, I added to my crochet hook collection with smaller and larger hooks but to this day, I use these hook sizes for the majority of my crochet projects.

2. Yarn

The next thing you will need as you learn how to crochet is yarn. Technically, you an crochet with other material such as thread but for a beginner, yarn is best. The price of yarn depends on the brand, quality and size. A skein (a ball of yarn) typically ranges from $2 USD (from the dollar store) to $15 USD for a jumbo skein that you can use to make a whole blanket.

Yarn comes in different weights based on the thickness of the strand (not the weight of the skein/ball). There are 8 different yarn weights. Learn more about each size/weight in my full guide to Yarn Weights and Types/Sizes.

For beginners, I recommend starting with a size 4 (medium) yarn. This yarn is often called worsted weight is the most popular yarn size with tons of beginner-friendly patterns. If you are wanting to make a baby blanket right away, you may want to get a size 3 (light) yarn, which is another good yarn weight for beginners.

3. Scissors

The third must-have item for crocheting is a pair of scissors. Technically, you can use everyday scissors to cut your yarn but as you do more and more crocheting, you may notice that your everyday scissors aren’t cutting it – pun intended!

You may want to invest in sewing / yarn scissors to properly cut your yarn like these extra-sharp scissors.

4. Yarn Needle

And lastly, when you are finished your project, you’ll need to weave in all your loose ends. The way you can do this is with a yarn needle. A yarn needle looks like a sewing needle but is larger to easily fit the yarn through the eye. Here are some great yarn needles.

5. Measuring Tape

Technically you can crochet an entire crochet project without a measuring tape but if you are going to check your gauge (which I highly recommend you do and learn right away) or check your size at any point, you’ll want a measuring tape.

I recommend a soft measuring tape like this measuring tape as many crochet projects have curves.

With these five items you can officially start crocheting! You only need a hook, yarn, scissors, a needle and a measuring tape to complete a crochet project from beginning to end. That’s one of the benefits of crocheting – it is very portable!

When it comes time to take your crochet to the next level, here are some very helpful supplies (that I wish I had sooner!):

Helpful Crochet Supplies

1. Crochet Hook Case

A crochet hook case can keep your hooks, yarn needle and scissors together in one place. They are very handy for travelling and keeps everything organized. Mine rarely leaves my side! There are lots of different types but I recommend one with a zipper pouch like this crochet hook case to keep things like stitch markers (more about these little guys below) secure.

2. Stitch Markers

As you learn how to crochet, stitch markers can be your best friend. You can use them to help you keep track of where you are in a row and to ensure you start and end in the right place. You can also put one every 20 stitches or so as you make your first blanket to help you count your stitches. Many designs will indicate where to place a stitch marker so you’ll want to have some stitch markers on hand.

You can purchase stitch markers like these stitch markers or you can use safety pins, paper clips or different colored yarn.

3. Blocking Materials

Blocking a crochet project helps the stitches settle, stops the corners from curling and properly shapes your finished item.

There many ways to block your crochet project including steam, mist and wet blocking. I mist block almost all of my projects as it’s generally the safest blocking technique.

Depending on which blocking technique you use, you may need some new supplies.

For mist blocking, you’ll need a spray bottle to mist, blocking mats and rust-proof pins. Trust me on the importance of rust-proof. There’s nothing worse than having a gorgeous new white blanket that now have rust stains where all the pins were!

4. Wool Jeanie

This Wool Jeanie is incredible. I use mine every single day. It keeps the skein from rolling around, keeps your tension perfect and fits many different size skeins. It’s quiet, there are no batteries required and it’s very easy to change out the skeins.

You can crochet so much faster with it because your yarn is always available without all the tugging. The extensive number of 5 star reviews it has received can confirm that this is a complete game changer! The Wool Jeanie is available from AllClassicGifts’s shop on Etsy.

5. Kitchen Scale

As you get working on more and more projects, you’ll often wonder if you have enough yarn for a project. It’s easy to tell if you have a full skein because the yardage is listen on the yarn label. But once you’ve used a little bit of that skein, unless you want to unwind all the yarn and measure yard by yard, you’ll need a kitchen scale to find out how much yarn is left on the skein.

For a kitchen scale, I recommend a digital scale like this kitchen scale. With a scale and your yarn label, you can now use this handy yarn weight calculator to help you determine how many yards of yarn are left on your skein.

6. Swatch Ruler and Needle Gauge

Another tool I absolutely could not live without is this Cover Swatch Ruler and Needle Gauge. I use this to check the gauge of all my projects.

This tool will help you count the number of stitches and rows in a 4″ area, which is the most common gauge swatch area. Learn more in my Guide to Crochet Gauge.

The same tool includes a middle piece that you can use to find out your crochet hook size.

There are small holes along the sides and your hook will only fit properly into the correct size. This tool is very useful if your hook size label rubs off!

7. Row / Stitch Counter

Keeping track of which row or stitch you are on can be challenging. Luckily, there are brilliant people in the world who make products to help us solve our problems such as the makers of this Row / Stitch Counter.

This Row / Stitch Counter is quiet, there are no batteries requires and you can wear it around your neck.

8. Rotary Cutter & Cutting Mat

When you want to add fringe or tassels to your project, like in this Simple Scarf Crochet Pattern, it can be challenging to get the fringe / tassels completely even and straight.

Rotary cutter and cutting mat to the rescue! I explain how to cut the ends with this cool technique in my Guide to Adding Fringe / Tassels.

9. Crochet Books

When learning how to crochet, there are books such this Crochet Stitch Dictionary that you may find helpful. Another book that I have really enjoyed and refer to all the time for new ideas is Crochet Every Which Way.

10. Crochet Patterns

And finally, you’ll want some good crochet patterns! Fortunately, many patterns are 100% free like my free crochet patterns. Or, you can purchase print-ready, ad-free versions of the pattern as PDFs that you can save, print and keep forever. My PDF crochet patterns are available in my shop.

Here are some pattern collections that are good to get started: