• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

EasyCrochet.com

Search
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact Us
    • Crochet for Charity
    • Pattern FAQs
  • Beginners
    • How to Begin
    • Beginner’s Guide to Crochet
    • Crochet Abbreviations
    • Crochet Hook Sizes
    • Stitch Tutorials
    • Crochet Classroom
    • Product Recommendations
  • Free Crochet Patterns
    • All Free Crochet Patterns
    • Pattern Tag Search
    • Crochet Headwear
    • Crochet Scarves
    • Crochet Blankets
    • Crochet Baby Blankets
    • Crochet Home Décor
    • Crochet Clothing
    • Crochet Roundups
  • Tools
    • Striped Pattern Generator
    • Blanket Resizing Calculator
    • Yarn Substitution
    • Yarn Remaining in Skein
    • Project Yardage Calculator
  • Videos
  • Pattern Shop
  • Deals
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Home » Free Crochet Patterns » What is Crochet?

What is Crochet?

Updated January 27, 2021 by Krista Cagle Leave a Comment Advertiser Disclosure
  Skip to Pattern

Pin
Pin it
Learn all about what crochet is below!

You may have heard of the term crochet or even seen a garment or accessory labeled as crochet. But what exactly is crochet?

What Is the Definition of Crochet?

Crochet is an art that uses a crochet hook and fiber such as yarn, thread or even twine to create crocheted fabric.

Crochet creates fabric by interlocking loops of yarn with a crochet hook. This process can be used to make crochet projects such as blankets, scarves, hats and more.

Crochet is a word that comes from an old French word, croche which means hook or hooked.

How Do I Crochet?

As a beginner crocheter, first you will need two basic items to start crocheting ; a crochet hook and yarn. Learn more about the fundamentals of crochet below.

Crochet Basics:

First, you will want to get to know the different weights of yarns, brands and fiber contents that make up yarn you can crochet with.

Different Yarn Fibers:

  • Natural Fibers: fibers that occur naturally in the environment
    • Wool
    • Cotton
    • Mohair
    • Silk
    • Bamboo
    • Banana Fiber
  • Synthetic Fibers: manufactured fiber that is not found naturally
    • Nylon
    • Polyester
    • Acrylic

Each type of fiber has their perks. Synthetic fibers are cheaper since they are manufactured and natural fibers are environmentally friendly since they are naturally found.

Crochet Hooks:

Next you will need a crochet hook that corresponds to the yarn that you have chosen. Crochet hooks come in a variety of materials and sizes. Learn more about the materials used to make crochet hooks and sizes in the link above.

Lastly you will need to learn basic crochet stitches and become familiar with holding your hook and yarn.

Beginner Crochet Stitches:

  • chain stitch
  • single crochet
  • half double crochet
  • double crochet

Once you master the crochet basics list above you will have a good understanding of what crochet is. You can now look for a pattern to work up and even move on to more complicated stitch patterns if desired.

What is the Difference Between Knitting and Crocheting?

You may have heard the term knit and crochet used interchangeably, but they are actually two very different fiber crafts.

The first difference is that crocheting uses one crochet hook and knitting uses a pair of knitting needles.

The second is that crochet closes a stitch before it starts the next stitch while knitting keeps the stitches opened on the needle. (There are some special occasions that stitches will remain open in crochet such as with Tunisian crochet for example.)

Crochet and knit projects also have a different look to do them when worked up in projects. You can usually easily spot the difference between a knit piece and a crochet piece just by looking at the way the stitches are laying and worked up. Take a look at the picture above.

What to Crochet – Free Crochet Pattern

Now that you have learned the basics of crochet you may be wondering what you can make with crochet. Below are a variety of free crochet patterns you can browse through.

If you are a beginner I recommended reading through my beginner guides on crochet then starting with the Easy Crochet beginner-friendly crochet scarf before taking a look at the list below.

  • Josie Chunky Crochet Scarf Pattern
  • Ombre Classic Crochet Blanket Pattern
  • Crochet Weighted Blanket using Bernat Blanket Extra
  • Falling In Crochet Blanket Pattern
  • 6 Must Make Pocket Shawl Crochet Patterns
  • The Andy Crochet Throw Blanket
  • Emily Chunky Crochet Blanket Pattern
  • Granny Stitch Ripple Blanket Baby Pattern
  • Finley Crochet Baby Blanket
  • Crochet Shawl With Pockets Free Pattern
  • Ombre Crochet Neck Warmer Cowl Pattern
  • Williams Puff Cowl Crochet Pattern
  • Crochet Scarves to Make for Christmas
what is crochet

Filed Under: Beginner Guides, Crochet Tutorials, Free Crochet Patterns

I hope you stop back again soon!

Krista

You can follow along with me and Easy Crochet on Pinterest (I pin daily), Facebook and Instagram. We are always posting about our lastest creations. Thanks for stopping by!

Related Patterns

Josie Chunky Crochet Scarf Pattern

Ombre Classic Crochet Blanket Pattern

Easy Crochet Baby Blanket with Ripples

Falling In Crochet Blanket Pattern

Previous Post: « Free Cotton Yarn Crochet Patterns
Next Post: Crochet Weighted Blanket using Bernat Blanket Extra »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

Stay in the Loop!

Sign up to be notified as our new patterns are released!

Thank you for subscribing!

Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in excerpt

Hi! I'm Krista.

I love crocheting, every dog I've ever met, and working at home in comfy yoga pants. Grab a cup of coffee and let's get to work on your next project together!

Our Most Popular Patterns

Crochet Blanket Pattern

Alissa Easy Crochet Blanket in Eight Sizes

Free Chunky Crochet Blanket Pattern

Jane crochet baby blanket

Crochet Throw Blanket Pattern The Jane

Charlotte Crochet Blanket Pattern

Emily Diagonal Beanie Crochet Hat Pattern

Easy V-Stitch Crochet Blanket Pattern

easy crochet lap blanket

Easy Crochet Lap Blanket

Finley Crochet Baby Blanket

Footer

© 2021 EasyCrochet.com, a Cagle Online Enterprises, Inc. Company

AS SEEN ON:

EasyCrochet.com makes money through affiliate partner links: If you click on a link, we may earn a commission. Our writers create all reviews, patterns, and other content to inform readers, with no influence from our advertisers. EasyCrochet.com has partnerships with services including, but not limited to Lion Brand Yarn and Amazon.com. Learn more about our policies and disclosures.

  • About
  • Contact
  • FAQs
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosures