Let's Crochet: Part 2

Ready to move on to the single crochet stitch? Well, if you are knitter, and are looking for a guide on how to single crochet from a knitting perspective, today is your lucky day!

The single crochet stitch is just like binding off in knitting. Do you know how to bind off when knitting? Then you can single crochet!

Think. What do you do when you bind off when knitting? You take a live stitch, knit into it, and then bind it off.  You do the same to the next stitch, and the next, and all the stitches on your needles until they are all bound off.

The process is the same for the single crochet stitch. Except each time you are going to
1: Create a live stitch
2: "Knit" into the stitch
3: Bind it off

Lets break this process. You should have your chain of knitted and bound off stitches from part 1. Mine looks like this.

Now, slide your knitting needle out of that loop and insert your crochet hook. I am using a 5mm stainless steel crochet hook. I prefer the metal hooks--even through I abhor metal knitting needles. You insert your crochet hook from right to left. The head of the hook should enter the work from the right and reemerge on the left.

Before we start single crocheting, we have to set up the row. You will do this at the beginning of every new row. In crochet, this is called "chain one and turn"

1) Yarn over on your crochet hook, and pull this yarn over through the loop on your hook. Now, turn your work.

2) You may need to rotate your work a little to see the stitches we will be working. We work from right to left just like knitting.

Here is a closer picture of the stitches with my hook entered into the first stitch and my work turned after my chain and turn:

In crochet you will enter your hook under BOTH lips of a stitch when starting. The two "lips" count as one.This is me entering the stitch. You enter the stitch from front (side facing you) to back (side facing away from you) every time. 

So, to single crochet, enter your hook into a stitch (UNDER both loops). Yarn over, and pull that yarn over through. Now you have a live stitch on your needle! Now we need to "knit" it and then bind it off, since we bind off every stitch when crocheting. Yarn over again, and pull it though the first stitch on your needle to "knit one" and then through the second stitch to "bind it off".

And that, my friends, is single crochet.

Repeated from above, you will (after your chain one and turn at the beginning of the row)

1: Create a live stitch by inserting your hook into a stitch, yarning over, and pulling that yarn over through the stitch you just inserted your hook into.

2: "Knit" into the stitch by yarning over on your crochet hook, and pulling through the next stitch.

3: Last, bind it off by pulling the stitch closet to your hook head though the last stitch.

Do the single crochet stitch in every stitch for 10 single crochet stitches. If you want to keep going, at the end of the row, chain one and turn, and then single crochet on the way back. The second row is easier. Just remember to chain one at the beginning of each new row, before turning then turn your work, and resume single crochet (SC for abbreviation, just so you know)

Just a mention: your chain one never counts as a stitch. Do not crochet into the chain one. Also, all other crochet stitches build from this stitch, so most of the work is done!

FYI: I am holding my working yarn in my left hand. If you usually hold your working yarn in your right hand, this may be an adjustment for you.

Any questions? Interested in more crochet lessons for knitters? You can find the table of contents here, or click here for part three, learning to double crochet!

In 2015 I also turned the knitter's guide to crochet into a video series. You can watch it on my YouTube channel or just press play below! 


*This guide is not meant for non-knitters. If you don't know how to knit and would like to learn crochet, I recommended Crochet School by CraftyMinx.