Hello crafty people!! Welcome back!
So I have kinda done things out of order. I talked to you about the terms used in crochet and even taught you the basic stitches in crochet without ever telling you about the materials you would need to get stared. The reason for that is probably very simple. This is not really something I my self learned everything about.
I learned how to crochet at a very young age. I was not even in school yet when I saw my mom crocheting and I asked her to teach me. So I never really learned about all the different tools and yarns until I was older and I was digging into all the different crochet stitches and what you could make. I learned that there were different types of yarn and hooks and stitch markers (which were not something that I had ever heard of before). It was like I had been seeing in black and white and suddenly I was seeing in full color. It was completely overwhelming.
I'm going to try my best to not make it that crazy of a ride for you. This will be broken up into a few blogs where I can go more into detail on the things I'm going to tell you about here.
Thigs you need to get started with crochet:
Crochet hooks - The size you need depends on the yarn you get it will tell you on the yarn what hook they recommend using. There are also different materials that work better with certain fibers.
Yarn - There are different sizes of yarn called weights the size you get depends on what you are making. I prefer working with 4 weight or worsted weight yarn.
Scissors - There are so many different types of scissors you can get. Foldable, hidden blade, safety. fabric.... it really doesn't mater what kind you get just so long as they cut your yarn.
Yarn needle - These are blunt tipped needles that you will use to weave in your ends. They can be metal or plastic. I have both.
Measuring Tape - You wont always need a measuring tape but there are certain projects where you will need one. Some projects gauge or size does not matter but other projects like some blankets and clothes will have sizes. In order to get the size right you will work with something called "gauge". Gauge is how you make sure you will be making something in the right size before you get to far into your project. I will be making a post just to talk about gauge.
If you don't have one of these soft measuring tapes you can also use a traditional tape measure. You could even use the exact one you use for working around the house.
Stitch Counter - There are a lot of different stitch counters there are even some hooks that have a stitch counter as part of the hook. I have never used one so I cant say if they are any good so this will be the one time I mention them. There are stitch counters you can were around your neck, as a ring while you crochet or knit or that you can even have on your hook or needle. I only have the ones you can out on your needles in this box so thats what going to be pictured. I have the others so we will talk about them and I will be able to show you pictures. Stitch counters do exact as the name implies, they count your stitches so that you don't have to remember how many stitches you made.
Stitch Marker - Just like with the stitch counter there are a variety of stitch markers. Some people even make their own with beads and charms. You have some that lock and there are others that are open. They can be made of plastic, metal, or even this flexible rubber like material. A stitch marker does exactly what the name suggests it does, it marks a stitch for you.
If you look in the first picture of this blog you may have noticed that I have talked about all most everything but there are two things that I have not talked about. I haven't talked about them for a few reasons. The biggest reason being so far we are talking crochet and you wont use those tools in crochet. Having said that I will go ahead and tell you what they are.
Needle Stoppers/Needle Caps/Knitting Needle Point Protectors - What these are called depends on who you ask. I have heard people call them all three of these names. Personally I call them either stoppers or caps. Whatever you call them they have a pretty simple reason for existing but a very important one. You put them on your needle points and they keep your work from falling off while you are not working on your project.
I don't currently have my knitting needles show I can't show you what they look like on, but when I finish getting everything unpacked I will take a picture with them on.
Thimble - I'm sure everyone has heard of our seen a thimble. This one that I have is slightly different because it is more like a ring than a cap that foes on your finger. Even though it looks different you use it for the same thing. You put it on your finger and you can use it to help push your needle through your fabric and/or have it on the other side of your fabric to keep from sticking yourself with the needle.
These are just some of the basic things you will need. As you do other types of projects there will be other things that you will need. We will talk about those things as we need them for different projects I post.
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