By: Emily Ho
Crochet has made its come back. This 70s trend started to regain popularity last year and was seen on this year’s NYFW runway. Crochet adds texture, color, and intrigue to any look. Incorporating these pieces into your outfits can be as simple as wearing handwarmers or a scarf, or it can be your entire outfit, like wearing a two-piece set. There are so many amazing Depop and Instagram shops out there now creating and selling crochet pieces, but if you want to save some money, you can always make your own.
As the spring and summer seasons approach, now is a perfect time to learn how to crochet your own swimsuits, crop tops, skirts, bags, etc. It can seem intimidating, but once you get the feel for it, crocheting can be really relaxing and low maintenance. It’s even more fun when you start to create your own designs.
Here you can find an entire beginner’s guide, but if you are more interested in browsing, you can check out the linked Depop and Instagram shops below!
I’ve broken down this guide into 3 parts:
1. Materials needed
2. How to learn
3. & Inspiration
Part I - Materials
Ok let’s start with the materials needed:
2. Yarn
4. Bobby pins
5. Measuring tape
6. Scissors
Honestly, this is all you need to begin. I’ve created all my projects with one hook: 4.5mm. I found it to be the most versatile and it has worked perfectly with every tutorial so far, even with the ones recommending a different size hook. Unless you have a certain type of yarn or piece you want to crochet, then I would go for the 4.5mm hook.
When it comes to yarn, the best brand to learn with is Red Heart - it is the most affordable! Also, for the weight of the yarn (which is the thickness), I tend to go for weight 4 or 5 (I found it works best for the 4.5mm hook).
The big yarn needle is just for weaving in the bits at the end when you are all finished (no need to be particular with the needle, just make sure it’s big enough to fit yarn through).
The bobby pins act as stitch markers (this will make sense when you begin to watch videos and learn). They are a useful little trick, and you only need a few. Safety pins also work perfectly instead.
Part II – How to learn
When I was first learning how to crochet, visuals were the most helpful - YouTube videos were my savior. I personally don’t recommend following written out guides, I found them to be confusing and a bit frustrating. Here I linked a bunch of videos/accounts that really helped me when starting out:
1. Emma P
Emma is one of my favorites and she has a variety of guides on her channel. I highly recommend her “Crochet 101”video for learning basic stiches as well as her “Bucket Hat” tutorial. Check out her Instagram @crochetgal100 to see how she styled her pieces.
2. It’s erin b
Erin is another great account to learn from. She has so many different videos on her channel which are all easy to follow. Her balaclava video is one of my favs!
3. Strawberry b
Bronwyn has some more great content on her page. I have followed her skirt and crop top tutorial and they have both been simple to follow! She also has a Depop shop where she sells a lot of her own designs.
Part III - Inspiration
Lastly, here are some of my favorite Instagram and Depop shops to support and follow for inspiration:
1. Loupy studio
2. Ultraviolhat
3. Marves
4. Panterpoes
7. Kid.crochet
8. Freya Mckee
9. Lily Yeung
10.Bailey Prado
You made it to the end! We hope that this guide helped, or that you found some cool new stores to shop at. Go pick up a hook and a ball of yarn and get started on that spring and summer wardrobe, good luck!