20+ Basic Crochet Stitches + Beginner Crochet Classes Online

Are you a visual learner who wants to learn crochet? Well, you are in luck. Our sister crafting site, FaveCrafts, has created this fantastic Crochet 101 video course for beginners. This video goes over the absolute basics, from how to hold your hook and yarn to your first few movements and stitches.

This is the ultimate beginner course and we're offering it to you for free as an exclusive for being a reader and follower of AllFreeCrochet. We hope you enjoy and learn a lot with these amazing tips from well-known crochet instructor, Marly Bird. Once you watch this one, scroll down and watch the continuation video course, Crochet 201.

Click the play button to watch.
 

Now that you've mastered the basics, watch the exclusive continuation, Crochet 201! This crochet class for beginners offers the next set of information and new stitches you'll need to learn on your crochet journey. Marly is back with her expertise and easy-to-follow instructions, all in visual form.

This class is just as informative as if you were taking a class in person. But it's free and you can rewatch as many times as needed. Be sure to bookmark this page until you complete all of these amazing skills you're going to learn here.

Click the play button to watch.
 

Beginners, you're about to embark on a journey you won't forget. As you scroll down the page, you'll learn all the beginner stitches you need to know, starting with chaining.

As you progress, you will want to learn more complex stitches and we've got you covered. Simply scroll to learn and then advance to the next one to become a crocheting machine.
 

Slip Knot Instructions:

1. Hold the yarn in a U-shape, leaving 6-8" of yarn (your "tail") hanging from the end.
    
2. Twist your fingers to create a loop, making the yarn strands cross each other.
    
3. Insert your fingers into the loop and grab the yarn that leads back to your ball of yarn (not your tail), creating another little loop.
    
4. Pull the tail the tighten the knot - you should now have a cinched knot with a loop coming out of one end, and two strands of yarn (one of which is your tail) coming out from the other.
    
5. Slip the loop onto your crochet hook and pull both ends of the yarn to make the loop tighter.

Chain Stitch Instructions:

1. Make a slip knot and place it on your hook. Hold your hook in your right hand.
    
2. Using your hook, pull yarn (from the skein of yarn, not your tail) through your slip knot loop. You've just made one chain stitch.
    
3. Repeat step 2 to make as many chains as your pattern calls for.
   
   ​​​​​​Pro Tip: Do not work your chain too tightly or it will be really hard to work in those stitches through in the next row.

Single Crochet Instructions:

1. Insert your hook into center of your next working chain. Grab yarn (known as a yarn over) and draw through the chain stitch and up onto the hook so that you have two loops on your hook.
    
2. Using your hook, grab yarn and draw it through both loops on your hook, leaving just one loop on your hook. You've made one single crochet stitch.
    
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as many times as your pattern calls for.

Double Crochet Instructions:

1. Yarn over, then insert your crochet hook into the center of your next working chain. Yarn over and draw through the chain stitch and up onto the hook so that you have three loops on your hook.
    
2. Yarn over and pull through two of the loops on your hook, leaving two loops on your hook.
    
3. Yarn over again and pull through both loops on your hook, leaving just one loop. You've just made one double crochet stitch. 
    
4. Repeat steps 1-3 as many times as your pattern calls for. 

Half Double Crochet Instructions:

1. Yarn over, then insert your crochet hook into the center of your next working chain. Yarn over and draw through the chain stitch and up onto the hook so that you have three loops on your hook.
    
2. Yarn over and pull through all three loops on your hook, leaving just one loop. You've just made one half double crochet stitch. 
    
3. Repeat steps 1-2 as many times as your pattern calls for. 

Triple/Treble Crochet Instructions:

1. Yarn over twice and then insert your hook into the center of your next working chain. Yarn over and draw up a loop so that you have four loops on your hook. 
    
2. Yarn over and pull through two of the loops on your hook, leaving three loops on your crochet hook.
    
3. Yarn over again and pull the yarn through two loops, leaving two loops on your hook.
    
4. Yarn over for the last time and pull the yarn through both loops on your hook so that you only have one loop. You've just made one triple/treble crochet stitch.
    
5. Repeat steps 1-4 as many times as your pattern calls for. 

Tunisian Stitch Instructions:

1. Make a slip knot.
    
2. Work your chain, holding the afghan hook just like a regular crochet hook.
    
3. Forward pass: Go into the second ch from the hook. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Leaving the newly pulled up loop on your hook, go into the next chain and repeat. Work your way down your chain, picking up stitches and leaving them on your hook.
    
4. Backward pass: Yarn over, pull through one loop. *Yarn over, pull through two loops* - Repeat what is inside * all the way through the row.
    
5. After the backward pass, you will be picking up stitches again; the forward pass. To do this, we go through the long bar from the stitch below. Work down the row and be sure to pick up the very last bar to keep your ends neat. 
    
6. Work the backward pass again, as done before in Step 4.
    
7. Repeat the forward passes and backward passes as many times as the pattern calls for. 
    
8. To end your project with a nice, neat edge, work a modified slip stitch: Go down the row as with a forward pass, picking up stitches, but, instead of leaving each picked up loop on the hook, pull each hook through both loops, leaving one loop on your hook before you go through the next long bar. 
   
   Note: There are several abbreviations related to Tunisian crochet. The Craft Yarn Council has them listed here. For other crochet abbreviations, check out our page, Crochet Abbreviations Explained!

Shell Stitch Instructions:

1. Chain a multiple of 6. 
    
2. In the 4th chain from the hook, work four treble crochets (to work a treble crochet: yarn over twice, insert your hook into the stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 three times). 
    
3. Skip 5 stitches. 
    
4. Work a single crochet into the stitch. 
    
5. Chain 2 (this is the height of your treble crochet).
    
6. Work three treble crochets in the same stitch. 
    
7. At the end work a single crochet in the final stitch.
    
8. Change your color of yarn if desired. For your second row find that chain 2 space from your previous row. 
    
9. Work in that chain two space and do a single crochet. Chain 2. 
    
10. Work four treble crochets in that same stitch. 
     
11. Repeat these steps until you have reached your desired size. 

This video above is from our YouTube collection of basic crochet stitches videos that has just about any stitch tutorial you'll need, both beginner level and more advanced. Once you've mastered the basic single, double, and triple crochet stitches above, the fun has only just begun! While you can work up so many different projects by just knowing those few ultra-basic crochet stitches, there's so much more you can do by combining those different crochet stitches in different ways.

For some extra practice, check out the easy crochet stitches below. All of these stitches and techniques are perfect for working up your next project, whether it's a simple crochet scarf or a huge crochet blanket pattern!

Learn how to crochet in the round to work up hats and crochet amigurumi patterns; watch some video tutorials for extra help, like this popcorn stitch video tutorial that adds some lovely texture to your work.

If you're unsure of what hook size to use or if you're wondering what you can make with a certain hook size then you might be interested in browsing patterns by hooks size. It's a helpful guide for anyone, not just beginners.

1. How to Foundation Single Crochet: The foundation single crochet stitch is both your base chain row and your first single crochet row in one step! This is also known as chainless crochet.
    
2. How to Crochet in the Round: Crocheting in the round is no different from crocheting flat except that you work around continuously instead of going side-to-side, row by row.
    
3. How to Crochet the Spike Stitch: The spike stitch is a type of over-extended stitch pattern that adds little spikes of color. 
    
4. How to Crochet a Crazy Shell Stitch: Don't be fooled by its name, this crochet stitch isn't too crazy, but it's a bit different from the regular shell stitch.
    
5. How to Crochet: Popcorn Stitch: PICTURED BELOW. The popcorn stitch is a type of cluster stitch that adds 3D "balls" to your work.

6. Front Post Double Crochet Stitch: To work this easy stitch, you work a normal double crochet stitch, but instead of inserting your hook under the top two strands of yarn in a stitch, you'll be inserting your hook around the post of the stitch, from the front of your work.
    
7. Backpost Double Crochet Stitch: Instead of inserting your hook under both the top strands of yarn when making a double crochet stitch, you only insert it around the vertical post of the stitch, from the back of your work.
    
8. Crocheting the Seed Stitch: The seed stitch is an alternating single and double crochet stitch. It gives a closed stitch, which resembles a knitted seed stitch. 
    
9. Basket Weave Crochet Stitch Tutorial: In order to make the basket-weave stitch, you will need to know the chain stitch and the double crochet stitch.
    
10. How to Crochet the Granny Ripple Stitch Tutorial: This classic crochet stitch adds an elegant look. With the stunning wave effect, use this for nearly any piece of crochet and you'll be happy.
     
11. Cable Stitch Crochet Tutorial: This unique crochet stitch uses single crochet, front post double crochet, and back post double crochet to create an unexpected and textural design.
     
12. How to Crochet a Popcorn Stitch Left-Handed Tutorial: For lefties! This stitch is a series of five stitches all worked into one stitch causing a kind of bobble effect.
     
13. Crochet V Stitch Video Tutorial: PICTURED BELOW. The V stitch is a truly gorgeous pattern that you can easily master once you know how to do the double crochet stitch.

14. How to Crochet a Puff Stitch Left-Handed Tutorial: The puff stitch, or the cluster stitch, can have many different variations; but, no matter what your project calls for, this crochet video can show you how to create this stitch. 
     
15. How to Crochet a Bobble Stitch Left-Handed Tutorial: This How to Crochet a Bobble Stitch left-handed video tutorial breaks down just how easy it can be to get this crochet pattern in your work.
     
16. Picot Stitch Crochet Tutorial: All you need to know how to do for this stitch is a crochet chain and a crochet slip stitch - it's that easy!
     
17. Tunisian Crochet Stitch: Unless you have a traditional Tunisian crochet hook, which is a very long handled crochet hook, then Tunisian crochet is really only practical for making smaller items, such as wallets, headbands, belts, and other small items which don’t require more than a dozen stitches across the row.
     
18. Crochet Decrease Tutorial: This technique is a way of intentionally making your pattern smaller by decreasing the number of stitches per row or round.
     
19. Crochet Increase Tutorial: This technique lets you add stitches per round or row, increasing the size of your work. 
     
20. How to Crochet Ribbing: By alternating rows of single crochet stitches and slip stitches, you will create a ribbed piece of fabric that looks just like the knitters make. 
     
21. Crochet Slip Stitch Tutorial: One of the most need-to-know techniques in crochet, the slip stitch is a common part of most patterns. Learn it and be free of worry before starting your next project.
     
22. Crochet Moss Stitch Tutorial: PICTURED BELOW. The moss stitch is worked over an even number of chains, and the stitch is really just a single crochet-chain 1/sk 1 stitch-single crochet repeat across the row. 

The most popular basic crochet stitches are the single, half double, double, and triple crochet stitches; these stitches are the foundation for just about every other special stitch out there, like the shell stitch and the v-stitch. The slip stitch is a basic starter stitch, but it's also a way to join rounds and end off a project.

The Tunisian crochet stitch is a little different from all the others since it uses its own type of hook, but the basics are super easy to learn. Click here or the image above to download your free copy!

Are you ready to learn how to work these crochet stitches for beginners? Keep reading to see videos and step-by-step instructions!

After using all of the above crochet stitches in your work, finish off your pattern with some fun and gorgeous crochet edgings! These crochet edgings range from simple and standard to lacier and more complex, and all are a great way to add that final finishing touch to your work.

Check out our page on 30+ Crochet Border Patterns.

One of the best ways to learn a new craft or skill is through videos! How-to videos allow you to see a crochet stitch or technique demonstrated for you as many times as you want, and it's the perfect way for visual learners to learn.

If you're a crochet beginner, or if you just want a refresher for certain stitches, definitely check out our YouTube channel to see some tips, tricks, stitch tutorials, and project demonstrations.