How to Crochet for Beginners: Make Your First Practice Square

You can start crocheting with one hook, smooth yarn, and two skills: a chain stitch and a single crochet stitch. This lesson brings them together in a small practice square. You will learn how to start a row, find its last stitch, keep the same stitch count, and finish the yarn ends.

There is no need to make a wearable or buy a large kit for your first lesson. A small swatch gives you room to practice without committing to a blanket. Keep it as a progress sample, or use it as a coaster if its material and size suit that purpose.

This guide uses US crochet terms. US single crochet is called double crochet in UK terminology. The directions describe right-handed working; a left-handed crocheter can reverse the direction across the row. The cover is an editorial illustration, not a stitch-placement photograph.

Before you start

Chain 23 to make a practice row with 22 single crochet stitches.

The turning chain does not count as a stitch in this exercise.

Count each row before continuing; every row should have 22 stitches.

Stop when the height matches the width to make a square. Your row total will depend on tension.

Tutorial photo credit: Adapted from Make & Do Crew; backgrounds edited with AI. The photos illustrate the motions. Follow this article’s chain and stitch counts for your practice square.

Table of Contents

Gather a small set of supplies

Choose smooth, light-colored, medium-weight yarn so you can see the loops. Avoid very dark, fuzzy, or highly textured yarn for this first exercise. Acrylic or cotton can both work; choose a yarn that feels comfortable to handle.

Smooth yarn skeins in a range of colors on a pale blue background. — Choose smooth yarn in a light color so the loops are easy to see.

Yarn: a small ball of medium-weight yarn, often labeled category 4 or worsted weight.
Hook: use the size suggested on the yarn label. A 5 mm hook is a common starting point for this weight, but the label and your tension matter.
Two removable stitch markers: to mark the first and last stitches.
Scissors and a blunt yarn needle: for finishing.
A ruler: to compare the width and height.

Four crochet hooks with wooden, metal, and ergonomic handles. — Hooks come in different materials and grips. Match the size to your yarn label.

This is a learning swatch, so matching a particular gauge is unnecessary. If you later follow a pattern with a specified size, check that pattern’s gauge before starting. The Craft Yarn Council’s yarn-weight guide explains the numbered yarn categories and recommended tool ranges.

Sit where there is good light. Rest your shoulders, and take breaks if your hands feel tense. Keep the working yarn connected to the ball; the shorter loose end is the tail.

Start with a slip knot

A slip knot gives you an adjustable first loop on the hook. Leave a tail of about 6 inches, or 15 cm, for weaving in later.

Make a loose loop with the yarn, crossing the working strand over the tail.
Pull a small loop of the working strand through that first loop.
Put the hook through the new loop.
Pull gently on the yarn ends until the loop rests around the hook’s shaft.

Four photos showing a yarn loop being pulled into an adjustable slip knot on a crochet hook. — Make an adjustable loop, then snug it gently around the hook.

The loop should slide along the hook. If you tighten it against the narrow throat, it may become difficult to move.

Hold the hook in your dominant hand, using a pencil-like grip or an overhand grip. Guide the yarn with the other hand. There is no single required grip; choose one that lets you move the hook without squeezing it.

Hands holding a crochet hook with a pencil grip while guiding green yarn. — A pencil grip holds the hook between the thumb and fingers. The pictured motif demonstrates the grip, not the practice-square pattern.

Hands holding a crochet hook with an overhand or knife grip. — An overhand grip is another option. Try both and choose whichever feels comfortable.

Three hand positions for guiding working yarn over the fingers to control tension. — Guide the working yarn through your non-dominant hand with gentle, even tension.

Count check: the slip knot is your starting loop, not one of the 23 chain stitches you will make next.

Make a foundation of 23 chains

A chain forms when you catch the working yarn and draw it through the loop already on the hook.

Green working yarn wrapped over a crochet hook above the starting loop. — A yarn over brings the working strand over the hook so you can pull it through a loop.

Bring the working yarn over the hook from back to front. This is a yarn over.
Turn the hook slightly so its tip can carry the yarn through the existing loop.
Pull the caught yarn through. You have made one chain.
Repeat until you have 23 chains.

Photo sequence showing a slip knot, yarn over, pulling a loop through, and repeating to make chain stitches. — Repeat the motion until you have 23 chains for this exercise. The photos show the motion on a shorter chain.

Each completed chain has a small V shape. Count those Vs, leaving out the loop currently on the hook. Move your supporting fingers along the chain as it grows so you are holding near the working area.

Keep the chain loose enough for the hook to enter it later. A foundation that is much tighter than the following stitches can make the lower edge pull inward. If that happens repeatedly, try making the chain with a slightly larger hook, then return to your original hook for the rows.

Work the first row of single crochet

Begin in the second chain from the hook. The first chain is skipped to allow room for the first stitch; the loop on the hook is not a chain.

Two views of a crochet chain with the top loops and back bumps highlighted. — This exercise uses the top strand of each chain. The back bump is shown for comparison.

Insert the hook into the second chain. For this exercise, working under the top strand of the chain is sufficient; use the same approach along the row.
Yarn over and draw the yarn through the chain. There are now two loops on the hook.
Yarn over again and draw through both loops. One loop remains: you have completed one single crochet.
Make one single crochet in each remaining chain, including the last chain.

Six-panel photo tutorial showing insertion into the second chain, yarn over, drawing up a loop, and pulling through both loops. — Insert, yarn over, pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through both loops.

You should finish with 22 single crochet stitches. Place a marker in the first stitch and another in the last stitch. Move them into the corresponding stitches as you work each new row.

The Craft Yarn Council’s single-crochet lesson includes diagrams of the stitch motion. Your practice-square chain count differs from that lesson; use the counts in this article for this exercise.

Turn and keep 22 stitches in every row

Make one chain, then turn the work so the hook is ready to travel back across the row. In this exercise, that chain is not counted as a stitch.

A crochet row before and after turning, with one turning chain labeled. — Turn with one chain for single crochet. Keep that turning chain outside the stitch count.

Look at the top of the previous row. Each stitch has a V formed by two loops. For ordinary single crochet, insert the hook under both loops of that V.

Make a single crochet in the first stitch, beside the turning chain.
Continue with one single crochet in each stitch across.
Work into the marked last stitch, rather than stopping one stitch early.
Count 22 stitches. Chain one and turn for the next row.

Four-panel tutorial showing how to skip the turning chain and work single crochet into the first stitch of the next row. — Work the first single crochet into the first stitch beside the turning chain.

Do not add a stitch into the turning chain. That would create an extra stitch and can make the sides flare outward.

The last single crochet stitch is highlighted beside a turning chain that should not be worked into. — Find the last real stitch so you neither lose a stitch nor add one in the turning chain.

Point in the exercise	Expected count
Foundation	23 chains
End of the first row	22 single crochet stitches
End of every following row	22 single crochet stitches
Loop on the hook	Not included in the row count

After a few rows, measure the width without stretching the fabric. Continue until the height is approximately the same as the width. Single crochet stitches are not necessarily as tall as they are wide, so 22 stitches across does not mean you need exactly 22 rows.

Finish and secure the yarn ends

After completing your final row, cut the working yarn, leaving another 6-inch tail. Pull the cut end fully through the loop on the hook and gently snug it down. This fastens off the work.

Hands pulling the cut yarn tail through the final loop to fasten off a crochet swatch. — Pull the cut tail through the final loop, then weave in the ends securely.

Thread a tail through the blunt yarn needle. Weave it through the fabric for several stitches, change direction, and weave back through a nearby path. Repeat with the starting tail. Keep the tails inside the fabric rather than leaving a loose knot at the edge. Trim only after the ends are secure.

Lay the square flat and compare its edges. It does not need to be perfect to be useful. Check whether you kept 22 stitches per row, whether the fabric is comfortable to handle, and whether the last rows are more even than the first.

Fix the problem you can see

What you notice	Check first	What to try
The square gets narrower	A skipped first or last stitch	Mark both edges and count every row.
The square gets wider	An extra stitch in the turning chain or two stitches in one spot	Return to the last correct row and keep one stitch per V.
The bottom edge pulls tight	Tight foundation chains	Loosen the chain or try a larger hook for the foundation only.
The hook catches or splits the yarn	The hook went through the strand rather than the loop	Slow down and keep the hook inside the intended loop.
The stitches are hard to see	Fuzzy or dark yarn	Practice with a smooth, lighter yarn.

To undo a mistake, remove the hook and gently pull the working yarn until you reach the last correct stitch. Put the live loop back on the hook before continuing. For this small swatch, correcting a row is part of the practice rather than a failed project.

Questions beginners ask

Should I count the loop on the hook?

No. Count completed chain Vs when making the foundation and completed stitch Vs when checking a row. The live loop stays outside that count.

Does the turning chain count as a single crochet?

Not in this exercise. Patterns can use different conventions, so check their notes. The Craft Yarn Council’s pattern-reading guide explains common abbreviations and turning-chain rules.

Why is my practice square a rectangle?

Its shape depends on both the number of stitches and the number of rows. Keep the width at 22 stitches and add rows until the measured height matches the width. Do not stretch the piece while measuring.

Can I make it with a different yarn?

Yes, but the finished dimensions and feel will change. Use a suitable hook for that yarn. This exercise teaches stitch placement and counting rather than a fixed-size pattern.

Keep building your yarn skills

Keep this square and compare it with your next swatch. Once you can hold 22 stitches across several rows, you have a foundation for learning another stitch or following a small project.

Visit the Crochet learning hub for the current lessons. If you want to try the other major yarn craft, the beginner knitting cast-on guide explains how loops are started on needles.

Written by Stacy for I Heart DIY. Learn about the site on the About page, or send a question if a step needs clarification.