What crochet tools do I need to get if I want to learn how to crochet? The obvious answer is just yarn and a crochet hook, but there are a whole lot of other tools that will make your life considerably easier, and more efficient. Let's take a look at these things which will make crochet fun for you!
Best Crochet Tools for Every Beginner
I have broken this list of crochet tools into
- Essential Crochet Tools for Beginners
- Nice to Have Tools
- Unusual Tools
If you are a beginner then start with the essentials and then as your love for this new hobby grows, you can add some extra tools to make your crochet easier. If you are a beginner, look for crochet kits on Amazon and Etsy to cut down on the costs of buying things separately. These normally contain a range of needles and some markers and needles.
Crochet Tools for Beginners - The Essentials
Here is a list of the essential crochet tools for beginners to purchase before they are ready to make their first project. You need just 6 items for your crochet kit and these are all reasonably priced. You probably already have a ruler and scissors in your craft kit!
Crochet Yarn
Of course, yarn is one of the most important things you need! There are so many different weights, textures, and types of yarn to choose from! If you are just starting out, choose a thickish, smooth yarn as that will be easy to work with. For example, a size 3 or 4, or a double knit or worsted weight. You can choose a yarn made from wool, cotton, acrylic, or any combination. When you get more experienced, buy the best quality yarn you can afford. Your creative efforts will be long-lasting and a pleasure to use. Plus, good yarn is really a pleasure to work with!
Crochet Hooks
Theoretically, you only need one crochet hook size to work with. But as your skill develops you will want to have more variety, and once you start using different types of yarn, you will be needing different sizes of hooks. You can buy these hooks one at a time, as you need them, or you can buy a whole set of hooks. Buying a set gives you the added advantage of some sort of container in which to keep your hooks safely, without losing any. You can choose from a variety of materials for your hooks- aluminum, plastic, bamboo, wood, or ergonomic hooks in which the actual hook is metal, but they have a soft handle, which is comfy to hold.
Yarn Needle (Darning Needle)
A yarn sewing needle is another absolute essential! You will use it to weave in ends of yarn, and when you are crocheting garments or afghans, you will need it to stitch your crochet pieces together. Often crochet hook sets come with a plastic yarn needle included. I definitely prefer a metal yarn needle. It is sturdier and easier to slide through the crochet stitches.
You can use a tapestry needle for this purpose, as it has a large eye which is easy to thread yarn through, and a blunt tip so that it doesn’t split your yarn or your stitches.
Scissors, or Yarn Snips
These are definitely needed! Even if you are only working in one color, you will need to cut your yarn at the end of each piece you crochet. I have, on occasion, used my teeth to break off the end of my yarn, but I would definitely not recommend this! Just have a pair of scissors handy at all times, and you will not be reduced to such emergency measures! You can buy special yarn scissors, but any pair will do, as long as it is sharp enough to cut.
Stitch Markers
These are handy little tools for when you need to mark a certain place in your crochet or a certain number of stitches. The most common type looks like little plastic safety pins, which you thread into place through the stitch you want to mark.
You can buy really beautiful, handmade ones from craft fairs or places like Etsy, or at the other extreme, you can just use safety pins to mark a stitch or measurement, just don’t split your yarn! You can also thread a contrasting piece of yarn through the stitch which you want to mark and then pull it out later.
Measuring Tape or Ruler
Whatever you are creating, you will almost certainly need to measure it! If you are making something small and flat, a ruler will do the trick. However, a flexible measuring tape is even more useful, as it can measure larger pieces, measure around things like hats, and it can also be used to measure your body before you even start to crochet!
Crochet Tools - The Nice to Haves
Gauge Swatch Ruler
This is designed to help you measure your gauge or tension. Gauge is very important when crocheting garments, because if you don’t crochet to the suggested gauge on the pattern, your garment may be way too big or too small. This is a handy measuring tool with a 4” (10cm) opening, which you just place over your work to count the exact number of stitches within that square. Almost all patterns are printed with the gauge as _x_ stitches per 4” (10cm) square.
Crochet Hook Organizer Case
If you buy your hooks singly, and not as a complete set, you will want somewhere to store them. Hooks bought as a set will generally come ready packed in a suitable case or box. If you have collected hooks as you have progressed, you will need to buy (or make!) a case to keep them all in one place, so that they don’t get lost. You can use a zip-up case with little loops to hold each hook, a box with several compartments, each long enough for crochet hooks, or a fabric roll-up type container with little pockets or loops for each hook. When I started out and only had a few hooks, I kept them in an eyeglasses case!
Collection of Basic Crochet Patterns and Books
If you always plan to follow a pattern precisely, you can simply use the stitch suggested in the pattern. But if you like to modify a pattern to make it more ‘you’, this is a wonderful resource to have. It is a good idea to collect a few basic patterns, which you can then spice up with different and interesting stitch patterns. It is so inspirational to see the huge variety of crochet stitch patterns you can make! I actually quite enjoy just paging through my crochet books and patterns just for motivation and inspiration, even when I don’t have a specific project in mind.
Here are some free beginner patterns from the Treasurie blog:
Project Bag
Now that you have collected all the tools to make your crochet life easier, you need something to keep them all in! I would suggest a large bag so that you can keep your actual work in progress in it as well. It is very handy to have all your crochet tools at your fingertips without having to search for them every time! It is so annoying when you have to measure your work, for example, and you can’t find a tape measure anywhere! Keep all the crochet-relevant bits and pieces together in your project bag, and do not remove them! Do not allow anyone else to remove them either!
You could even crochet your own project bag! A good idea is to line it with fabric, though, so that no crochet hooks can squeeze out between the stitches. You can buy lovely project bags with witty crochet sayings on them, or, if you are on a tight budget, just use any tote bag you have handy. Learn how to crochet a basket with this easy treasure tutorial and store your yarn and half made projects inside.
Digital Row Counter
This is useful if you are making any large project. Instead of stopping every now and then to count how many rows you have worked, you simply keep track with your row counter. You do have to remember to press the button every row, though!
Project Planner / Crochet Journal
This is not an essential tool, but it is really handy to keep a record of what you have made, when you made it, how long it took you, which yarn you used, and so on. It is great fun to look back on old projects, too, especially if you have made gifts that you don’t see anymore.
If you are working on multiple projects (as so many of us do!) it helps you keep track of everything you are working on. It is also a great place to write down ideas and plans for future projects.
You can make one by finding printable pages on the internet and keeping them in a binder, or you can simply use an exercise book or notepad and make it your own. Some crocheters even keep samples of which yarn they have used for which project and keep a ball band of that yarn in their crochet journals. It really becomes a crochet scrapbook!
Pom Pom Maker
Another nice to have item in your crochet tool kit is a DIY pom maker. These simple plastic devices give you fat and fluffy pom poms consistently and quickly. They are usually just a few dollars at craft or discount stores. Learn how to make a pom pom.
Project Labels
You can make your own labels or purchase ones specifically made for crochet and knitting. The ones pictured below are were made on my home printer using cotton calico fabric.
More Unusual Crochet Tools
These are not essential to your crochet well-being, but if this is your favorite hobby, they may well come in handy! Also useful if you are looking for an original and unusual gift for a crocheter.
Blocking Mat
Once your project is complete, you will need to block your work out with steam to get it to lie flat and to ease it into exact shapes or measurements. Just a quick tip here, do not block acrylic yarn, it flattens out beyond repair and loses all its springiness. Please don’t ask me how I know this!
Yarn Bowl
These are neat little bowls, usually with a groove or a hole to thread your yarn through. They keep your yarn neat and stop it from getting tangled. They come in the most fanciful and fun designs.
Yarn Winder
If you plan to use hanks of yarn rather than balls or cakes of yarn, this will be very useful. Very special handspun or hand-dyed yarns come in hanks. It is extremely difficult to pull yarn directly from a hank, the yarn just does not flow off it easily or neatly. A ball winder winds these hanks into nice neat ‘cakes’ from which you can pull yarn easily.
Crochet Tools - In Conclusion
Wow, that was a long list of crochet tools! You will not need each and every item on this list - what you need will be different for everyone. A lot depends on just where you are in your crochet journey. Read through the list again, and decide which of these tools will be useful to you. Once you have the tools you need, enjoy them! Each one helps to make your crochet life a little more convenient and a little easier!
Beginner Crochet Projects
Here are some easy crochet projects for beginners to start using your new tools!
Leave a Reply