Crochet Tools for Beginners (Must-Have Supplies to Get Started)

Introduction

Wondering what crochet tools for beginners you actually need? The good news is that crochet is one of the most affordable crafts to start. While there are plenty of crochet gadgets and accessories available, you only need a few basic tools to make your first project. In this guide, you’ll learn which crochet tools are essential, which accessories can make crocheting easier, and which items you can safely skip until you gain more experience. Whether you’re planning to make blankets, granny squares, amigurumi, or garments, these beginner crochet tools will help you get started with confidence.

What Crochet Tools Do Beginners Need?

One of the best things about crochet is that it is an inexpensive hobby to start. Unlike many crafts, you only need a handful of basic tools before making your first project. A crochet hook, some yarn, and a few simple accessories are enough to get started.

I have broken this list of crochet tools into

1. Essential Crochet Tools for Beginners
2. Optional Beginner Tools
3. ntermediate Crochet Accessories

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.

Once you have new tools, read my complete article on how to crochet for beginners.

Crochet Tools for Beginners

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 at the top of the list of crochet must-haves! There are so many different yarn 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 (DK Yarn) or worsted Weight Yarn. 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!

❤️ Best beginner yarn: Worsted weight acrylic or cotton yarn.

Crochet Hooks

Theoretically, you only need one crochet hook size to work with. But as your skill develops, you will want more variety, and once you start using different types of yarn, you will need different hook sizes. You can buy these hooks one at a time as you need them, or buy a whole set.

Buying a set gives you the added advantage of a container 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.

❤️Best beginner hook: 5 mm ergonomic crochet hook.

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 that 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!

Optional Crochet Tools

Here are some crocheting tools and accessories for when you past that first beginner phase:

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 individually rather than 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.

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 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:

• How to Crochet a Granny Square Blanket
• How to Crochet Flowers
• How to Crochet a Headband
• How to Crochet Slippers

Project Bag

Now that you have collected all the crocheting tools and accessories 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! You could even crochet your own project bag! A good idea is to line it with fabric, though, so that crochet hooks can’t slip 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.

Digital Row Counter

This is useful if you are working on a large project. Instead of stopping every now and then to count how many rows you have worked, you simply keep track of 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 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.

Intermediate Crochet Tools and Gadgets

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 Beginners Don’t Need Yet

Many beginners think they need dozens of accessories before starting crochet. In reality, you can successfully learn with just a hook, yarn, scissors, and a yarn needle.

You can safely skip:

• Expensive hook sets
• Yarn winders
• Swift winders
• Blocking equipment
• Specialty hooks

until you gain more experience.

Where to Buy Crochet Tools

Crochet tools are easy to find both online and in stores. Where you buy your tools will depend on wether you want the convenience of online shopping or to hold the goods before you buy.

Here are some places you can buy crochet tools:

1. Local Craft Stores
2. Online Retailers:
3. Specialty Yarn Stores

Crochet Tools for Beginners FAQs

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Crochet Tools – In Conclusion

Starting crochet doesn’t require a huge investment. With a crochet hook, yarn, scissors, a yarn needle, stitch markers, and a measuring tape, you’ll have everything you need to complete your first projects successfully. As your skills grow, you can gradually add extra tools such as blocking mats, project bags, row counters, and yarn winders. Begin with the essentials, learn the basic stitches, and focus on enjoying the creative process. The best crochet tool of all is regular practice, and before long you’ll be building a collection of favorite hooks, yarns, and accessories for every project.