Based on a video by Crochet Guru.
Single crochet (abbreviated sc in patterns) is the foundational stitch in crochet. It's compact, sturdy, and shows up in basically every project - dishcloths, scarves, blankets, amigurumi. Once you can single crochet across a row, you're ready for almost anything.
This walkthrough from Bobby at Crochet Guru breaks the stitch into seven clear steps. Start with a foundation chain of 30 stitches and a worsted weight cotton yarn for your first project (a dishcloth) - cotton holds its shape and shows the stitch structure clearly while you're learning.
You'll need a foundation chain to single crochet into. This tutorial assumes you've already chained 30 stitches from the previous lesson.
If you haven't chained yet: yarn over your hook, pull through to make one chain stitch, and repeat 29 more times. Single crochet is abbreviated sc in patterns - that's how you'll see it written in any crochet pattern.
Look closely at your chain - each link has three yarn strands: a top strand on the front, a middle strand, and a bottom strand on the back.
For single crochet you'll be working into just the top strand of each chain (sometimes patterns specify the back loop, but the top is the default). Knowing which strand to use is what separates clean stitches from messy ones.
Skip the first chain (the loop already on your hook), and insert the hook into the SECOND chain from your hook.
This is the most common beginner trip-up. The very first chain doesn't get a stitch worked into it; it counts as the turning chain. Push the hook through just the top strand of that second chain.
Yarn over from underneath the working yarn (never from the top - it twists the stitch) and pull the loop through the chain you just inserted into.
You now have two loops on your hook: the one that was already there, plus the new loop you just brought through. Halfway done with this stitch.
Yarn over your hook again from underneath, then pull the new loop through both of the loops on the hook.
You should be left with one loop on the hook and a finished stitch sitting on the chain. That's your first single crochet.
Move to the next chain and do the same thing: insert hook, yarn over, pull through (two loops), yarn over, pull through both. Continue down the entire chain.
The last single crochet goes into the last chain, not the slip knot. When you finish, you'll have one stitch in each chain (29 stitches total - remember you skipped the first chain). Each stitch should look like a tight little V from the top.
To start the next row, chain 1 (yarn over and pull through to make a single chain stitch). Then turn your work over so the working edge is on the right.
Place your first single crochet of the new row into the two top strands of the first stitch of the previous row, NOT into the chain-1. Single crochet across again. Repeat row after row to build a fabric - 30 rows of 29 single crochets makes a small dishcloth.
Tip
Cotton yarn for a first project is a smart choice - it doesn't stretch as much as acrylic, so your stitches stay where you put them while you're still figuring out tension.
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