Send me your stitch problem. I genuinely like those.
There's no question here that's too small or too obvious. I've been the person counting the same row four times and still getting a different number, and I remember exactly how that feels. Whether you're deciding what yarn to buy, trying to work out where a pattern lost you, or looking at something that's gone wrong and can't see why — write to me.
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The questions I'm asked most
Mostly by people who are just about to start. If yours isn't here, ask me directly — I'd rather answer it than have you give up over it.
I've never crocheted before. Where do I actually start?
With three things, in this order: hold the hook in a way that doesn't hurt, make a chain, then make a row of single crochet on top of that chain. That's it. Don't buy a pattern, don't pick a project, don't worry about the other stitches — they're all variations on the one you're about to learn. Give yourself two or three evenings on just those three skills and you'll have the foundation everything else sits on.
What should I buy first, and what can I ignore?
Buy one 4 mm or 5 mm hook, one ball of smooth, light-coloured worsted or DK yarn, a pair of scissors and a few stitch markers. That's genuinely all. Ignore the big hook sets, the fancy ergonomic handles, the yarn bowls and the novelty yarns — especially anything fluffy, dark or textured, because you won't be able to see your own stitches in it, and seeing your stitches is how you learn.
Why do my rows keep getting narrower?
Because you're losing a stitch at the end of each row, and it's almost always one of two culprits: you're missing the very last stitch of the row, or you're not making a turning chain before you start the next one. Count your stitches at the end of every row for a week — out loud, touching each one. It feels tedious for about three rows and then it becomes automatic, and the problem disappears.
Is crochet harder than knitting?
Different, not harder — and in a few ways much kinder to a beginner. You work one live stitch at a time instead of a whole row of them, which means if you drop it, nothing unravels while you're not looking. You use one hook instead of two needles, so there's less to coordinate. And when you make a mistake you can pull back to it and carry on, which makes the whole thing far less frightening.
How long until I can make something I'd actually use?
Sooner than you think. A washcloth is a real, usable object and it's within reach after a few evenings of practice. A simple scarf follows within a couple of weeks. Garments and anything that needs to fit are a longer road, because those depend on gauge, and gauge takes a bit of patience — but you do not have to wait for that to make things you're pleased with.
Do I have to learn to read patterns?
Not straight away, but learn it eventually — it's the thing that turns crochet from a few memorised projects into something you can do anything with. Patterns only look like code because nobody explains the grammar. Once you know that sc means single crochet, that a number in brackets is a stitch count, and that anything inside asterisks gets repeated, you can read most patterns written in English. It takes an afternoon to learn and it lasts you forever.