My name is Marty Daniel and I'm a graphic design teacher in Houston, TX. I have taught in the same school district for over 35 years. I crochet for fun and have a middle school crochet club weekly at my school.
I recently began a monthly crochet and fiber arts get together for adults and this is intended as a resource for both those groups.
i started crocheting in high school and simply did some granny square patterns and a few other things and then it fell by the wayside like so many things. Well, the pandemic got me more involved with my craft and i wanted to share it with others so here we are.
If you crochet an item and used this resource, please share it with me on Twitter @martyd101 or in the r/crochet sub on Reddit u/martyd101.
Pick a light colored solid yarn - it's so much easier in the beginning to see what you're doing.
Pick an acrylic yarn in a medium weight. It's less expensive and easy to work with.
Crochet is a relatively inexpensive hobby to get started. Really, you just need a hook and some yarm. However, a couple more items help it be easier and more enjoyable. Here is what I consider a basic kit.
A skein of worsted weight acrylic yarn such as Red Heart's Super Saver, Premiere Anti-pilling acrylic, Walmar's Mainstay yarn, or a Caron Cake. This is thee easiest yarn to learn with.
A small zippered bag (a pencil bag is a favorite). Inside the bag, you need just several tools.
A small pair of scisors
A measuring tape or smallish ruler
A darning needle
An H hook or whatever hooks you are using
A stitch marker (you can use a different color piece of yarn, a bobby pin, a safety pin...)
Optional but nice
A ziptop or other bag to keep your skein of yarn so it doesn't get tangled or dirty as easily when it gets shoved into a project bag, backpack, tote, etc.
A tote or "project bag". This allows you to keep the project you're working on with all the supplies etc.
A page protector for your pattern if you are using one.
A small notebook and pen or pencil to make notes (or you can use your phone).
Here are some of the resources I use.
The Reddit r/crochet Wiki - https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/wiki/quick_beginner_guide/
4H Handbook of Crochet - https://extension.usu.edu/utah4h/files/crocheting-handbook.pdf
Craft Yarn council Crochet Patterns - https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/project.html
Stitch Links Crochet Guide - http://www.stitchlinks.com/pdfsNewSite/Beginners%20Guides/Crochet_Guide.pdf
Learn to Crochet from the absolute beginning YouTube Videos for left and right handers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqZ3jCHadcs&list=PLmobLoMZ1riTNFsxCena7K93Zsls6F2CF&index=1