The Great Crochet Boom
The Great Crochet Boom
Cute home project ideas & tips for getting started
STORY BY VIRGINIA BESHEARS, PHOTO BY KAREN PENROZ
I tried crochet for the first time in early 2021, right at the beginning of the current crochet boom, and I’m obsessed. Crochet is incredibly trendy right now and for good reason. It’s extremely versatile, relatively easy to pick up, relaxing, and you only need a couple things to get started.
Below, I’ve curated some of the best home decor patterns I’ve found on my many Etsy deep-dives.
Additionally, if you’re interested in trying crochet but don’t know where to start, I’ve got tips, tutorials, supply recommendations, and more.
Project Ideas
Crochet is absolutely everywhere right now. There is no shortage of inspiration or patterns thanks to the huge rise in popularity in the past year. These are some of my favorite patterns for home projects, all written by talented crocheters on Etsy. Click for more info about difficulty level and supplies.
Tips for noobs
You don’t need to spend a bunch to try crochet. If you just want to try the basics to see if you like it, all you need is a few skeins of yarn and a set of crochet hooks. I have the hooks and yarn I personally recommend linked below, but in total you don't need to spend more than $20 to get started. Once you get the hang of the basics, then you can go ahead and pick out a pattern and get started on your first project.
When you’re buying your yarn and hooks, be sure to pay attention to the yarn weight and hook size. #4 worsted weight (medium) yarn is what the vast majority of crochet patterns call for.
For my first project, I made an afghan using #6 super bulky yarn, because the thicker yarn goes faster and is easier to see what you’re doing. Worsted weight has a much better range of colors available, though, so you might want to jump straight in with that. I started out with a set of plain aluminum hooks in sizes G, H, I, J, & K, and I haven’t needed any other sizes besides those for any projects I’ve done.
YouTube is your best friend learning to crochet. Below is the video I used to learn the basics. It’ll feel very foreign and frustrating at first, but you’ll have the basic crochet stitch in your muscle memory in no time.
Also, one of my favorite parts about crochet is being part of an online crochet community. I cannot recommend enough joining a crochet group on Facebook, Discord, Reddit, Ravelry, or wherever you can find one. Online crochet groups are a wonderful source of support, inspiration, and information.
Crochet for sale
If you definitely don’t want to try crochet yourself but love the look of crochet, I urge you to be careful about where you shop. Crochet cannot be replicated by machine, so every crochet piece you see for sale was painstakingly made by someone. Places like Walmart and Target are hopping on the crochet trend with clothes and blankets for sale at astonishingly low prices, which unfortunately means the skilled textile worker who made that piece by hand was not fairly compensated, and was most likely paid just a couple of dollars for hours of hard work. Buying secondhand is a great alternative if you’re on a budget.
Below I’ve linked some Etsy shops that sell absolutely gorgeous finished pieces.
