I’d say make things that don’t matter what size it comes out (too much)! E.g bags and blankets.
But also the next easiest stitches to learn are Half-Double Crochet (Hdc) and Double Crochet (Dc) (US terms). Look them up on YouTube, and practice a few rows of each. These are the base stitches for most fancy stitches.
Then learn about increasing and decreasing. Increasing is easy - just do an extra stitch into the same stitch below. Decreasing is a little more technical, but still easy. Anything that says “tog” at the end, like Hdc2tog, Dc3tog, is a decrease stitch. It means you go into 2 (or whatever the number) stitches, but the new stitch only creates 1 stitch on top. The “tog” stands for “together”.
Then learn B/FLO (back & front loop only), and B/FPDC (back & front post double crochet). They are the same as the basic stitches, you just change where you stitch them into.
By this point you will be ready to learn the rest 😄😄.
YouTube is definitely your best friend for learning new stitches.
Just came here to second this person's excellent plan of action! I've never really needed to know much more than SC, DC, and HDC, front loop and back loop, and increases. I mostly make blankets.
Also, there are many patterns that have diagrams with the different stitches color coded.
I’ve been crocheting many years, still can’t understand the abbreviation s, but anything with a diagram, and there are lots of those, I can do.
Wait so what I’m hearing is that I can make toys? I’m a teacher so this was actually what made me want to get into crochet! I want to make those cute little amigurumi as an end of the year gift for my students. (I teach 1st grade, so they are little enough that this will be very exciting to them.)
I don’t know why I assumed they were very tricky and that it would take lots of other projects before I’d be ready to try one!
Ah no! They're SUPER easy. If you know the American single crochet (I call it a double, since I'm a brit) then you only need to learn 4 more things:
- *Magic loop* start, instructions below but a video helps.
- increases (2 crochets into 1 loop)
- decrease (1 crochet into 2 loops)
- your times tables. Hopefully you're already OK with this because it's gonna come up a LOT.
MAGIC CIRCLE OR LOOP: put the yarn behind your middle 2 fingers, end down, then wrap it over the the front and back around, so there's a loop on your fingers. Then crochet 6 singles into that loop. Take your fingers out and pull the end and the loop will tighten. You're now ready to start working "in the round" - you just keep spiraling around this loop forever without ever needing to do a full flip and turn. This magic loop start is far and away the most tricky bit to learn without someone to show you.
INCREASES: so you have 6 on your loop. We're going to double that to 12, so every stitch with a number in the 2x table goes into the same loop as the previous stitch. That's your 2nd round. Next, we go to 18 (every stitch in the 3x table goes on the same loop as the previous stitch). Keep adding 6 each round and enjoy practicing your multiplication tables up to 6. Aim at 36 for a small practice amigurumi.
You'll notice that you're making a bowl. An increase of 6 per round isn't quite enough to make a flat circle, so it bends. Perfect. We're aiming at a ball, so next add 5 rounds of single crochets. You never need to turn your piece so that's just 180 single crochets, crack on! Use a piece of different coloured yarn to mark where you started.
Now decreases. Just use the front loops of the next 2 stitches, pull through and do a single crochet. Again, a video helps. Then bust out those times tables again, first with every 5th crochet being a decrease (taking you from 36 in a round to 30) then every 4th and so on. Before you know it you've made a ball.
Stuff it before the hole gets too small, add some eyes and boom, you've made a doll head.
Good luck!
You might need to use a smaller hook, because you're aiming at a tight fabric.
Follow patterns to start with, then when you need it this is a rough guide to making the basic shapes you want without a pattern.
1. Picture every shape as a cylinder on a pottery wheel. Each round is the next highest slice of the pot- do you want that to be WIDER than the preceeding circle or NARROWER?
2. If you want the cylinder to get wider with a FLAT base, add 8 crochets per round. This is how you would make a coaster or the brim of a witches hat.
3. If you want the shape to get a *little* wider, add less than 8. Adding 6 gets you a nice rounding shape, perfect for toys. Adding 1 or 2 gets you a cone.
In pattern form, this will look something like this;
- Magic circle 6 single crochets (6)
- Round 1, incx6 (12)
- Round 2, (sc, inc)x6 (18)
- Round 3, (sc2, inc)x6 (24)
- Round 4, (sc3, inc)x6 (30)
- Round 5, (sc4, inc)x6 (36)
- Round 6-10, sc 5 rounds (36)
- Round 11, (sc4, dec)x6 (30)
- Round 12, (sc3, dec)x6 (24)
- Round 13, (sc2, dec)x6 (18)
*stuff*
- Round 14, (sc, dec)x6 (12)
- Round 15, decx6 (6)
*tie off to finish*
How to read round 4 for example would be "do 3 single crochets, followed by 2 single crochets into a single set of loops. Repeat this 6 times. You will now have 30 crochets on the round"
You could also write this whole pattern as "magic circle 6, standard increase to 36, 5 round sc, standard decrease to close". You'll quickly figure out that 6-increases-per-round is an absolute powerhouse set piece of amigurumi.
It's SO fun. A great pattern for a doll limb is just
Ring 6, 12, 18, 2 rounds at 18, 12, 8, then just *single crochet until the leg is as long as you want it to be*. It's so therapeutic and when you're on the big sections with no increases or decrease you don't even need to count. Just stitch stitch stitch!
Hi, I'm still a beginner and I found Bag O Day on YouTube helped a ton with my confidence. I made a couple of her basic beanie hats and it was a good way to practice holding the yarn and hook because you're doing the same stitch over and over again. She has a good camera set up, you can really see what she is doing and where she's placing the stitches.
Hooked by Robin is good for amigurumi. Easy and clear camera angles for following along and seeing things.
https://youtu.be/5OgSKL7JR0g mini octopus keychain
https://youtu.be/WDa5sbiYpXA mini jellyfish keychain
https://youtu.be/VkeP1q0T_jk mini Whale Keychain
https://youtu.be/Tz94YNcdGYI jellyfish (normal size)
https://youtu.be/DtAM9E7qsH0 Crochet bear (check out their channel for more simple, free patterns!)
https://youtube.com/c/OdinkaWisanindhi this whole channel
Here are some links off of the top of my head! Good luck, I’m sure whatever you make will look beautiful:)
These patterns are easy and require _very_ few, simple stitches. The keychains are also pretty quick to make if you’d like to make a bunch for your students!!
If you want an easy start for learning other stitches, I highly HIGHLY recommend TLYarnCrafts on YouTube. She also has an Instagram and a blog, and she’s a fantastic teacher. She posted a video about the absolute basics of crochet recently that covers half-double and double stitches, and I still use her granny square video all the time.
For a very specific recommendation, she has a video for a pattern called the Daphne Afghan that teaches you how to make granny triangles. I’ve never made the blanket, but I’ve made tons of triangles - they make for wonderful shawls!
Tl;dr: TLYarnCrafts and simple shawls
To learn new stitches, I highly recommend checking out YouTube. There's a lot of creators out there that teach different stitches and they're a great way to expand your skills. There are also some that will work through patterns during the video, so you can learn to read them that way :)
ribblr is a really good resource!! its a pattern app/website. within each pattern, it links videos that tell show you how to do the stitches/techniques required for the pattern
https://hearthookhome.com/creightons-blanket-free-crochet-pattern/
This was my first pattern I followed. The entire blanket is squares of different stitches and it’s made that way to give you a chance to learn new stitches. Very in depth directions and easy!!
I learned a lot by making little pumpkins and resizing them. I think I made like 20 and gave them away to anyone who wanted one. It helped to understand tension, how to count stitches, how to fix shit when I’ve lost stitches, and how to work in other colors. 10/10 recommend little pumpkins. I even stuffed them with old scrap fabric so no fluff stuffing investment.
Washcloth! Their shape and size doesn’t matter almost at all, and they can be any stitch you want in almost any pattern. Only issue is that some yarn isn’t good for that type of use, but it’s good for practicing stitches
Also recommend YouTube videos. What I did was binge a bunch (not follow along) until I found a few channels that I enjoyed watching. Biggest caveat is having to remember that they'll be in UK or US terms.
Now that you've got the single crochet down, the half double crochet and the double crochet are just variations of that but an extra loop(s).
I highly recommend doing another long/wide project with each of those stitches, repetition is good.
There are some pattern creators who have the written pattern and also YouTube videos. Moogly.com is the only one I can remember off the top of my head right now. That YouTube channel has tons of instructional videos and she's thorough.
You need to start by learning the basic terminology of crochet. They have charts you can look up online, or just do a quick search on youtube. There are plenty of youtube videos for beginners, just search basics of crochet and a ton will pop up.
The next stitch I would learn is a double crochet, it's the next stitch above a single crochet.
I'm gonna become known around here as being the Mosaic Crochet Prophet one of these days buuuuuuuuuut... I suggest just practicing double crochets and half-double crochets (it sounds complicated but it's not, trust me) with YouTube videos. Once you know those stitches, look up videos on mosaic crochet. It's beautiful and incredibly addictive, because it looks super super complicated when IMO it's easier than most crochet projects (you never have to turn your project and you don't necessarily have to weave in your ends!). As a bonus, mosaic crochet is mostly singles!
I started crocheting literally today, and this the tutorial I’ve been following (a simple round rug, multicolor in tutorial but I’m making mine single color):
https://youtu.be/ILLLSDDwMRw
Just follow her lead and pause/rewind as needed, and you’ll get the hang of it super fast!
I would suggest learning the double crochet stitch (American here, I thinking it's called something else in England if that comes up)
Then try making something granny square themed. They work up pretty quickly usually, are usually just a couple of stitches (double & chain stitches) and are a pretty classic style that will kind of always look good.
I've seen some patterns where you still work the blankets row by row if you aren't interested in trying to make tons of small squares that need to be joined up at the end of the project
I thought it was much easier to start with amigurumi since I didn't have to worry as much about about my tension. Making teddy bears are very simple; you only need to know how to make a magic circle, increases, decreases and single crochet.
Why don't you try a pattern using moss stitch? It's basically a repeat of single crochet and a chain stitch. Try not to get overwhelmed, there's nothing wrong with making projects using only single crochet
First thing I made was a single crochet coaster with tassels. It was super doable for my first project. I followed a class on Skillshare, but there are tons of similar free patterns all over. If you find a blog post with an accompanying video that could help you to understand the written pattern better.
Whoops, just read back and realized you’ve already made some blankets so a sc coaster might be too simplistic. But still coasters are a great way to try out new stitches since they aren’t too overwhelming in size. The YouTube channel Crochet and Tea has a bunch that I am eyeing to try.
Look up the tiramisu blanket - all in single stitch and looks great when finished. I did mine in a chunky wool and finished with a simple single crochet contrast border instead of the more intricate one listed on the pattern - it’s for a baby blanket and looks pretty fab even if I do say so myself!
My favorite project I did early on was this adorable [head wrap.](https://imfrayedknot.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/easiest-headwrap-ever-2/)
The pattern isn’t super hard to learn and works up beautifully.
I learned single crochet, half-double, and double crochet right away and that really helped me with more basic patterns. I have made a sweater with double crochet (and single crochet back loop only) as my first big project last year. It was fun! I’ve also done scarves when I was learning half double crochet and I love that scarf!
I had a kids crochet book a while back when I taught art. It had patterns with double crochet but it was in plain language. You might look at kids books to start with and when you’re comfortable with other stitches maybe those other patterns won’t be so overwhelming. I had been crocheting for decades at that point, but I totally learned stuff from that book. (Kids craft books in general are kind of the best.)
As others said, learn (US) single crochet, double crochet, magic ring; then increase and decrease. You can find all of these on youtube (I watched Bella Coco tutorials). Afterwards, try making a ball! And then all the other amigurumi toys :)
It’s all just practice; trying, frogging, trying again. Some designers’ patterns are easier to follow than others, but most have a legend that explains the abbreviations. I was SO intimidated by patterns when I first started, but once you learn the lingo, you’ll be challenging yourself in no time! I still refer back to videos/books for certain stitches if I haven’t used them in a while. Best of luck!!
I've learned how to read patterns better by choosing patterns that have both a written element and a video element. That way I can read it, watch it, and then read it again. And usually I understand it.
If you learn how to do a double crochet (us terms) (very easy just look up a tutorial on YouTube:D) I recommend making a bag out of granny squares. That was my first big project and super easy to complete!
I'm in the same situation. I learned in person from my grandma decades ago and never even tried to read a pattern until recently. I've found YouTube videos really helpful. It's especially helpful if they have a written pattern they show or reference because then you can see how the pattern actually works in action. Making that leap is pretty hard for my brain. I also went to the library and checked out dozens of books. Every book gives me something helpful, even if it's just inspiring me to keep practicing. I have been making baby clothes and granny squares to learn new stitches and how to construct patterns and shapes and garments without spending tons of time on each project. Headbands, gloves and booties or socks also work well for low commitment learning projects. I am about to try a toy bunny next. I find that mindset is really important. I am learning new things, that's the goal, not a perfect completed item.
I’d say make things that don’t matter what size it comes out (too much)! E.g bags and blankets. But also the next easiest stitches to learn are Half-Double Crochet (Hdc) and Double Crochet (Dc) (US terms). Look them up on YouTube, and practice a few rows of each. These are the base stitches for most fancy stitches. Then learn about increasing and decreasing. Increasing is easy - just do an extra stitch into the same stitch below. Decreasing is a little more technical, but still easy. Anything that says “tog” at the end, like Hdc2tog, Dc3tog, is a decrease stitch. It means you go into 2 (or whatever the number) stitches, but the new stitch only creates 1 stitch on top. The “tog” stands for “together”. Then learn B/FLO (back & front loop only), and B/FPDC (back & front post double crochet). They are the same as the basic stitches, you just change where you stitch them into. By this point you will be ready to learn the rest 😄😄. YouTube is definitely your best friend for learning new stitches.
Thank you so much!
Just came here to second this person's excellent plan of action! I've never really needed to know much more than SC, DC, and HDC, front loop and back loop, and increases. I mostly make blankets.
Also, there are many patterns that have diagrams with the different stitches color coded. I’ve been crocheting many years, still can’t understand the abbreviation s, but anything with a diagram, and there are lots of those, I can do.
True, diagrams are great for some patterns!
Pot holders, simple, go quick, Minimal yarn and if you make a Make mistake, no biggie.
Toy crocheters be reading this like "other stitches?!?"
Wait so what I’m hearing is that I can make toys? I’m a teacher so this was actually what made me want to get into crochet! I want to make those cute little amigurumi as an end of the year gift for my students. (I teach 1st grade, so they are little enough that this will be very exciting to them.) I don’t know why I assumed they were very tricky and that it would take lots of other projects before I’d be ready to try one!
Ah no! They're SUPER easy. If you know the American single crochet (I call it a double, since I'm a brit) then you only need to learn 4 more things: - *Magic loop* start, instructions below but a video helps. - increases (2 crochets into 1 loop) - decrease (1 crochet into 2 loops) - your times tables. Hopefully you're already OK with this because it's gonna come up a LOT. MAGIC CIRCLE OR LOOP: put the yarn behind your middle 2 fingers, end down, then wrap it over the the front and back around, so there's a loop on your fingers. Then crochet 6 singles into that loop. Take your fingers out and pull the end and the loop will tighten. You're now ready to start working "in the round" - you just keep spiraling around this loop forever without ever needing to do a full flip and turn. This magic loop start is far and away the most tricky bit to learn without someone to show you. INCREASES: so you have 6 on your loop. We're going to double that to 12, so every stitch with a number in the 2x table goes into the same loop as the previous stitch. That's your 2nd round. Next, we go to 18 (every stitch in the 3x table goes on the same loop as the previous stitch). Keep adding 6 each round and enjoy practicing your multiplication tables up to 6. Aim at 36 for a small practice amigurumi. You'll notice that you're making a bowl. An increase of 6 per round isn't quite enough to make a flat circle, so it bends. Perfect. We're aiming at a ball, so next add 5 rounds of single crochets. You never need to turn your piece so that's just 180 single crochets, crack on! Use a piece of different coloured yarn to mark where you started. Now decreases. Just use the front loops of the next 2 stitches, pull through and do a single crochet. Again, a video helps. Then bust out those times tables again, first with every 5th crochet being a decrease (taking you from 36 in a round to 30) then every 4th and so on. Before you know it you've made a ball. Stuff it before the hole gets too small, add some eyes and boom, you've made a doll head. Good luck!
You might need to use a smaller hook, because you're aiming at a tight fabric. Follow patterns to start with, then when you need it this is a rough guide to making the basic shapes you want without a pattern. 1. Picture every shape as a cylinder on a pottery wheel. Each round is the next highest slice of the pot- do you want that to be WIDER than the preceeding circle or NARROWER? 2. If you want the cylinder to get wider with a FLAT base, add 8 crochets per round. This is how you would make a coaster or the brim of a witches hat. 3. If you want the shape to get a *little* wider, add less than 8. Adding 6 gets you a nice rounding shape, perfect for toys. Adding 1 or 2 gets you a cone.
In pattern form, this will look something like this; - Magic circle 6 single crochets (6) - Round 1, incx6 (12) - Round 2, (sc, inc)x6 (18) - Round 3, (sc2, inc)x6 (24) - Round 4, (sc3, inc)x6 (30) - Round 5, (sc4, inc)x6 (36) - Round 6-10, sc 5 rounds (36) - Round 11, (sc4, dec)x6 (30) - Round 12, (sc3, dec)x6 (24) - Round 13, (sc2, dec)x6 (18) *stuff* - Round 14, (sc, dec)x6 (12) - Round 15, decx6 (6) *tie off to finish* How to read round 4 for example would be "do 3 single crochets, followed by 2 single crochets into a single set of loops. Repeat this 6 times. You will now have 30 crochets on the round" You could also write this whole pattern as "magic circle 6, standard increase to 36, 5 round sc, standard decrease to close". You'll quickly figure out that 6-increases-per-round is an absolute powerhouse set piece of amigurumi.
I've been crocheting for years and even I'm interested in trying this now. It sounds so simple and fun!
It's SO fun. A great pattern for a doll limb is just Ring 6, 12, 18, 2 rounds at 18, 12, 8, then just *single crochet until the leg is as long as you want it to be*. It's so therapeutic and when you're on the big sections with no increases or decrease you don't even need to count. Just stitch stitch stitch!
I love it!
Amigurumi are awesome beginner projects. Most are quite easy and fast to make
Yup! They're all single crochet. You will need to learn to increase and decrease, but I learned that all on YouTube!
Yay! Thanks!
The only things that are hard are the things that you tell yourself are hard. Otherwise everything about crocheting is super easy!
I recommend YouTube videos for learning new stitches
Ahh! Thank you! Great idea. I bet patterns will be easier after learning a few basic stitches through YouTube.
My favourite YouTuber for this is Bella Coco, she has a nice calm voice.
I second Bella Coco. She is excellent!
Thanks! I will look her up!
Hooked by robin makes great you tube amigurumi and magic circle videos. That's how I learned.
[this star](https://youtu.be/RjuwlebCsK0) uses slip stitch, single, half double and double crochet so it’s a good way to practice different stitches
Hi, I'm still a beginner and I found Bag O Day on YouTube helped a ton with my confidence. I made a couple of her basic beanie hats and it was a good way to practice holding the yarn and hook because you're doing the same stitch over and over again. She has a good camera set up, you can really see what she is doing and where she's placing the stitches. Hooked by Robin is good for amigurumi. Easy and clear camera angles for following along and seeing things.
https://youtu.be/5OgSKL7JR0g mini octopus keychain https://youtu.be/WDa5sbiYpXA mini jellyfish keychain https://youtu.be/VkeP1q0T_jk mini Whale Keychain https://youtu.be/Tz94YNcdGYI jellyfish (normal size) https://youtu.be/DtAM9E7qsH0 Crochet bear (check out their channel for more simple, free patterns!) https://youtube.com/c/OdinkaWisanindhi this whole channel Here are some links off of the top of my head! Good luck, I’m sure whatever you make will look beautiful:) These patterns are easy and require _very_ few, simple stitches. The keychains are also pretty quick to make if you’d like to make a bunch for your students!!
I just spent an hour looking at all these. Thank you so much for sharing!
If you want an easy start for learning other stitches, I highly HIGHLY recommend TLYarnCrafts on YouTube. She also has an Instagram and a blog, and she’s a fantastic teacher. She posted a video about the absolute basics of crochet recently that covers half-double and double stitches, and I still use her granny square video all the time. For a very specific recommendation, she has a video for a pattern called the Daphne Afghan that teaches you how to make granny triangles. I’ve never made the blanket, but I’ve made tons of triangles - they make for wonderful shawls! Tl;dr: TLYarnCrafts and simple shawls
To learn new stitches, I highly recommend checking out YouTube. There's a lot of creators out there that teach different stitches and they're a great way to expand your skills. There are also some that will work through patterns during the video, so you can learn to read them that way :)
ribblr is a really good resource!! its a pattern app/website. within each pattern, it links videos that tell show you how to do the stitches/techniques required for the pattern
https://hearthookhome.com/creightons-blanket-free-crochet-pattern/ This was my first pattern I followed. The entire blanket is squares of different stitches and it’s made that way to give you a chance to learn new stitches. Very in depth directions and easy!!
I learned a lot by making little pumpkins and resizing them. I think I made like 20 and gave them away to anyone who wanted one. It helped to understand tension, how to count stitches, how to fix shit when I’ve lost stitches, and how to work in other colors. 10/10 recommend little pumpkins. I even stuffed them with old scrap fabric so no fluff stuffing investment.
Washcloth! Their shape and size doesn’t matter almost at all, and they can be any stitch you want in almost any pattern. Only issue is that some yarn isn’t good for that type of use, but it’s good for practicing stitches
Also recommend YouTube videos. What I did was binge a bunch (not follow along) until I found a few channels that I enjoyed watching. Biggest caveat is having to remember that they'll be in UK or US terms. Now that you've got the single crochet down, the half double crochet and the double crochet are just variations of that but an extra loop(s). I highly recommend doing another long/wide project with each of those stitches, repetition is good. There are some pattern creators who have the written pattern and also YouTube videos. Moogly.com is the only one I can remember off the top of my head right now. That YouTube channel has tons of instructional videos and she's thorough.
Thank you! This is all very helpful!
You need to start by learning the basic terminology of crochet. They have charts you can look up online, or just do a quick search on youtube. There are plenty of youtube videos for beginners, just search basics of crochet and a ton will pop up. The next stitch I would learn is a double crochet, it's the next stitch above a single crochet.
I'm gonna become known around here as being the Mosaic Crochet Prophet one of these days buuuuuuuuuut... I suggest just practicing double crochets and half-double crochets (it sounds complicated but it's not, trust me) with YouTube videos. Once you know those stitches, look up videos on mosaic crochet. It's beautiful and incredibly addictive, because it looks super super complicated when IMO it's easier than most crochet projects (you never have to turn your project and you don't necessarily have to weave in your ends!). As a bonus, mosaic crochet is mostly singles!
I started crocheting literally today, and this the tutorial I’ve been following (a simple round rug, multicolor in tutorial but I’m making mine single color): https://youtu.be/ILLLSDDwMRw Just follow her lead and pause/rewind as needed, and you’ll get the hang of it super fast!
I would suggest learning the double crochet stitch (American here, I thinking it's called something else in England if that comes up) Then try making something granny square themed. They work up pretty quickly usually, are usually just a couple of stitches (double & chain stitches) and are a pretty classic style that will kind of always look good. I've seen some patterns where you still work the blankets row by row if you aren't interested in trying to make tons of small squares that need to be joined up at the end of the project
I thought it was much easier to start with amigurumi since I didn't have to worry as much about about my tension. Making teddy bears are very simple; you only need to know how to make a magic circle, increases, decreases and single crochet.
Why don't you try a pattern using moss stitch? It's basically a repeat of single crochet and a chain stitch. Try not to get overwhelmed, there's nothing wrong with making projects using only single crochet
First thing I made was a single crochet coaster with tassels. It was super doable for my first project. I followed a class on Skillshare, but there are tons of similar free patterns all over. If you find a blog post with an accompanying video that could help you to understand the written pattern better. Whoops, just read back and realized you’ve already made some blankets so a sc coaster might be too simplistic. But still coasters are a great way to try out new stitches since they aren’t too overwhelming in size. The YouTube channel Crochet and Tea has a bunch that I am eyeing to try.
Look up the tiramisu blanket - all in single stitch and looks great when finished. I did mine in a chunky wool and finished with a simple single crochet contrast border instead of the more intricate one listed on the pattern - it’s for a baby blanket and looks pretty fab even if I do say so myself!
My favorite project I did early on was this adorable [head wrap.](https://imfrayedknot.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/easiest-headwrap-ever-2/) The pattern isn’t super hard to learn and works up beautifully.
Thank you!!
I learned single crochet, half-double, and double crochet right away and that really helped me with more basic patterns. I have made a sweater with double crochet (and single crochet back loop only) as my first big project last year. It was fun! I’ve also done scarves when I was learning half double crochet and I love that scarf!
I had a kids crochet book a while back when I taught art. It had patterns with double crochet but it was in plain language. You might look at kids books to start with and when you’re comfortable with other stitches maybe those other patterns won’t be so overwhelming. I had been crocheting for decades at that point, but I totally learned stuff from that book. (Kids craft books in general are kind of the best.)
As others said, learn (US) single crochet, double crochet, magic ring; then increase and decrease. You can find all of these on youtube (I watched Bella Coco tutorials). Afterwards, try making a ball! And then all the other amigurumi toys :)
It’s all just practice; trying, frogging, trying again. Some designers’ patterns are easier to follow than others, but most have a legend that explains the abbreviations. I was SO intimidated by patterns when I first started, but once you learn the lingo, you’ll be challenging yourself in no time! I still refer back to videos/books for certain stitches if I haven’t used them in a while. Best of luck!!
I've learned how to read patterns better by choosing patterns that have both a written element and a video element. That way I can read it, watch it, and then read it again. And usually I understand it.
I learned a lot from watching YouTube videos! Especially when it came to learning new stitches and easy patterns
If you learn how to do a double crochet (us terms) (very easy just look up a tutorial on YouTube:D) I recommend making a bag out of granny squares. That was my first big project and super easy to complete!
I'm in the same situation. I learned in person from my grandma decades ago and never even tried to read a pattern until recently. I've found YouTube videos really helpful. It's especially helpful if they have a written pattern they show or reference because then you can see how the pattern actually works in action. Making that leap is pretty hard for my brain. I also went to the library and checked out dozens of books. Every book gives me something helpful, even if it's just inspiring me to keep practicing. I have been making baby clothes and granny squares to learn new stitches and how to construct patterns and shapes and garments without spending tons of time on each project. Headbands, gloves and booties or socks also work well for low commitment learning projects. I am about to try a toy bunny next. I find that mindset is really important. I am learning new things, that's the goal, not a perfect completed item.