I love to crochet afghans. I made quite a few since I was about 19 years old after my mother-in-law taught me. I’m not an expert, but I enjoy it occasionally and make a few items that I proudly gift.
Crochet is an old craft however not as old as knitting. Crochet derives from the French word ‘crochet’ and means “hook.” How appropriate! There are two main types of crochet. One is ordinary or regular crochet, and the other is Tunisian or Afghan crochet.
Materials and Equipment for Crochet
Crochet hooks and yarn, thread or floss are the common materials that are used to crochet. There are so many uses for crochet that the material used to crochet depends on the purpose.
Clothing, edgings (particularly on linen), as well as household furnishings, are very attractive. We crochet rugs and mats with wool or cut strips of fabric, and we use plastic or cording for shopping bags. The material chosen depends on the utilization of the final product.
There are two types of crochet hooks – an ordinary hook is for regular crochet. An elongated hook that looks like a longer regular hook has a stopper on the end. It is called an Afghan hook.
Crochet Hook Sizes and Conversion Chart
Metric (mm) US Canadian/UK
2.0 – 14
2.25 B/1 13
2.5 – 12
2.75 C/2 –
3.0 – 11
3.25 D/3 10
3.5 E/4 9
3.75 F/5 –
4.0 G/6 8
4.5 7 7
5.0 H/8 6
5.5 I/9 5
6.0 J/10 4
6.5 K/10 1/2 3
7.0 – 2
8.0 L/11 0
9.0 M/13 00
10.0 N/15 000
COMMON ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS FOR CROCHET
The terminology can vary from person to person and from book to book. We’ve attempted to provide you with the meaning of the abbreviations so you can read and understand the directions.
American British Term
beg beginning
bl block (solid mesh)
ch chain, chain stitch
cl cluster
dec decrease
dc, d.c tr double crochet
dtr, d tr, or dbl tr tr tr double treble crochet
hdc, h dc, or h.d.c h.tr half double crochet
incl inclusive
inc increase
lp loop
pat pattern
p or P picot
pc st popcorn stitch
(asterisk)* () (Parentheses) repeat
rnd round
sc, s. cr dc single crochet
sk skip
sl st or ss sc slip stitch
sp space (open mesh)
st stitch
sts stitches
tog together
tr long or double treble-dbl tr treble or triple
tr tr quad tr treble or triple treble
O, yo, or yoh yarn over hook
N.B. Please note that the terms sometimes change when written for a British Market or you have an antique pattern. Beware. But begin to crochet.
another wonderful article…thank you…
yesterday I said I have never really been able to develop and interest for knitting. My moms mom loved knitting and quilting
I do however have good and warm thoughts about crocheting. However the last time I crocheted anything was an afghan for my grandmother. Sadly she passed away before it was completed. It was a multi-blue granny square afghan and I still have the pieces which I still use to this day as doilies. My dads mom loved to crochet.
I love to quilt…lol
Bernadette, I love to quilt as well. Even though I do other needle arts, I think that quilting is my favorite.
What I would give to crochet. My Grandma makes beautiful blankets, but I never picked up the skill. Maybe I can do it now. Thanks!
I am sure you could do it. Crochet is easy and relaxing once you know the stitches you need to do. If you live close enough to your Grandma, the granny square afghan, as in the picture on the post is an easy one to start. If she crochets, she could show you the stitch to do that very easily. It is the same stitch throughout, with two stitches in one space to make the corners.