Karen Manthey

The half double crochet (abbreviated hdc) is kind of an oddball stitch. It falls in between a single crochet and a double crochet in height, but instead of working off two loops at a time, you draw the yarn through three loops on the hook. It produces a fairly tight fabric similar to one made with a single crochet stitch:Do 15 chain stitches.

A good hat is a must-have in your knitting repertoire, and this basic beanie, sized for babies through adults, fits the bill. Make it plain or cabled. Add in stripes or a color pattern. After your beanie is knit, top it with a pompom or tassel. The variations are endless. ©Ivanikova Tatyana/Shutterstock.com Materials and vital statistics Yarn: Berrocco Smart Mohair (41 percent mohair, 54 percent acrylic, 5 percent polyester); 108 yards (100 meters) per 50 grams; 1 (1, 1, 2, 2) balls; color: Pink Needles: US 10 (6 mm) circular needle, 16-inch length, or the size needed to match gauge; US 8 (5 mm) circular needle, 16-inch length; US 10 (6 mm) double-pointed needles Other materials: Eight stitch markers; yarn needle to weave in ends Size: Baby (toddler, child, small adult, large adult); circumference: 14 (16, 18, 20, 22) inches, unstretched Gauge: 16 stitches and 20 rows per 4 inches in stockinette stitch on larger needles This beanie is worked in the round, starting on circular needles and switching to double-pointed needles when you shape the crown of the hat.

Knitting and purling open the door to all sorts of patterns that involve alternating between knit and purl stitches. But as a beginning knitter, you really only need to know two patterns: garter stitch, which you create by knitting (or purling) every row, and stockinette stitch, which you create by alternating a knit row with a purl row.

Before you even attempt your first stitch, you need to master some basic skills. First, you need to know how to hold the hook and yarn, and second, you need to know how to get the yarn on the hook. Are you a lefty or a righty? Your dominant hand — the one that you write with, eat with, and do just about everything else with — is the hand that you should hold your hook in.

The double crochet (abbreviated dc) is one of the most common crochet stitches and is about twice as tall as a single crochet. (You can read about single crochet in How to Make a Single Crochet.) A fabric made of all double crochet stitches is fairly solid but not stiff and is great for sweaters, shawls, Afghans, placemats, or any number of other home decor items.

You're never too old or too young to discover crochet. The skills you master, the benefits you receive, and the beautiful heirlooms you create can last a lifetime and be passed on to future generations. To get started with crocheting, you need to decode crochet symbols and abbreviations so you can follow patterns with ease, and you need to find out what gauge is (and why it's so important).

The extended double crochet (abbreviated Edc) is a variation on the standard double crochet stitch (abbreviated dc). Occasionally a pattern may direct you to make extended crochet stitches, which are a little taller than the regular version of the same stitch. They also provide variation in texture with a slightly improved drape, meaning a fabric made of extended stitches is softer and less dense than one made with standard stitches.

Hand washing your handknitted and crocheted items is the safest bet, but you can try washing and drying some items, too. The following sections give you tips for each method.If the yarn label says “Dry clean only,” then by all means, take the item to the cleaners. A word of advice, though: Bring the label (or a copy of the label) to the cleaners with you.

Crocheting this scarf is really fun, and it’ll certainly brighten up your wardrobe. Not only are you changing colors with each row, but textures as well. You work the scarf completely with single crochet stitches, but you’d never know to look at it. Sometimes it’s okay to mix and match yarns, and this design is a great example.