Waffle stitch

A sample of the waffle stitch

                             

 Today I am going to tell you about the waffle stitch. In this winter you and your loved ones need to have super insulation to protect your body from harsh colds and wind.  I know that the outside temperature is very low so snowing happens. But we have to keep our body temperature at 37 ⁰C. So, blankets or cardigans with fewer holes are much better. This waffle stitch is very good for that purpose.

There are two types of stitches used here. One is front post double crochet (fpdc) and the other is double crochet (dc).

The appearance of the finished piece is equal to a waffle maker. That is, the finished piece seems to be with a large number of sunken squares. This is because fpdcs are looked like ridges and 2dcs are look like sunken parts. It has a tightly packed appearance. So, fewer holes are there.

Ridges should be lined up and sunken parts also should be lined up. When you are crocheting always make sure that fpdc is done over the previously made fpdc of the previous row and dcs over the previously made dc. Then only you can have those lined up squares similar to a waffle maker.

This stitch is very easy to learn and can use to make different items like baby blankets, adult blankets, scarves, cushion covers, and even dishcloths. Measurements for different items are as follows.

Baby blankets could be 36’’x 36’’ or 45’’x 45’’.

Adult blankets should be 80’’x 90’’

Scarves - 12’’ x 60’’ or 15’’x 60

Dishcloth – 9’’x 9’’  

You can use suitable yarn for each of the items you make. For blankets and sweaters, wool is the best. For scarves select a very soft and light yarn. For neck warming scarves use soft wool yarn. For dishcloth thick cotton yarns are suitable.

Instructions: To start the work measure the length you want and make a number of chains to cover that length. Then get the nearest number of multiples of three. So, you have to make a few chains to get that number.  For example, if you have made 100 chains when you get the needed length, then you have to add two chains more. Then it becomes 102 and it is a multiple of 3. After that add 2 chains. Now, altogether you should have 104 chains. This will be the foundation chain of the project.

Row 1: Then make 1dc to the 4^th chain from the hook. After that make 1 dc to each of the remaining chains of the foundation chain. turn,

Row 2: Make 2 ch and make a front post double crochet (fpdc) to the dc below. This fpdc can be made by this way.

Yarn over and insert down the hook from right side of the dc and bring it up from left side of it and grab the yarn. Now there are 3 loops on the hook. Again grab the yarn and release 2 loops, and then again release the other 2 loops. (This is done as doing a double crochet.)

front post double crochet

 After making the front post double crochet, make ‘’2 dcs to the 2dcs bellow, then again fpdc’’ repeat from ‘’ to ‘’ until you have left with 1dc and 2ch. Then make 1dcs to the dc bellow and another dc, between dc and ch 2 below.  Then turn the work.

Row 3: Make 2 ch, and 1 fpdc to the previously made fpdc below. Then 2dcs to the 2 dcs below, ‘’1fpdc, 2dc ‘’ repeat from ‘’ to ‘’ until you have left with 1dcs and 2ch. Then make 1dcs to the dc bellow and another dc, between dc and ch 2 below.  Then turn in the work.

Repeat row 3 until you come to the needed length. Then fasten off.

 

Granny square for blankets

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                                                        A Granny square

Now, the icy cold winter has come. All the things in the environment are almost covered with snow. How do people keep their body temperature around 37 degrees of Celsius when snowing all around. All are shivering due to the cold climate. At night severity of the cold is maximum. All are eager to have warm blankets. But the blanket should be soft, lightweight, and heat conserving. One blanket is not enough for one person. You have to have more blankets. Old, used blankets are not good. You have to have a new blanket to keep you warm. At night unbearable cold hits you. You can't sleep with this unkind icy coldness. So, one has to have large blankets to cover up our whole body. 

What are the measurements for blankets used in adults beds?

There are different sizes of blankets to use in beds of adults as, twin 66"x 90", double 80"x 90", queen 90"x 90", and king 108"x 100".

 What are the suitable yarns for blankets?  

Wool is the best I think. Wool blankets can preserve the warmness of the body. Woolen blankets made out of animal fur are very expensive. Synthetic acrylic yarn is less expensive.  

Here is a quick and easy granny square is for a blanket.                               

A Granny square, suitable for a blanket.

Round 1: Make 4ch and slip stitch to the 1^st chain

Rd.2: Make 3ch and dc to the ring of 4ch. 6ch and 2 dc to the ring. “6ch, 2dc.” Repeat 2 more times.

Rd 3: Ch 3, make 2dcs to the dc below. Then make 10 dc to the ch 6 space, then 1dc to each of the 2 dcs below. “10 dc, 2dc” repeat. At the end join to the 3^rd ch of the beginning 3 ch. Make sure you count the number of dcs. It should be 48.

Rd 4: Make 3ch and 3 incomplete dcs to the 3 dcs below. 6ch and 3 incomplete dc to the next 3dc below. “6ch,3 incomplete dc” repeat.

At the end 6ch, join into the 3^rd chain of the beginning 3 ch.

Rd 5: Make 8 ch and join to the middle of the 6ch space with a dc. Then 5ch and join with sc to the middle of the 6ch space. “ch 5, sc” repeat 2 times and ch 5 and 1dc to the next space, and,4 ch and 1dc to the same space. “ch 5, sc 3 times, ch 5 1dc, 4ch, 1dc,” repeat to the end. Join the 3^rd chain of the beginning 3 chains.  

Rd 6: Make 3ch and make 4dcs into the space below and 3ch and again 4dcs to the same space. (This will be the corner of the square) Then 4dcs to each of the 4 spaces below until you come to the end of the row.

                              

after 6th round

Rd. 7: Make 3 ch and do 3 incomplete dcs to the dcs below. Then make 5 ch and make 1 dc to the space of 3 ch at the corner. Then 3ch and again 1dc to the same space. Then 5ch and incomplete dcs to the 4 dcs below. “5ch 4 incomplete dcs” repeat until you come to the corner. At the corner, make 5 ch and make 1 dc to the space of 3 ch . Then 3ch and again 1dc to the same space. “5ch 4 incomplete dcs, 5ch, 1dc,3ch1dc,” Repeat to the end. 

At the end join into the 3^rd ch of the previous round.

                             

                                  

 

 

CROCHET COLLAR

                                

Crochet Collars.

finished collar

Collars give an impressive and gorgeous look to girls' and ladies' frocks and tops. Especially, when it is a crocheted collar it is much adorable and gives a rich look. There are different types of fabric collars as Peter Pan collar, notch collar, Chinese collar, shirt collar, etc. Some crochet collars are also made according to the shapes of the above fabric collars. For baby girls, Peter Pan collar design is used mostly. It is more beautiful when collars have two layers as one over the other. I have given an example here.

Some collars lay flat along the neckline. The necklines can have different shapes.  It can be round-shaped, boat-shaped, or V-shaped. Some collars attached to the neckline are like frills. They are wider than others and fall up to cover half of their arms and they look lacier. Some of these types of collars are round and some are square.

What are the suitable yarns for crochet collars? Cotton yarn, Bamboo cotton yarn, silk yarn, and acrylic yarn are best. Collars made out of acrylic yarn should not iron because acrylic is a synthetic substance.

Before making a collar you have to get some measurements. You have to think that whether the neckline is low cut or high cut. When the depth is determined and at that point, you can measure horizontally the length of the neckline you need.

If you want you can attach the collar to a neckline of an already finished garment. Measure the finished neckline and get the needed length. Then you can make the needed amount of chains to get that length.

Pattern description: According to this completed pattern the number of chains should be a multiple of 2. The total length of the neckline I have chosen is 28”. To cover that length (28”) I have taken 190 chains.

The stitches used here are chain (ch) single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc) and picot.

(The images are given for the sample pattern. I have taken 30 chains as a foundation chain in the sample)

 Row 1: To start, make the needed number (should be an even number) of chains after measuring the neckline. (Foundation chain) At the end, make 5 ch (3 chains to get the height or as a dc and 2 chains as the space) and yarn over, insert the hook to the 5^th ch from the hook and make a dc. Then ch 2 and skip 2 ch and to the next ch make 1 dc. “Ch 2, Skp 2,1dc”. Repeat to the end.

                                       

1st row

Row 2: Turn the work and make 3 chains and 2dcs to the ch 2 space and 1 dc to the dc below. “2dcs to the ch 2 space 1 dc to the dc below” From “to “Repeat to the end. Final dc to the 3rd ch of the beginning 3 chains.

3: Turn and make 3ch and make 3 dcs to the 3 dcs below. ch 3, Skip 3, 4dcs to the dcs below,“ ch 3, Skp 3, 4 dcs to the 4 dcs below” Repeat from “ to “ At the end ch 3,  skip 3 and 1 dc to the last dc below.

half way of Row 3

 Row 4: Turn and make 3 chains and make 2 dcs to the ch 3 space below. Ch 1 and three dcs to the same space. Skip 4dcs and 3 dcs to the ch 3 space below. Then ch 1 and 3dcs to the same space. “Skp 4dcs, 3dc, ch1, 3dc “Repeat from “to “At the end 3ch and make 1 dc to the 4th dc bellow with a dc.

Row 5: Turn, make a shell into the shell below. Make 2 chains and a shell into the shell below.”2ch, schell in schell” repeat. At the end join to the last dc with a dc.  

Row 6 : Turn, make 3 ch and make a shell into the shell bellow.Then make 3 ch and join with an sc to the space of 2 ch below. Make 3 ch and make a shell into the shell bellow. “3ch, sc to the ch 2 space, 3ch, shell in shell” repeat to the end. After the last shell, join to the last dc of the shell bellow with a sl.st.

Row 7: Turn and make 3ch and make a shell into the shell below. Then make 4 ch and join with a sc to the sc below. Make 4 ch and make a shell into the shell below. “4ch, sc to the ch 2 space, 4ch, shell in shell” Repeat. At the end join with a sl.st. to the last dc below.

after row 7

Row 8: Turn and make chain 3 and shell into the shell below. Then make 5 ch and join with a sc to the sc below. Make 5 ch and make a shell into the shell below. “5ch, sc to the ch 2 space, 5ch, shell in shell” Repeat. At the end join with a sl.st. to the last dc below.

Row 9: Turn and make chain 3 and shell into the shell below. Then make 6 ch and join with a sc to the sc below. Make 6 ch and make a shell into the shell below. “6ch, sc to the ch 2 space, 6ch, shell in shell” Repeat. At the end join with a sl.st. to the last dc below.

Row 10: Turn and make 3ch and join to the space of 1 ch of the shell with a sc. 12 ch and join to the next ch 1 space of the next shell. “12 ch, sc “repeat from “ to “.

Row 10

Row 11: Turn and make 3 ch and make 12 dcs to the 12 ch space. Then 1 sc to the sc at the top of the shell bellow. “12 dc, 1sc” repeat from “to “

Row 12: Turn and make 7 ch and skip 4dc and 4dcs to the 4dcs bellow. Ch 4 and skp 4 dc and 4 dc to the 4 dc bellow. “4ch, skp 4dc, 4dc” “repeat from “ to “

Half way of row 12

Row 13: Turn and make 11 ch and make 1sc to the chain 4 space. Then make 8ch and 1sc to the next ch 4 space.  “8ch, 1 sc” Repeat from “to”.

Row 14: Turn and Make 4 sc to the ch 8 space. Then a picot (Make 5 ch and join to the base). The again 4sc. “4sc, picot, 4sc”. Repeat from “to”

 half way of row 14

At the end make single crochet all around the 3 edges to make the edges even.

finished sample

                       

                             

 

crochet scarves with chevron stitch,

                                                       Crochet scarves

There are more temperate regions in the world than tropical regions. So, a large number of people have to wear body-warming accessories like scarves, shawls, neck warmers, ear warmers, etc.  to their normal wear. 

The scarf is one of those. These are very important for the people who live in temperate regions. But peoples in other countries also need these in some colder seasons. So to keep warm we must use a yarn made out of heat-insulating substances such as woolen in making scarves. Nowadays natural wool is more expensive and it is not much appreciated by animal lovers. Because animals are tortured in obtaining their fur or hairs.

Some animals (mammals) use to get the fur to make yarns are sheep, alpacas (a mammal related to the llama), minks, goats, and rabbits. Yarn types are alpaca from alpacas which should be mixed with wool to make crochet yarn and mohair from goats and angora from rabbits. Mohair yarns are shiny and can use to make scarves, winter hats, and sweaters. But working with mohair yarn should be done carefully because it tends to split and damage easily. Frogging (unraveling) also should be done by one stitch at a time. So, the products are more expensive and fine and have a feather-like looking.

 Now we can see about the common yarns which are suitable for scarves. There are wool, cotton, and acrylic yarns for easy crocheting and can sell at an affordable price if you are going to sell them. These types of yarns are beginner-friendly. But the other natural yarns also can be used for many crochet projects.

When we consider the width of a scarf, first we have to determine the width we want. Say if it is 6" then find the number of stitches you need for 1 inch and multiply it by 6. If you need 10 chains for 1" you should make 60 chains for 6". Then find the number which pattern says, (that is for example multiples of 6) and get the immediate closer number to that. But remember it should be a multiple of 6.

Then you can decide the length as your wish. Normally most scarves are about 55”. So, you can finish the pattern at that length.

If you need to add a crochet border you can make it along the long edge. If you want to add a fringe you can add it in the two short ends. When you make a fringe you have to have equal size of yarn pieces of desired length. 

I will discuss in another post how we can add a fringe to a crochet scarf.

Now I am going to give instructions to do a decorative stitch that is suitable to make crochet scarves. When you are choosing a pattern for a winter scarf it should not be with more holes. With that type of scarf, warmness will not be retained in the body.

                                      chevron stitch

finished sample here

Here, I have made 36 chains as a sample. As I discussed earlier, you can make the number of chains equal to the desired width of the scarf but it should be a multiple of six.  

Then make 3 ch, and 1 dc in the 4th ch from the hook. 

Then 1 dc to each of the 4 chains below, then skip two and make 5 dcs to the next 5 chains below. Then make 2ch and 5dcs to the 5 ch below. "skp 2, 5dc, 2ch, 5dc" repeat. At the end extra 1dc to the last chain. make 3ch and turn the work.

2nd row: make 3 ch, and to the same dc make 1 dc , then 4 dcs to the each of the dc below. Then 1dc, 2ch,1dc to the chain two gap of the previous row. Then 4dcs to the dc s below. Then skip 2 dcs and 4dcs .and 2dcs to the last dc.

        so you can repeat row 2 until you come to the desired length of the scarf. 

Instead of the double crochets, you used here you can use single crochet or treble crochet.

Further, you can change the colour of the yarn after finishing an even number of rows, for example after  2  rows you can change the colour. 2 colours alternatively or several colours with the same intervals.

 

crochet doily- pineapple flower

a crochet  doily

crochet doilies

. The history of crochet doilies runs to the Victorian era. There are so many vintage patterns we can use today also. They were done with fine threads and looked so elegant. The crochet hooks they had used were also very fine. The colour of most of them was white because various colours and types of yarns were not much available in those days. Doilies of those days were lacier than now and with more complicated designs. They have much antique value. Aristocrats in those days preferred the white colour much. Doilies were used on the dining tables of rich persons and it was considered as a symbol of wealth and prosperity.  

Nowadays doilies are used for various purposes, like place-mats on dining tables. These are used to put hot dishes and other things to prevent the polished surfaces from staining. In houses, ornamental brass items like vases and small statues of marble are placed on doilies. These are the primary use of crochet doilies.

But nowadays crochet doilies are used for many purposes, such as attaching to the front surfaces of cushion covers, to make wall hangings, etc. Some ladies attach doilies to the front of their tops.

                                Most of the doilies are round in shape. But there are squares and polygonal shapes like pentagons or hexagons. The size of a doily can be taken as desired when it is made by joining hexagons or squares. By joining so many hexagons or squares together can get long placemats like table runners.

Today we learn about a round doily with pineapple flowers.

Round 1: Make 6 ch and slip stitch to the first chain.

Round 2: 12sc into the ring of 6 chains.

Round 3: 10ch, skip 1 sc and 1dc to the next. "7ch, skp1sc,1dc to the next" repeat. 

At the end join with a slip stitch to the 3rd ch of the beginning 10 chains. Now you have a 6 spaces of 7ch.                    

Round 3

Round 4: Make 7 dcs to each of the ch 7 spaces below.  At the end  join with a slip stitch to the 1st dc made at the beginning.'

Round 4

Round 5: Make 1dc onto each of the dc below. (Altogether 7 dcs) Make 1ch then again 7dc to the each of the dc below. Repeat. At the end make 1ch and join to the 1st dc made with a slip stitch.

Round 6: Make 2ch and join in between 2dcs, with single crochet. Repeat 6 times. Then make 2ch and join with single crochet to the ch 1 space also. "2ch 1sc" repeat including the chain 1 space also. At the end join to the first ch 2 space. There should be 42, chain two spaces altogether. 

Round 6

Round 7: Make 2ch and one sc to the next ch 2 space. Repeat 5 times. Then make 2ch and to the next space 2 double crochets. "Chain 2, sc 5 times then ch 2, 2dc,ch 2" Repeat.

Round 8: make 3ch and 2dcs onto the first dc of previously made 2dcs. Then ch 1 and 2dcs onto the next dc. 3ch and join to the cha 2ch space. ("2ch,1sc,") repeat 4 times.

""3ch,2dc,ch1,2dc,3ch ("2ch,1sc,"repeat 4 times)"" repeat till the end.

Round 9: 4ch, make 3dc on to the 2 dcs below. ch2 and 3dc on to the 2 dcs below, ch 4 join to the ch 2 space below. Repeat  ("2ch,1sc,") 3 times.""4ch, 3dc, ch2, 3dc, 4ch ("2ch,1sc,") repeat 3 times""

Round 9

Round 10: 5ch and 4dcs on to the 3dcs below.ch 3, 4 dcs on to the 3dcs below. ch 5 join to the ch 2 space below. repeat ("2ch,1sc") 2 times.""5ch,4dc,3ch,4dc,5ch""("2ch,1sc,repeat 2 times.")""repeat until the end.

Round 11: 6ch and 5dc on to the 4 dcs below. ch 4, 5dcs on to the 4 dcs below. ch 6 join to the ch 2 space below with single crochet, ch 2 join to the next space of ch 2 with single crochet.

"ch 6,5dc, ch 4, 5dc, ch 6, 2ch,1sc,one time" repeat until the end.

Round 12: 5 single crochet to the ch 6 space, 5 single crochets to the 5 dcs below, then 2sc, 3h and picot stitch, 3 times. 2sc, 5sc to the 5 dcs below. 5sc to the space of ch 6, join to the ch 2 space with sc, and fasten off. 

finished doily

                                                                 

                                   

                      

baby hat 9-12 months

                                                                    Crochet hats 

                       

hat for 9-12 months  babies.

Hats, we normally wear to protect our heads from cold and heat. But some fashionable ladies wear hats for different occasions as an accessory to show their personality. There are different types of crocheted hats suitable for any occasion. 

Now we can have crocheted hats with very many different shapes as the fabric hats. Types of crochet hats differ not only in the shape but they differ in the stitches and the yarns used to crochet them. Designing all these is a very hard task. Thanks to the designers of the crochet world for designing all these types of hats. 

Some of the hat types according to the shape: Hooded, brimmed, bucket hats, sun hats etc.

According to the crochet stitches used, there are so many,

ribbed, cable, basketweave, shell stitch, knit look are some of them 

Kids' hats are made according to the shape of animals, deer hats, owl hats, bunny hats etc. 

Hooded caps, bucket hats and brimmed crocheted hats are common. 

People should try to select the right hat according to the shape of their faces.

The hat is an essential part according to the weather we are experiencing. To protect from cold weather we need a hat to cover the whole head and ears which should tightly fit with our head. So, for cold weather woollen crocheted hats are best. 

For sunny days we want hats with large brims to cover the sun but should not cover our ears and the neck region. For sunny days hats with broad brims, made of cotton yarns are better. Some brims are turned upward and supported with rigid frames. These hats with brims are mostly worn by fashionable ladies. 

 The bucket hat has a wide brim but it is sloping down. These are suitable for both men and women. Some ladies' hats are decorated with crochet flowers or cross-stitched flowers attached to the joint where body and brim is meeting.  

So, the very first crocheted hat is a beanie. Newborns wear the beanies. It is actually gender-neutral. Later they are categorized as boys' and girls'. Newborn babies should have very soft baby beanies. So, they should be made out of soft baby wool with light colours. On top, a pom pom can be attached. Simple beanies can be crocheted with one type of stitch for every round. It can be single crochet or double crochet. So, the beanie does not have any pattern. 

When we consider the colours of yarns, suitable colours, for gents' hats should be dull colours like shades of grey, shades of brown, beige etc. 

For ladies, so many colours can be used to match what they are wearing. Here are instructions to make a hat for a girl of 1 year. This is done by two different colour wool yarn bought from a local shop. 

The hook size is 2.25

Round.1: Make 4 ch and slip stitch (sl st)to the first chain.

Round 2: Make 3 chains and 13 dc to into the ring. sl st to the 3rd ch of the beginning 3 chains. (Use a stitch marker or different colour yarn to mark the beginning of each new round.)

Round 3: make 3 chains and make a dc to the very first dc below. Then 2 dc for each of the 12 dc. (26 dc with the beginning 3 chains)

round 4: Make 3ch,   1dc to the dc below, 1 dc to the next dc below, 2dc to the next.

"1dc, 2 dc," repeat. (37dc ) sl st to the 3rd ch of the beginning 3 chains.

Round 5: Make 2 ch and 1 sc to the dc below. Then 1 sc to each of 

the dc below, (37 sc)

Round 6: Chain 3, make 3 dc to the sc below, ch 2, skip 2, and 4 dc to the sc below. "ch 2, skp 2,  4dc," repeat, until you finish the round. Join to the 3rd ch of the beginning 3 ch.

 Round 7: Make 3 sl. st to the dcs below and reach the space of chain 2.  Make ch 3 and 4dc into the space of ch2. then "ch2, skp 2, 4dc" repeat, until you finish the round.  join to the  3rd ch of the beginning 3 ch.

After finishing the 7th round

 Now change the colour,

Round 8: Join the new colour (here white) to any space by making a knot. 3 ch and 2dc to the same space 1ch 3dc to the same space. "3dc 1ch 3dc" repeat, until you finish the round. Join to the 3rd ch of the beginning 3 ch.                        

Round 9: Make a shell in a shell row with the same colour. (Now there are 2 rows of shell stitch with the same colour.) 

After finishing 9 th round.

Round 10: Again change the colour to the previous colour (red) and join to any gap making a knot. 3 ch and 2dc to the same space 1ch 3dc to the same space. "3dc 1ch 3dc" repeat, until you finish the round. Join to the 3rd ch of the beginning 3 ch.

Round 11: Crochet as row 10 using the same colour.

Round 12 and 13: Change the colour and crochet as row 10

Round 14 and 15: Change the colour and crochet as row 10

Round 16 and 17 row: Change the colour and crochet as row 10

 Round 17: Now make ch1 and 1 sc into each of the stitches below including the ch1 space also.

                            

After finishing round 17.

Mark the beginning of each round.

Round 18: Mark the beginning with a stitch marker or with a different coloured yarn. ch 1 and 1sc around. Join with a slip stitch.

Round 19 and 20 : Ch1 and 1 sc around. Join with a slip stitch

Round 21: Ch1, 1sc, 2sc to the next sc, 1sc. "1sc, 2sc, 1sc" rpt. Join with sl.st

Round 22: ch 1,1sc, 1sc, 2sc to the next sc, "1sc,1sc,2sc" repeat. Join with sl.st

Round 23 and 24: ch1, 1sc all round

After finishing round 24.

                           

                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

crochet information

                                                         

                                         CROCHET INFORMATION          

1. How to select and buy yarns and hooks? 

Please think bout the project you are going to do first. Then the suitable materials and hooks for that project. For e.g. cotton or synthetic yarns. Wool or normal yarn, Yarns suitable for baby items.

If you are going to use several different colours in your project you have to select the colours matching each other. Likewise, you have to think specifically according to your project 

Then the needed amount of yarn. Yarn skeins can be found with different masses (number of grams) normally 50 g or 100 g You have to think of that when you calculate the needed amount

Selecting the correct hook size is also very important if you use a large size hook for a thin yarn the finished item will be too loose with more holes. As small size hooks, there are 2mm,3mm, 4mm, etc. 

After deciding on these you can buy them from your local shop or from an online market. If you are going to do online marketing you can download apps that direct you to online markets.  Then you can find the items you want. You can select from a wide array of colours, according to your liking. There are prestigious brands. Same for the hooks.  After payment is done they will deliver the items to your doorstep. But please deal with trusted companies

Selection of hooks. The main rule is, for thin yarns select small size hooks. The hook size is given in millimeters on the shaft of the hook.  small hooks have fewer millimeters. (1mm, 1.5 mm 2mm, 2.5 mm 3mm)

For thick yarns like woolen yarns select large-sized hooks. 4mm, 4.5, or 5 mm hooks.

Some hooks are made out of aluminium metal. Some are ergonomically designed. These handles are designed for easy handling for long periods. Some are lighted crochet hooks. You can search different types and buy online.

3. What is a gauge of a  project? 

For example, in a pattern, if they talked about

 4"x 4" crocheted square, with any kind of yarn, gauge describes 

"How many stitches need to get 4" across and how many rows it took to obtain 4" height".

So, you have to find the gauge of your yarn. That is, "How many stitches need to get 4" across and how many rows it took to obtain 4" height". 

So, if any given pattern asks to make a 20 " long piece of chain as the circumference of your neck, you have to find the number of chains needed to get that length of 20 " with the yarn you have.

Say for example, for a given yarn, if 4" equals 30 chains, then you have to make 150 chains to get a 20" piece of chain.

           (30/4) x 20 =150