Bought your first hook and a skein of yarn, but not sure they go together? Or opened a pattern, saw “sc”, “dc” and “tr”, and didn’t know where to start? A hook can be sized in millimeters, by a US letter or by an old UK number, and the same stitch can go by one name in US patterns and another in UK patterns.
This free beginner crochet PDF answers those questions in 5 pages you can keep next to your yarn: the full hook chart, the 8 yarn weight categories, 5 basic stitches written out step by step and a short first project, a 3-round granny square. There is nothing to pay and no sign-up.
It is meant for people holding a hook for the first time and for anyone coming back to crochet after a long break. It is not a video course or a book of patterns: it explains with written steps and charts, without symbol diagrams, and its only project is the granny square. To get your copy, use the Download the free PDF button.
Safe download: PDF served from controllerdrop.com, no sign-up, nothing to install
Free PDF crochet guide for beginners: hook chart, yarn weights and 5 stitches
Five pages to keep next to your yarn: the full hook chart, 8 yarn weights, 5 stitches with US and UK names and a 3-round granny square.
Recommended by
Rosa · Crocheting for over 40 years
★★★★★
“The hook chart is the first thing I show a beginner, and a three-round granny square is the best first project: you can make mistakes and pull it out without worry.”
7 min read
📋 What you’ll find here
- What the 5 pages cover
- Chart 1 from the guide: hooks from 2 to 3.75 mm
- Bigger hooks: 4 to 10 mm
- Trust the millimeters, not the letter
- US or UK pattern? The stitch names change
- How the stitches are explained
What the 5 pages cover
Everything in the guide is written to be used with a hook in your hand. Here is what it brings:
- A short start: what to have at hand for the first project, how left-handers hold the hook and what a yarn over is
- The hook chart: 18 sizes from 2 to 10 mm, with the US letter and the old UK and Canada number wherever a size has one
- The yarn weight chart: categories 0 to 7, each with a hook range in millimeters and US sizes and the gauge in 4 in (10 cm)
- A table with the US and UK name of each stitch and its abbreviation
- 5 stitches in written steps: chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet, plus the slip knot and the magic ring
- The turning chains for single, half double and double crochet, and where the first stitch goes on a foundation chain
- A granny square in 3 rounds, with a stitch count to check at the end of each round
- 5 common beginner mistakes, each with its fix
Chart 1 from the guide: hooks from 2 to 3.75 mm
Below is the hook chart from the PDF, in two parts. The millimeters are the measure to go by. The US letter and the old UK and Canada number help you match hooks and patterns that use them.
The small end of the chart, for the finer yarns:
| mm | US | UK/Canada (old) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | — |
Bigger hooks: 4 to 10 mm
The guide’s first project falls in this half. The granny square calls for category 3 or 4 yarn, and the yarn chart gives a hook from 4.5 to 6.5 mm for those two categories:
| mm | US | UK/Canada (old) |
|---|---|---|
| 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-10½ | 3 |
| 7.0 | — | 2 |
| 8.0 | L-11 | 0 |
| 9.0 | M/N-13 | 00 |
| 10.0 | N/P-15 | 000 |
Trust the millimeters, not the letter
Source for both parts of the chart: Craft Yarn Council (YarnStandards.com), accessed November 3, 2026. The UK and Canada column comes from a secondary source, and actual sizes vary by manufacturer. A dash means that size has no US letter or no confirmed UK number.
Letters can mislead. In the reference chart a G-6 hook is 4 mm, but some brands sell their G hook at 4.25 mm. That is why the guide tells you to go by the millimeters.
On the yarn side, look at the label first: the category number may be printed there. The yarn chart in the guide then gives the hook range for that category, from 0, the finest, to 7, the bulkiest.
US or UK pattern? The stitch names change
The two systems give different names to the same stitches. Double crochet is the tall stitch in a US pattern and the short one in a UK pattern. The guide’s quick test: if a pattern mentions single crochet, it follows US terms, since UK patterns don’t use that name.
This is the stitch table from the PDF, with the abbreviations you will see in patterns:
| Stitch | US | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Chain | chain (ch) | chain (ch) |
| Slip stitch (no height) | slip stitch (sl st) | slip stitch (ss) |
| Short stitch | single crochet (sc) | double crochet (dc) |
| Medium stitch | half double crochet (hdc) | half treble (htr) |
| Tall stitch | double crochet (dc) | treble (tr) |
| Magic ring | magic ring (MR) | magic ring (MR) |
Safe download: PDF served from controllerdrop.com, no sign-up, nothing to install
Free PDF crochet guide for beginners: hook chart, yarn weights and 5 stitches
Five pages to keep next to your yarn: the full hook chart, 8 yarn weights, 5 stitches with US and UK names and a 3-round granny square.
Recommended by
Rosa · Crocheting for over 40 years
★★★★★
“The hook chart is the first thing I show a beginner, and a three-round granny square is the best first project: you can make mistakes and pull it out without worry.”
How the stitches are explained
Each stitch is written in one or two short sentences, one yarn over at a time. From single crochet up, the guide also gives the number of loops on the hook, so you can check as you go. This is its single crochet:
“Insert the hook, yarn over and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through both.”
It also lists the turning chains: 1 for single crochet, which does not count as a stitch; 2 for half double crochet, in most patterns; 3 for double crochet, which count as the first stitch of the row. When a pattern says otherwise, follow the pattern.
Practice piece: the granny square, round by round
The only project in the guide uses just three stitches: chain, slip stitch and double crochet. It starts with 4 chains joined into a ring, or with a magic ring, and grows in groups of 3 double crochets with 2-chain corners.
Each round ends with a count to check: 12 double crochets in round 1, 24 in round 2 and 36 in round 3. To keep going, the guide gives the rule of 12 times the round number, so round 4 has 48.
For UK terms, read every dc as tr (treble). The finished size depends on your yarn and hook, so the guide does not promise a size in inches or centimeters.
3 of the 5 mistakes the guide warns about
After the pattern, the guide lists 5 common beginner mistakes, each with a fix. Three of them:
- Holding the yarn too tight: the hook won’t go into the next row
- Skipping the turning chains: the edges slant
- Reading a UK pattern with US terms: check the stitch page before you start
On your phone or on paper
As a regular PDF file, the guide can be read in the PDF reader or browser of a phone, tablet or computer, and once saved, without a connection. On a small screen, zoom in on the two charts.
On paper, the pages with the two charts are the ones to print first and keep with your hooks and yarn. To get the guide, use any Download the free PDF button on this page.
About this guide
This guide is informational, free and independent, made by our team. Its charts follow the Craft Yarn Council, accessed November 3, 2026, and are guidelines: actual sizes vary by manufacturer. We have no ties to yarn or hook makers, and we are not responsible for the results of your projects or for differences between the charts and the products you buy.
FAQ
How much does the guide cost?
Nothing. All 5 pages are free, and no payment or card is asked for.
Do I need an account or an email address?
No. There is no account to create, no form to fill in and no email to give, and no app to install: the guide is a plain PDF file.
I have never held a hook. Is it too advanced?
No. It starts before the first stitch, with what a yarn over is and how to make a slip knot, and builds up to the tallest of the 5 stitches, the double crochet.
I crochet with my left hand. Will the steps work?
Yes. The steps are written in words, without symbol diagrams, so they work for either hand. Left-handers hold the hook in the left hand and work from left to right.
My pattern says “treble”. Can the guide help?
Yes. Treble is a UK term. The guide puts the US and UK names side by side, so you can see that a UK treble is the stitch US patterns call double crochet.
Does it include patterns for blankets, clothes or amigurumi?
No. Its one pattern is the 3-round granny square, for practicing the stitches. The rest of the guide is about choosing hook and yarn and learning the 5 basic stitches.
What hook size do I need for the granny square?
One in the range for category 3 or 4 yarn: 4.5 to 6.5 mm, or 7 to K-10½ in US sizes. The yarn chart in the guide shows which part of that range goes with each category.
Safe download: PDF served from controllerdrop.com, no sign-up, nothing to install
Free PDF crochet guide for beginners: hook chart, yarn weights and 5 stitches
Five pages to keep next to your yarn: the full hook chart, 8 yarn weights, 5 stitches with US and UK names and a 3-round granny square.
Recommended by
Rosa · Crocheting for over 40 years
★★★★★
“The hook chart is the first thing I show a beginner, and a three-round granny square is the best first project: you can make mistakes and pull it out without worry.”
