I crochet, and I like writing about it. That is the whole story behind The Hook Line Stitcher, and it is probably why the site looks the way it does — less like a catalogue, more like someone showing you what they have been working on.
I make small things, mostly. A bookmark while the kettle boils. A little amigurumi turtle over an afternoon. A basket that sits by the door and collects keys. Then I write down how I did it, properly, so that someone else can do it too.
Why this site exists
Because I kept running into the same problem.
You find a pattern. It tells you to make six single crochet into a magic ring, increase for five rounds, and then it simply stops explaining. Your circle comes out like a bowl. The pattern does not mention bowls. You are left assuming you are bad at crochet, when what has actually happened is that nobody told you the one rule that governs every flat circle in crochet.
Most patterns tell you what to do. Very few tell you what goes wrong, why it goes wrong, or how to tell the difference between a mistake and a thing that just looks odd until round nine.
That gap is what this site is for. Every pattern here ends with a troubleshooting section, and it is usually the longest part of the page.
What you will find here
Small projects that actually get finished. Nothing here takes a fortnight. Most take under three hours, several take twenty minutes, and every one of them is a real object at the end — not a swatch you unravel.
Stitch guides that go slowly. The anatomy of a stitch, which loop to work into, what the turning chain is and is not. Almost every beginner problem traces back to working into the wrong place, so these guides spend time there.
Honest difficulty. If something is fiddly, the page says so. If a project needs a specific yarn to work at all — a basket will not stand up in soft acrylic, no matter how good your tension — that is stated plainly rather than glossed over.
How the patterns are written
Every pattern on this site follows the same rules, so that once you have followed one, you can follow all of them.
- US crochet terms throughout, with the UK equivalents noted wherever the difference matters. That single distinction causes more confusion than anything else in crochet.
- A stitch count at the end of every row and round. In bold. Counting as you go is the difference between catching an error and unravelling an evening.
- Abbreviations explained before the instructions start — not linked away to a glossary you have to keep leaving the page for.
- Skill level, time, yarn weight, hook size and finished measurements at the top, so you can tell in five seconds whether a project suits what is in your basket.
- A troubleshooting section on every single one. Written for the specific thing you are making, not generic advice.
Where to start
If you have never held a hook before, do not start with a pattern. Start here, in this order — it is about an hour in total and it unlocks nearly everything else on the site:
If you can already single crochet, make a bookmark. Twenty minutes, and it shows you exactly what your tension looks like — a better practice piece than a swatch, because you keep it.
If you want to try your first stuffed toy, make the turtle rather than the cat. Its body is two flat circles, so there is no sphere to shape and far less to go wrong.
Using the patterns
Everything here is free to use, and you are welcome to sell whatever you make from these patterns. Finished items are yours — sell them at markets, online, wherever you like. No credit required, though it is always appreciated.
Please do not republish the pattern text itself. If you would like to share one, link to the page instead.
Say hello
If you get stuck halfway through a pattern, spot a mistake, or want to suggest something you would like written up, I would like to hear from you. Write to contact@hooklinestitcher.com or use the contact page.
And if you have made something from a pattern here — send me a picture. That is genuinely the best part of doing this.