Crochet is an endlessly versatile technique for making hats, scarves and sweaters, not to mention sculpture and rugs. And all you need is some yarn and a crochet hook. In this workshop Cal will explain and demonstrate the foundation crochet stitches and finishing off. You can create reference swatches of each stitch, or alternate them to create a stitch sampler.

Now that you know the basic crochet stitches, Cal will show you how to use and combine them to create different shapes, textures, and patterns. You'll learn how to increase and decrease in each type of stitch, work into the "bump" of the chain for a nicer edge, as well as how to add spaces or holes between your stitches, and combine stitches to make textured effects like bobbles and shells.

Crochet patterns and charts can be very mysterious, with lots of strange abbreviations, numbers and cryptic symbols. In this class, crochet expert Edie Eckman guides you through a typical crochet pattern, explaining line by line how it should be read. Not only does Edie discuss how to interpret the written instructions, but she also shows how the words correlate to the symbols in the chart. This is a great primer for anyone who wants to learn how to crochet motifs or follow garment patterns.

Whether this is the month you finally learn to crochet, or it’s time for you to add new stitches to your arsenal, expert crocheter Twinkie Chan will show you how. Begin with learning basic crochet stitches and their written abbreviations, then work toward crocheting small, friendly swatches with more decorative stitches. Once you’ve spent the month immersed in Twinkie’s wonderful world of crochet, you’ll end up with a beautiful collection of square swatches that you can use as coasters or seam up to make a super cute and colorful stitch sampler to hang on the wall. Build the skills - and the confidence - to crochet almost anything with just yarn and a hook.

Using basic crochet stitches, Cal Patch shows you how to work in the round and make a hat in any size you like. This customizable hat is the perfect way to practice new skills, like increasing and slipstitching. With this one formula, you can go on to crochet hats in different sizes, yarn weights and colors for all of your loved ones.