25 crochet goals and challenge ideas, from a first chain to a blanket of 100 squares

Crochet goals for beginners

Beginner goals are the basic stitches, one at a time, with a count for each. Start with medium weight yarn: the Craft Yarn Council numbers it 4 and pairs it with a 5.5 to 6.5 mm hook (US I-9 to K-10½). If two needles appeal more than one hook, knitting goals start from a cast on.

• Crochet a chain of 50 stitches, then count them back.
• Crochet 10 rows of single crochet with the same stitch count in every row.
• Learn single, half double and double crochet, with one swatch of each.
• Make a magic ring and pull it closed 10 times.
• Crochet one dishcloth, from the first chain to the last end woven in.

Crochet stitch and technique goals

Technique goals add one move at a time. A pattern marked Easy on the Craft Yarn Council's scale may bring simple stitch patterns, colour work or shaping, which is a good list of what to learn next.

• Crochet one swatch each of shell, puff and popcorn stitch.
• Crochet 10 rounds of a circle that stays flat.
• Finish one pattern read from a chart, not from written rows.
• Crochet one piece in 3 colours and weave in every end.
• Join 2 squares 3 ways: whip stitch, slip stitch, and join as you go.

Crochet project goals: a blanket, amigurumi, a garment

Project goals are where crochet's unit shows. A blanket is a number of squares and a toy is a number of rounds, so both can be counted before the first stitch.

• Crochet a blanket of 100 granny squares and join them.
• Crochet your first amigurumi, from magic ring to the last stitch.
• Crochet one garment you wear: a top, a vest or a cardigan.
• Crochet a market bag and carry it 10 times.
• Crochet a rug in thick cotton cord.

Crochet challenge ideas

A crochet challenge is a day count with a square or a row as the proof. The 30 day ones sit well next to other 30 day challenge ideas.

• Crochet one granny square a day for 30 days.
• Make a temperature blanket: one row a day for a year, in the colour of that day's high.
• Learn one new stitch a day for 30 days.
• Crochet a blanket of 52 squares, one square a week for a year.
• Crochet one small amigurumi a week for 8 weeks.

Crochet goals to give or sell

Giving and selling goals have a date on them, like a market day or the holidays, and the count is the pieces ready by then.

• Crochet 30 pieces before your first market table.
• Write down the hours and the yarn cost of 5 pieces before you set a price.
• Take 10 orders and finish each one by the date you promised.
• Crochet 20 squares for a group blanket that will be donated.
• Crochet one small gift for every person at your holiday table this year.

What is a good crochet goal?

Crochet has a unit built in: the square. "Make a blanket" turns into "100 squares by June", and that is a specific goal. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. Count squares, rows or stitches, and the goal has a finish line you can see.

Each yarn and fabric craft has its own unit. Knitting counts rows on the needles, sewing goals count garments and seams, and crochet counts squares and rounds. Pick the unit first, then the number.

To move up, use the levels printed on many patterns. The Craft Yarn Council uses the same four for crochet as for knitting: Basic, Easy, Intermediate and Complex. Finish a few patterns at one level before you try the next.

How to track crochet goals

Count the square once it is off the hook. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that recording it beat keeping it in your head.

A square a day and a temperature blanket are day counts. The calendar method called don't break the chain borrows a word crochet already knows. A plain count of days does the same job, and a missed day is one row to catch up, not the end of the blanket.

Squares, rows and pieces sold are amounts that add up. A picture that fills square by square shows the blanket before it is joined.

Frequently asked questions

What are good crochet goals for beginners?

Crochet a chain of 50 and count it back. Crochet 10 rows with the same number of stitches in each. Learn single, half double and double crochet. Then make one dishcloth from start to finish.

What is a temperature blanket?

A blanket with one row for each day of the year. You give a colour to each range of temperatures, then crochet each day's row in the colour of its high. At the end of the year it has 365 rows, or 366 in a leap year.

How many granny squares make a blanket?

It depends on the size of the squares and of the blanket. A 10 by 10 layout is 100 squares. With 6 inch squares, that is a blanket about 60 inches wide, before the joins and the border.