Having worked at the library for several months, I have met many wonderful staff members who help keep our building running and who support students. Among these staff members (and student employees), a running theme between them that I have noticed is that many partake in fabric arts (things like crochet, knitting, quilting, etc.). So, I thought it was only fitting to write a blog post about different library-themed crocheted crafts. I myself am only a beginner crocheter with just a few projects under my belt, so the crafts that I will be recommending are best suited for beginners.

If you are new to crochet and need help figuring out where to get your supplies, there are a lot of places to buy from. I typically buy my yarn and hooks from Michael’s or Joann Fabrics and Crafts. These stores have a great selection of both value yarn and expensive yarn. If you go to these stores and nothing piques your interest, Hobbii is also a great website to check out for yarn supplies (bear in mind, Hobbii is based in Denmark, so you will have to account for shipping costs). Additionally, you can go to any local yarn store and have a wonderful selection to choose from.

Starting off in a new hobby can be overwhelming because you do not always know what to buy. As a beginner, I would recommend that you buy the yarn of your choice, a hook, and some sort of sewing needle (I like to use these ones from Susan Bates). When buying the hook, make sure the size of it corresponds to the yarn that you purchased. To find out what hook size you need, check out the label on the yarn you buy (the label typically has information like the weight of the yarn, the type of yarn, hook size, and needle size).

Tassel Bookmark

This pattern is easy to follow with both a written and video tutorial to work from! If you would prefer the bookmark without the tassel, you can totally skip that step; the bookmark will look very nice regardless! This pattern has single crochets together, which (if you have never done those before) is essentially 2 or more unfinished single crochets crocheted together. If you know how to single crochet, you can do single crochets together.

• Stitches to know: single crochet, double crochet, slip stitch, chain stitch
• Yarn I used: Sirdar Cotton DK Sunshine
• Hook size: 4 mm (G/6)

Flower Bookmark

This pattern is easy to follow and results in a very cute flower bookmark! This pattern is divided into 2 parts, one part dedicated to the petal portion of the flower and the other part for the stem. Because these two parts are crocheted separately, the petals need to be sewed on to the stem. If you have not sown crocheted pieces together before, here is a helpful video to watch!

• Stitches to know: single crochet, double crochet, triple crochet, half double crochet, slip stitch, chain stitch
• Yarn I used: Solid Worsted Value Yarn Big Twist Orange, Luxe Merino Solid Yarn Loops and Threads Avacado
  
• Hook size: 5.00 mm (H/8) for flower and 4.00 mm (G/6) for stem

Glasses pouch

This pattern might look intimidating at first because of the drawstrings you need to make, but it is actually pretty easy! While this pattern does not have a video tutorial, the instructions are easy to follow and the pictures illustrate the steps well. If you have bigger frames, then I would recommend chaining more for the starting chain than what the pattern suggests.

• Stitches to know: single crochet, double crochet, slip stitch, chain stitch
• Yarn I used: Winter Glow Light Worsted Pale Lavender/Powder/Green Tea/Cardamom
• Hook size: 5 mm (H/8)

Book sleeve

Book sleeves are perfect for protecting your book. If you do not feel comfortable crocheting with two strands at once (as suggested in the tutorial), then you can certainly size up the yarn you use and crochet with just the one strand. If you choose to size up, I would recommend using a bulky weight yarn (weight 5). This pattern requires you to sew on a button, which might sound difficult, but the tutorial (which is a video) will show you how to do it. If you prefer, you can always omit the button step, just know that your book would have a chance of falling out of the sleeve.

• Stitches to know: single crochet, half double crochet, slip stitch, chain stitch
• Yarn I used: Solid Worsted Value Yarn Big Twist Grape, Solid Worsted Value Yarn Big Twist Orange
• Hook size: 6.00 mm (J/10)

Book worm

Who better to accompany you to the library than a book worm? This pattern recommends 80 chains, but I preferred a shorter tail and only chained 65. You will need extra supplies for this pattern, such as small googly eyes and a hot glue gun. Sadly, I did not manage to find any googly eyes small enough for my worm, so I ended up stitching on some yarn with black thread instead.

• Stitches to know: double crochet, slip stitch, chain stitch
• Yarn I used: Winter Glow Light Worsted Pale Lavender/Powder/Green Tea/Cardamom
• Hook size: 5.00 mm (H/8)

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If you want to crochet more things but don’t know where to start, you can check out some crocheting books from our library!

• Retro crochet: vibrant vintage-inspired looks from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s
  • A book on retro designs and clothing to crochet (ebook)
• Knot bad amigurumi: learn crochet stitches and techniques to create cute creatures with 25 easy patterns 
  • A book on different amigurumi (small, stuffed plushies) patterns (ebook)
• A new look at crochet: using basic stitches to create modern designs
  • A book on how to create fun and exciting designs with basic stitches (book)

DISCLAIMER: The books mentioned above contain a range of difficulty levels, so they may not be as beginner friendly. Don’t let that stop you from giving them a try though!