Complete Beginner Crochet
with Bella Coco
Bella Coco
1.2M YouTube subscribers — one of the most trusted crochet teachers online.
The best beginner crochet course we've found. Bella Coco assumes you know nothing and takes you from your first slip knot to a finished scarf — at a pace that actually lets you keep up.
Free trial · £11/mo after
Watch the intro lesson free
At a glance
The basics
Best for
Complete beginners with zero experience
You'll make
A dishcloth and a simple scarf
Time commitment
About 2–3 hours over a week
Starter cost
~£16 for hook, yarn, and markers
Platform
Skillshare (free trial available)
Pace
Gentle — she pauses between steps
Who this is for
The honest fit
Great if you…
- Have never held a crochet hook before
- Want to learn at a relaxed pace
- Prefer video over written patterns
- Want to make something real, not just practise stitches
Maybe not if you…
- Already know the basic stitches and want to level up
- Prefer reading patterns over watching videos
- Want to jump straight into amigurumi or complex projects
The curriculum
What the course covers
12 lessons, roughly 2h 45m total.
- 1–2
Getting set up
Holding the hook, slip knot, chain stitch
- 3–4
Foundation stitches
Single crochet, turning chains, counting stitches
- 5–6
Building confidence
Rows, tension, fixing common mistakes
- 7–9
Your first project
Dishcloth from start to finish
- 10–12
Second project
Simple scarf with colour changes
Our honest take
What we thought
What we liked
Bella Coco is genuinely one of the best crochet teachers online. She talks to you like a friend, pauses at the right moments, and shows close-ups exactly when you need them. By lesson 7 you're making a real dishcloth — not just practising chains into thin air. The pace is gentle without being slow, and she's brilliant at predicting where you'll get stuck.
Where it could be better
Lessons 4 and 5 move noticeably faster than the rest — this is where most beginners struggle with tension and counting. If you hit a wall here, slow down and rewatch those two before moving on. The scarf project at the end is also quite plain — it teaches the skills well, but you might want to pick a more exciting second project from our beginner projects page.
Our scoring
4.4
Overall · out of 5
The verdict
“If you've never crocheted before and want a course that gets you making something real within a weekend, this is the one we'd recommend first. It's the course we wish we'd found when we started.”
Free trial · £11/mo after
The kit
What you'll need to follow along
3 things. That's it.
Clover Amour 5mm Crochet Hook
Our pickSoft-grip handle, smooth aluminium head. Makes learning tension much easier.
Paintbox Simply DK Yarn (any colour)
Per ballSmooth, affordable, easy to see your stitches. Perfect practice yarn.
Locking Stitch Markers (set of 20)
Essential for counting rows and marking your place. You'll use these constantly.
Total: ~£16Everything you need for the course.
See all on AmazonSome links on this page are affiliate links — we earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend things we’d use ourselves.
On a tight budget?
The budget kit
These will absolutely get you through the course. The top-pick kit is nicer; the budget kit works while you’re finding out if this craft is your thing.
Aluminium hook (no grip)
instead of Clover Amour
£1.50
Marriner DK yarn
instead of Paintbox
£1.89
Safety pins as markers
instead of locking markers
£0
Not quite right?
Try one of these instead
Different courses suit different people. These are the two worth considering alongside.
Keep reading
More crochet guides
Is Crochet Hard to Learn?
The honest answer — what the first hour actually feels like, where beginners get stuck, and how quickly you'll be making something real.
Read
CrochetCan I Teach Myself Crochet?
Yes — and most crocheters do. Here's the fastest self-taught path, plus the mistakes that add weeks to the learning curve.
Read
CrochetBest Crochet Projects for Gifts
Six beginner-friendly crochet gift projects — each achievable in a weekend, with specific pattern and yarn picks for each.
Read
Common questions about this course
- Do I need a Skillshare subscription?
- Skillshare offers a free trial, so you can take this course without paying. After the trial it's around £11/month.
- Can I do this course on my phone?
- Yes, the Skillshare app works well on mobile. Bella Coco's close-up shots are clear even on a small screen.
- How long will it actually take me?
- Most beginners finish in about a week of evening sessions (30–45 minutes each). Don't try to rush through it in one sitting.
- I'm left-handed — will this work for me?
- Bella Coco teaches right-handed, but she has a separate left-handed series on her YouTube channel that covers the same basics.
Ready when you are
Ready to start?
Grab the kit, start the course, and you'll have your first finished piece by the weekend.