People of all ages—more than 50 million—know how to knit, crochet and craft with yarn because its fun, relaxing and you can make great things, Whatever your reasons for wanting to learn, the Craft Yarn Council wants to help you get started today. On these pages, you will find all the basics. There's an explanation of the differences between knitting and crocheting, Illustrations and instruction about how to make the basic stitches, FAQs, a list of helpful resource materials and tips on reading project patterns.

Once you feel that you are ready to begin a project, we have some pattern suggestions for you as well. As you begin your project, if you have questions, visit 911/FAQs at this site. Consider joining a local knitting and crocheting guild or group that meets up in locations in your community or online and taking a class offered at a local retailer, school or library. In addition, members of the Craft Yarn Council have web sites full of wonderful tips and techniques, videos, free patterns and interesting news. You can find the Craft Yarn Council members on our About page.

When you are ready to buy yarn, you'll find lots of choices. Check out the yarn departments in retail stores like Walmart and craft chains like Michaels and JoAnn Stores, as well as numerous regional craft chains and hundreds of independent yarn stores. There are also many online sites to purchase yarn and supplies. Have fun!