Single crochet is the the most basic stitch used in crocheting and is often abbreviated as SC in crochet instructions. It is one of the easiest stitches to do and the foundation for almost all of the other stitches. To do the single crochet stitch, you need a crochet hook and yarn. If you are just beginning to crochet, a larger size crochet hook, such as I or J, may be easier to work with.
To begin, pull a length of yarn out of the skein. Do not cut or separate it from the skein, but pull out a long enough strand out to begin working with. Loop the end around the top portion of your crochet hook and tie in a knot. The loop needs to be securely on the hook but not overly tight. It should be able to slide up and down the hook without falling off.
Once you have a knot on the hook, wrap the strand of yarn over the hook and use the hook to grab it and pull it through the loop on the hook — this is your first chain. Repeat the process, pulling the strand of yarn through the previous stitch each time. Every time you pull the yarn through the stitch, a new loop will be on the hook. Repeat this process until you have the desired number of stitches in your base chain, but do not count the first knotted loop in the chain. If you are following a pattern, the instructions normally tell you how many to chain for the first row.
To begin the second row, you will need to "turn." To do so, make one extra chain and then turn the crochet hook so that you can begin working in the opposite direction — right to left. Put the hook through the second stitch in the chain, and snag the yarn with the hook. Gently pull the yarn through. You will now have two loops on the crochet hook.
Keeping both loops on the hook, pull the yarn through both loops, leaving only one loop on the hook. Put the hook through the next stitch in your base chain, and pull the yarn through to create two loops on the hook. Once again, pull the yarn through both loops. You will now have only one loop on the hook.
Continue this process until you have made a single crochet stitch in each stitch of your base chain. At the end of the row, make one single chain and then turn the crocheted yarn over so that you can continue to work from right to left. You will now be using the previous row of single crochet stitches, not the base chain, to crochet the next row.
Insert the hook into the first single crochet stitch in the row, not into the turning chain stitch. Pull the yarn through the stitch so that you have two loops on the hook. Now pull the yarn through both loops on the hook, leaving just one loop. Put the hook into the next stitch, and continue the process until you reach the last stitch in the row.
At the end of each row, you will need to make a single chain stitch and then turn the crocheted piece over to continue working from right to left. Continue crocheting until you have the needed number of rows. At the end of the last row, make one single chain turning stitch and use that loop to make a knot with the strand of yarn. This will end the row and keep the stitches from unraveling.