Creating the Little Crochet Basics Booklet ♡

When I first started planning my beginner crochet workshops, I knew I wanted attendees to leave with more than just a finished project... I wanted them to leave with the confidence to continue crocheting long after the workshop ended.

I also wanted them to have something physical to support them throughout the beautiful journey of learning crochet, something they could take home, refer back to, and continue learning from whenever they needed a little help.

What began as a few notes quickly grew into the Little Crochet Basics booklet: a beginner-friendly guide covering crochet terminology, stitches, helpful tips, QR-linked video tutorials, and access to a growing online resource library.

Alongside the booklet, I also created a series of YouTube tutorials and a dedicated Resources page on my website so beginners can revisit techniques whenever they need a refresher.

One of my favourite parts of this project has been seeing how it evolved through community feedback. Before finalising the booklet, a wonderful group of crocheters volunteered to proofread and test it for me. Their suggestions helped improve everything from wording and formatting to clarity for complete beginners.

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to read through the booklet, leave comments, spot mistakes, and share ideas. Your feedback genuinely helped shape the final version.

The Reality of Making a Booklet...

Once I had the final PDF finished, it was time to navigate the nuances of actually producing a booklet.

Because I wanted it to look and feel good, clean, professional, and durable - not just a bundle of papers stapled together.

At first, I planned to print everything on A4 paper (two pages per sheet), cut them down, laminate two A5 pages per pouch, cut them again, and then assemble everything afterwards.

I very quickly realised my wrists would not survive that process for 10+ booklets with 30+ pages each.

Then I remembered something revolutionary... Paper sizes exist.

My saving grace arrived in the form of next-day delivery bringing A5 paper, A6 paper, and appropriately sized laminating pouches. A true crafting miracle.

Once the supplies arrived, the next hurdle was the printer.

Did you know some printers simply don't support automatic double-sided printing?

It took me nearly three days of fighting printer settings, paper orientation, and my own sanity before I finally realised the problem wasn't me... it was the printer model itself.

(For a brief moment I genuinely considered buying a new printer.)

As if that wasn't enough, I then discovered that my printer didn't recognise A6 paper either.

Cue another round of trial and error.

After plenty of Googling, clicking random settings, and a few moments of printer-induced frustration, I eventually figured out how to manually create a custom paper size so the printer would finally accept it.

Then came the ink.

For some reason, every test print seemed to bring a new problem. Some settings caused the ink to bleed, others made details appear fuzzy, and certain combinations looked completely different once printed than they did on the screen.

By the time I finally found the right settings, I'd gone through far more paper, ink, and test prints than I care to admit.

Looking back, there was definitely a lot of waste along the way, but it was all part of the learning process.

The good news is that once everything was finally configured correctly, the actual mass printing became the easiest part of the entire project.

The Lamination Marathon

Once the printing was finished, the next stage was laminating.

And wow... I completely underestimated how long that would take.

I thought it would be a quick couple of hours.

It absolutely took me all day.

By the end of it, my shoulders and neck were thoroughly done in.

Then came the satisfying part: hole punching and binding.

There's something incredibly rewarding about watching hundreds of loose pages slowly become an actual booklet.

I also got to use my new label maker for the first time (shoutout to Temu and their £12 label makers - if you haven't invested in one yet, I highly recommend it).

Naturally, I then spent an unreasonable amount of time labelling absolutely everything.

It was such a long, exhausting, insightful, frustrating, exciting, and joyful journey all at the same time.

The Finished Booklet

The final booklet will be used throughout my crochet workshops as a reference guide and learning aid for attendees.

Simplified versions are also available to purchase at workshops for £10*, and a digital version is available for those learning from home.

Looking back, this project has become much more than a workshop handout.

It has grown into the foundation of a larger learning library that I hope will continue to support beginners as they begin their crochet journey.

And perhaps most exciting of all, it feels like the first step towards a growing collection of Crochet By Maya learning resources in the future.

Happy crocheting ♡

Maya

Special Thanks

A special shoutout to my husband, who took on baby duty 100% for four days straight and only interrupted me for things he genuinely couldn't solve himself.

(Usually involving boobies 😂)

Another huge thank you to my incredibly kind boss for allowing me to take some last-minute time off work. I quickly realised there was absolutely no way I was going to finish this project around my normal work schedule.

And finally, this booklet would not be the same without the lovely crocheters who took the time to proofread, test, and share feedback throughout the process.

Thank you for helping me create a better learning resource for beginners.

@tabbathaleemee

@mochisforestfables

@a_chorus_of_crochet

@rebi_handmade

@maddymakescrafts

@moon.loops.crochet

@caitlins_crochet__

@rhi.crochet

*About the Simplified Workshop Booklets (£10)

The simplified physical booklets contain all of the same information as the full workshop version, but are designed to be more affordable and accessible.

The workshop edition contains 37 pages, with dedicated pages for each stitch. Every stitch page includes written instructions, explanations of what the stitch is used for, helpful tips, and a QR code linking to a video tutorial.

I chose this format for the workshops to minimise phone usage during lessons and make learning as straightforward as possible.

For the simplified version, I have replaced those individual stitch pages with a single page containing a QR code to the stitch library on my website. Each stitch still has its own dedicated resource page containing written instructions, explanations, tips, and video tutorials - exactly the same information, just delivered digitally.

The workshop booklets are also fully laminated throughout, as they are intended to be reused by many attendees over time.

The simplified versions only have laminated covers.

By reducing the amount of printing and laminating required, I've been able to keep both the production costs and selling price lower, making the booklet more accessible to anyone beginning their crochet journey.