make it: kids crochet necklace

Charmed Chain Stitch

Cool charms are the key to this easy crochet project that beginners and experts alike are sure to get hooked on. Perfect for kids and tweens to begin with crochet.

Supplies:
Ball of yarn - gold or silver tone
Size K crochet hook
Needle-nosed jewelry pliers
Jump rings
Charms
Optional: Necklace clasp

Steps:
1. Begin by making a slipknot. Open the palm of your hand and lay the tail of the yarn over your palm. Open your fingers and loop the yarn under and back over your first two fingers, creating an X.

2. Pull the lower piece of yarn forming the X through the top piece of the X. This loop will create the slipknot.

3. Place the hook end of the crochet hook through the loop and pull it tight onto the hook.

4. Loop the loose end of yarn around your pinkie and up around your index finger to allow you to control the yarn tension.

5. To start your stitch, loop the yarn from the back side to the front around the hook and pull that loop over the hook.

6. Repeat making loops and pulling over the hook to create a 14” chain.

7. Cut your yarn approximately 6-8” from the end of the chain and gingerly remove the chain from the crochet hook.

8. Loop the loose end of yarn through the last chain loop, and again through the resulting knot. Gently pull the knot tight at the end of the chain.

9. Optional: Attach a necklace clasp piece to either side of the necklace.

10. Using round-nosed jewelry pliers, open a jump ring and thread on a charm.

11. By folding the crochet chain in half, find the center of the necklace and thread the jump ring through the crochet link. Close the jump ring with needle-nosed pliers.

12. Continue threading on charms with jump rings. You can ensure that the charms are distributed evenly along the necklace by counting the necklace links.