I do not think my grandmother ever thought that I would want to learn anything beyond making a crochet chain. I think she secretly thought that would keep me entertained for a suitable amount of time.

I mastered the chain and my grandmother had to teach me the next step. The single crochet stitch.

When reading a pattern single crochet is abbreviated like this (sc).

If you do not know how to make a chain refer to the Start Crocheting Today article. After you are done making a chain, insert the hook in the second chain from the hook. Note that when you are reading a pattern, the pattern will tell you which chain to start in. For practice we will start with the second chain.