You Can Crochet with Bella Coco

The best crochet book for someone who has never picked up a hook. Sarah-Jayne Fragola, known online as Bella Coco, built a YouTube channel with over a million subscribers by teaching crochet with extraordinary patience and clarity. This book captures that same energy in print.

Why Start Here

Most crochet books assume you already know what a slip knot is. Bella Coco assumes nothing. The book opens with choosing your first hook and yarn, then walks you through every foundational stitch with large, clear photographs that show exactly what your hands should be doing at each step. Each technique uses UK crochet terms with US equivalents clearly noted, so you will never get lost regardless of which system the patterns you find online use.

What makes this book stand out from other beginner guides is the pacing. Fragola structures the book as a course rather than a reference, with each chapter building on the previous one. By the time you reach the 12 included projects, from coasters and scarves to a hexagonal pillow and a hat-and-mitten set, you have genuinely learned the skills needed to complete them. There is no frustrating gap between “here are the stitches” and “now make this complicated thing.”

The photography throughout is warm and inviting. The projects use soft, modern color palettes that feel contemporary rather than dated, which matters when you are deciding whether to invest time in making something.

What to Expect

At 144 pages, this is a compact book that respects your time. You could work through the technique sections in a long weekend and have your first finished project within a week. The book pairs naturally with Bella Coco’s YouTube tutorials, so if a particular stitch gives you trouble in print, you can find a video walkthrough from the same instructor.

The projects lean toward home accessories and small wearables rather than full garments. If your goal is to crochet a sweater, you will eventually need a more advanced resource, but this book gives you the solid foundation to get there.