Are you feeling extra crafty this holiday season? Homemade gifts are meaningful and show that you took the time to make something special for your loved ones and friends-best of all, they can be inexpensive. Crocheted items such as baby hats, scarves, and mittens are useful, homey gifts that people can enjoy for many holiday seasons to come.

A crochet baby hat is an especially thoughtful gift for your friends with newborn babies. The best thing about making your own hats is that you can personalize them however you want. Once you've made one hat, you can follow that same pattern to make a couple hats in different colors. After they're all crocheted, you can add special embellishments such as a flower or pompom.

Before you can begin making all of your cute homemade gifts, you need to learn to crochet. Learning how to crochet is easy, as long as you have the right materials and proper instructions. First, make sure you have a ball of yarn and not skeins of yarn; a ball will get tangled less easily and it will give you better tension. Next, you'll need the right size of hooks. Beginner crocheters tend to work either too tight or too loosely. If your work is too tight, use a larger hook; if it is too loose, choose a smaller hook. Once you begin a project with a certain hook, consistently use that hook for the entire project, or you may get different sizes of stitches. Practice making stitches with easy pattern guides, and once you feel confident you can begin making your gifts.

After making a few different items such as a scarf, a baby hat, or mittens, you'll feel more confident and you can move onto more complex projects.