All you need to crochet is a crochet hook and some yarn, both of which you can find at any craft store or online. You could also be a fancy-pants and go to a specialized yarn store for your materials. Just make sure that when you walk in, you say very loudly "I'm crocheting my own bikini."

	Yarn comes in varying thicknesses: thicker yarn is used for things like heavy sweaters, whereas thinner yarn is used for more delicate projects like tightly woven lace or, um, crocheted bathing suits. "Fingering" is the lightest weight yarn besides crochet thread... but that stuff is only used for making doilies, which is for people with a lot of time on their hands.

Crochet hooks look like knitting needles with a little hook at the end. They vary in degrees of thickness and can be made out of many different materials. The thinner the needle is, the smaller and tighter your stitches will be. When you're at the store, you'll notice that needle thickness classification was clearly set up by a crazy person: there are letters and numbers and various combinations of the two and inexplicable jumps in measurements that are enough to make your eyes cross. Your best bet is to keep in mind the thickness in millimeters.

what you'll need for this guide

• 2-3 balls of "fingering" weight yarn of a synthetic material (acrylic, for example), any color
• One 2.25 mm steel crochet hook.

Quite an extensive shopping list, I know.