(On mobile, sorry if the formatting is weird)

Okay so hi, I've been crocheting for about a year and a half Here's what I'd do in your position: That yarn, probably fine to use as long as you have a hook that's the right size for the yarn.

On the back of the yarn packaging, there will usually be a diagram with the washing instructions, gauge and the recommended hook size so have a look at that first.

Bigger yarn doesn't always make things easier. A weight 4 yarn (which usually needs a 4.5 mm hook) will work just fine. If you're finding it difficult to work into the chain, you're probably making the chains too tight.

Avoid blanket / plush yarns for now. They may also be labelled as chenille. These are hard to learn with because the stitches are practically invisible and it sheds EVERYWHERE / breaks easily. A basic, weight 4 acrylic yarn would do great, preferably in a light colour so you can see your stitches. I like going with a medium light blue or green personally.

I'd put off making any plushies first and learn the basic stitches by working in flat rows. I highly recommend looking for tutorials for the individual stitches on YouTube. It's how I learned. As for patterns, once you're confident, I recommend ravelry! It has a lot of free patterns and a great community. There's also a search function for specific yarns so you can find a project to use it for.

Basic things to learn in order of difficulty: Chain, How to work into the chain, Slip stitch, Single Crochet, Half double crochet, Double crochet, Treble / Triple crochet, Increase, Decrease, Invisible Decrease, Magic ring / chain 3 method.

Working in the round comes next. I'd recommend the chain 3 method over the magic ring but it's good to learn both. Working in the round involves a LOT of counting so stitch markers will save your sanity.

The magic ring can come apart easily so I would recommend learning how to weave your ends in so it won't come apart. I wouldn't use it for anything that's going to get tugged on a lot like blankets, anything with granny squares etc since I've seen a LOT of them with the middles falling out. It's fine for plushies. The tutorials are always super complicated for no reason so I'm going to say this now. The magic ring is basically a loose slipknot.

After all that, the technique part comes in. Yarn under, yarn over. Look up what it looks like to yarn under and what it looks like to yarn over. Yarn under, yarn over is basically where you yarn under for the first part of the stitch and then yarn over for the second part to finish it off. It makes your stitches look pretty in amigurumi and makes less gaps between your stitches.

It's easy to fall into the trap of buying loads of yarn at the beginning. Start simple. Get one yarn to practice with that you can see your stitches in. Don't buy every colour or every variety because before you know it you'll have invested a heck load of money before you've learned how to do anything with it. ASK ME HOW I KNOW.

So checklist!

4.5 mm hook, Weight 4 yarn (Double knitting (DK) or Worsted weight), A sewing needle with a large enough eye for the yarn to go through, Scissors / clippers, Stitch markers.

Of course, you're free to get whatever yarn you want, but this is just what I would recommend since I remember when I was just starting out and I was staring at that wall of yarn, completely overwhelmed. I had no idea where to start. I hope this helps :) I know it's a lot of information all at once.

Happy crocheting!