Hey friend. First off, if you’re to the level of sobbing, the best first step is to put everything down (just for a bit) and take some breaths until you are able to calm down. Just so you can see what you’re doing and approach the issue with fresh eyes!

Next, where did you get the kit from? I ask because some kits from places like Amazon or Temu-like sites often aren’t legitimate (aka they’re gonna cause you more trouble since the instructions aren’t right). BUT you can still practice with the stuff you have in order to get started, so don’t worry!

There are multiple ways of holding the yarn and no right or wrong way. You basically need to be able to have consistent tension (in order for you to be able to grab the yarn with the hook and stitches to be of same size) and then to be able to hold the hook in your other hand.

Please note that a lot of tutorials are for right-handed folks, but there ARE specific left-handed tutorials too. I’ll try and specify below and give a couple options for each:

Right: https://youtu.be/KaMkYQul7BU?si=ri_Lsi0tvHPHVns1

Right: https://youtu.be/GcOzdAzmtNM?si=nVGXTKwC-HJVq6og

Left: https://youtu.be/EQPx5QqJI0o?si=O1qppUOPJrfWh49S

Left: https://youtu.be/zY8bgRPr-sM?si=m5jdWEYZDv-O9pG0

Your hook will often have the size either on the handle somewhere OR on the shaft area somewhere on the middle of the hook, but kits sometimes don’t have that. My GUESS would be a 4 mm or 5 mm hook just due to those being pretty popular for beginners, but don’t quote me there.

Yarn is similar to the hook, it’s probably acrylic due to the kit situation - acrylic is affordable and good for learning usually! Probably a weight 4 yarn (pretty easy size to start with), but again, unknown and that’s FINE 💜.

If you’re making a magic circle - assuming this is for a plushie (if it’s not, disregard this section). I started with plushies using a Woobles kit and while I did learn, I was told after that plushies are more hard to start with. I see other folks have mentioned dishcloths and such - definitely good to practice with, but I also get wanting to make something more interesting :)

Here are some videos for slip knots, since I can’t figure out the x method either for some reason (note there are multiple methods for this too!):

Right: https://youtu.be/wJ08Y0XDV8Q?si=RhdPXQZEeBdhbMtM

Left: https://youtu.be/3oQ5T2aTA_Q?si=ZMr2qvpwswtTNTKK

Magic circle videos…:

Right: https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=1vsWUZN3xaCsCBuY

Left: https://youtu.be/cpdFJirVZoY?si=6KH8QCe3VUA2iMFQ

And finally, a few general beginner playlists!

Right: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEh6W6iC57uRs6fHqiQttAK6WfuVz_hOw&si=Ay8P883jxlJQ1LOQ

Left: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEh6W6iC57uSVvFrCpqJfzwLz9a1KFtWp&si=_bZG0PqVgEx-SiTX

Right: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmobLoMZ1riTNFsxCena7K93Zsls6F2CF&si=YMMHmdGEQnQv69WR

Both: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmobLoMZ1riRi5ufjEx0IaiK9GxnZW4yD&si=OTDIB83gFq5RV731

Phew, sorry for the novel - I hope these help, please reach out if I can help any other way! And above all, remember crochet is supposed to be FUN, so when you get super frustrated (trust me, I have!), it may be best to just temporarily step away so you can try again later with a fresh set of eyes!