---
title: 'Hello, hoop'
part: 'Part 0 — Start Here'
partNumber: 0
order: 5
subtitle: 'Your first six words of NeedleScript'
---

Here is your first NeedleScript program. Run it.

<Run>{`repeat 6 [ fd 20 rt 60 ]`}</Run>

Six words, one design, ready to export as a `.DST` file your machine will sew.

## What each word means

| Word       | What it does                                   |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `repeat 6` | Do the block 6 times                           |
| `[`        | Start the block                                |
| `fd 20`    | Move **forward** 20 mm, sewing a line as we go |
| `rt 60`    | Turn **right** 60 degrees                      |
| `]`        | End the block                                  |

After 6 repetitions, the turtle has turned a full 360° (6 × 60 = 360) and is back where it started — a regular hexagon.

## Experiment

Try changing the numbers:

- `repeat 4 [ fd 20 rt 90 ]` — a square
- `repeat 3 [ fd 20 rt 120 ]` — an equilateral triangle
- `repeat 36 [ fd 5 rt 10 ]` — a near-circle
- `repeat 5 [ fd 20 rt 144 ]` — a five-pointed star

The rule is simple: `repeat n [ fd s rt (360/n) ]` draws a regular n-gon with side length `s`.

## What the scrubber shows

The scrubber version below lets you watch each stitch form. Notice how the hexagon is built one side at a time — each `fd` adds a segment, each `rt` changes the direction.

<Scrub>{`repeat 6 [ fd 20 rt 60 ]`}</Scrub>

Drag the slider slowly through the first 40 stitches. You'll see corner by corner.

## Export

When a design looks right in the preview, export it from the **Playground** (the full IDE at `/`). Navigate there, paste your code, click Run, then use the export buttons in the top bar.

<Pitfall drill="D1" title="Blocks use [ ], never { }">
`repeat 6 { fd 20 rt 60 }` is a parse error. NeedleScript has no curly braces. Every block — `repeat`, `if`, `while`, procedure bodies — uses square brackets `[ ]`.
</Pitfall>

<Checkpoint chapterId="ch-0-5">
  Run the basic hexagon, then modify it to draw a square (`repeat 4 [ fd 20 rt 90 ]`). When you have
  a square in the preview, you've written your second NeedleScript program. Mark complete.
</Checkpoint>