Crochet Stitches – Single, Half Double, Double and Treble

Early on in the writing of this blog I put together a series of How To posts for the basic crochet stitches, so I thought that today I’d aggregate those all in one space here for people who want them. Below you will find written instructions, images, video tutorials, links and more for the sc, hdc, dc and tr. Enjoy!

How to Single Crochet Stitch

how to single crochet

Single crochet looks like this! image source

One of the most basic things that you learn when you first start learning how to crochet is how to single crochet. When looking at crochet patterns, the crochet abbreviation for single crochet is (sc).

Written instructions for how to crochet single crochet

  • Crochet the length of foundation chain that you want to use.
  • Turn the piece so that you are ready to start your single crochet.
  • Insert the crochet hook into the second chain away from the hook.
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull through the chain.
  • Yarn over again.
  • There will be two loops on the chain at this point. Pull the yarn through both of these loops.

That’s it; that’s single crochet. Of course, those are just the instructions for the first row on a turning chain. The instructions are slightly different if you’re working into another row of single crochet, but they aren’t too different. They are as follows:

  • Turn your piece so that you are ready to begin your next row of single crochet.
  • Chain one before doing anything else. This is your turning chain.
  • Insert the hook into the first stitch of the row (the single crochet that is immediately next to the turning chain you’ve just created).
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull through the stitch.
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull through both loops on the chain.

Pictures of how to single crochet

Not everyone learns well from written instructions. It might help to look at these pictures of how to single crochet that come from TLC:

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Video instructions for how to single crochet

You may need something even more detailed than the images above if you’re having trouble with your single crochet. Here’s a video from YouTube that shows you how to single crochet.

How to Half Double Crochet Stitch

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Half double crochet looks like this. Image from CraftStylish

The half double crochet is a stitch that is in between the single and double crochet stitches in size. It’s a useful crochet stitch that is frequently used so it’s important to know how to do it. And in fact, this stitch is my personal favorite basic stitch. The crochet abbreviation for half double crochet is hdc.

Written instructions for how to crochet half double crochet

If you learn well from written instructions then these are the steps to follow to crochet a half double crochet

  • Make your foundation chain.
  • Add two additional chains. This is your turning chain.
  • Yarn over.
  • Insert the hook into the chain that is three chains from your hook. (This is the last chain of the foundation chain before you added the two additional chains for the turning chain.)
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull the yarn through the stitch and yarn over again. There will be three loops on the hook.
  • Pull the yarn through all through three loops.

That’s your half double crochet stitch. At the end of the row, you would turn the work and add an additional two chains for the turning chain. You would insert the hook into the first stitch after the turning chain. Continue with the same directions as above.

Pictures of how to crochet half double crochet

Need some photos to help you figure out what those written instructions means? The following images come from the Bernat Blog:

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Video instructions for how to crochet half double crochet

If you’re having any difficulty learning how to crochet half double crochet then a video might help. Here’s one from Mikey’s Mail on YouTube:

How to Double Crochet Stitch

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Double crochet looks like this! image source

The half double crochet stitch is slightly taller than the single crochet and slightly shorter than the double crochet. Let’s look at double crochet now. It is another very common stitch used in many crochet projects. The crochet abbreviation for double crochet is dc.

Written instructions for how to double crochet

People who learn well using written instructions will want to do the following to crochet a double crochet:

  • Make your foundation chain.
  • Chain three additional chains.
  • Turn the work.
  • Yarn over.
  • Insert the hook into the fourth chain away from the hook (the first chain before you made the three additional chains).
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull through the loop. There should now be three loops on the hook.
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull the yarn through the first two loops on the hook. There should now be two loops left on the hook.
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull the yarn through the two loops that are left on the hook.

The process is approximately the same when you are crocheting into a row instead of into the foundation chain. At the end of the row, you need to create your turning chain which is the three additional chains like you did before. You’ll insert the hook into the first stitch (instead of into the foundation chain) and proceed in the same manner as described above.

Pictures of how to double crochet

You may find it easier to follow those written instructions if you have some pictures to look at. The following pictures are from the Dummies series:

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Video instructions for how to double crochet

Would you prefer to see a video on how to crochet a double crochet? Here’s one from YouTube:

How to Treble Crochet Stitch

bernhard64 treble crochet

Triple crochet looks like this. Image from Vintage Crochet

Finally, let’s look at how to crochet treble crochet, which is the tallest of the basic crochet stitches. This stitch is also known as triple crochet. The crochet abbreviation for it is tr. This is a bit counterintuitive because the crochet abbreviations for single and double crochet are (sc) and (dc) so you would think that this one would be (tc) but you won’t see that in any crochet patterns so look for tr instead.

Written instructions for how to crochet treble crochet

If you learn well from written instructions then these are the steps to follow to crochet a triple crochet:

  • Make your foundation chain.
  • Add four additional chains. This is your turning chain.
  • Yarn over.
  • Yarn over a second time.
  • Insert the hook into the chain that is five chains from your hook. (This is the last chain of the foundation chain before you added the four additional chains for the turning chain.)
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull the yarn through the chain. There will be four loops on the hook.
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull the yarn through the first two loops on the hook. There will be three loops left on the hook.
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull the yarn through the first two loops on the hook. There will be two loops left on the hook.
  • Yarn over.
  • Pull the yarn through the last two loops on the hook.

That’s your treble crochet stitch. At the end of the row, you would turn the work and add an additional four chains for the turning chain. You would insert the hook into the first stitch after the turning chain. Continue with the same directions as above.

Pictures of how to crochet treble crochet

Need some photos to help you figure out what those written instructions means? The following images come from Annie’s Attic. I encourage you to check out the instructions for how to treble crochet that they offer over there as well!

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tr 7

Video instructions for how to crochet treble crochet

If you’re having any difficulty learning how to crochet treble crochet then a video might help. Here’s one from YouTube that Lion Brand Yarns put up:

Kathryn

San Francisco based and crochet-obsessed writer, dreamer and creative spirit!