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Crochet Loft

Stitches

One page per stitch, worked slowly, including the mistakes that make it look wrong.

There are only six stitches you need. Everything else in crochet is those six in a different order, worked into a different part of the stitch below, or repeated a set number of times. Once that clicks, patterns stop being code.

Chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double, double and treble. That is the whole vocabulary. A pattern that looks intimidating is almost always double crochet with the hook going somewhere slightly unusual: into the back loop only, around the post of the stitch below, or into a space rather than a stitch.

Each page below works one stitch at normal speed, then works it again wrong on purpose, because recognising the mistake is what stops you frogging six rows at midnight.

The six that matter

In the order they are worth learning. Do not skip slip stitch, it does more jobs than anyone expects.

  • Single crochet, the first stitch to learn, dense and short
  • Half double crochet, the stitch between the two you know, with the best drape-to-speed ratio
  • Double crochet, what most patterns are written in, twice as fast as single
  • Slip stitch, six jobs it does better than anything else
  • Magic ring, how to make one that never slips open
  • Moss stitch, one row, endlessly repeatable

Techniques worth a weekend

Not harder, just unfamiliar. Each one unlocks a whole category of pattern.

  • Tunisian crochet, the hybrid that looks knitted
  • Filet crochet, reading charts without fear
  • Tapestry crochet, carrying colours cleanly instead of trailing them
  • Mosaic crochet, two colours, one row at a time, no carrying at all

What each stitch actually does

Height is how tall one row stands. Yarn use is relative to single crochet at 100.

StitchAbbrevHeightYarn useBest for
Single crochetscShort100Amigurumi, bags, anything that holds shape
Half doublehdcMedium115Hats, scarves, the all-rounder
DoubledcTall120Blankets, garments, covering ground
TrebletrVery tall140Open lacy fabric, fast throws
Slip stitchsl stNone80Joining, edging, surface detail

US and UK stitch names are different and the words overlap, which is the single most common reason a pattern comes out wrong. A UK double crochet is a US single crochet. Check which the pattern uses before the first row, not after the tenth.

Questions

What is the easiest crochet stitch for beginners?

Single crochet. It is short, dense and it is obvious when you have dropped one, which matters more at the start than speed does.

What is the difference between US and UK crochet terms?

They are offset by one. UK double crochet is US single crochet, UK treble is US double. A pattern using the word "single" anywhere is almost certainly US.

Which crochet stitch uses the least yarn?

Slip stitch, then single crochet. Taller stitches use more yarn per row but cover more ground, so for a finished item of the same size double crochet often works out close to single.

Why does my crochet keep getting narrower?

You are missing the last stitch of each row, which is the easiest one to lose because it sits under the turning chain. Count every row for ten rows and the habit fixes itself.

What does working in the back loop only do?

It leaves the front loop as a visible ridge and makes the fabric stretchier along the rows. It is how ribbing is made without changing stitch.

How do I know which stitch a pattern wants?

The abbreviation list at the top. Every reputable pattern has one, and if it does not, that is a reason to be careful with the rest of it.

Every stitches guide