Basic Crochet Stitch Tutorials
Welcome to the start of stitch tutorials! This page will begin the introductory swatch, starting with the most basic stitches: single, double, and half double crochets, as well as slip stitches.
If you do not know how to start a project, check out Getting Started to learn how to add yarn to the hook and create a foundation chain. You can use the individual instructions and videos below as a guide, or follow along with all the content on this page in the video above!
Single Crochet (SC)
To make a single crochet, insert your hook into the next stitch from the previous row. Typically for the start of the first row of stitches, you will start by inserting the tip of the hook into the second chain from the hook. Yarn over and pull a loop through that stitch that the hook was put into so that there are two loops on the hook. Yarn over once again and pull through both loops on the hook to complete the stitch.
Double Crochet (DC)
To work a double crochet, start by yarning over and inserting the hook into the next stitch. Yarning over before inserting the hook creates an additional loop. Yarn over once more and pull through the stitch that the hook was placed in so that there are three loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull a loop through the first two loops on the hook, leaving two loops remaining. Yarn over and pull through the final two loops to finish the stitch.
Half-Double Crochet (HDC)
The half double crochet is named for being a hybrid between a single and double stitch; it starts the same way as a double, but you only pull through the loop once like a single crochet. Start by yarning over and inserting the hook into the stitch. Yarn over again and pull through the stitch the hook was placed in, leaving three loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook to finish the stitch.
Slip-Stitch (SS)
To make a slip stitch, insert the hook into the next stitch of the previous row. Yarn over and pull through both the stitch the hook is placed in AND the loop on hook to finish the stitch. The slip stitch is simple but mechanically difficult to do quickly or evenly. For this reason, it is not often used in entire rows like the stitches above; instead, it is mostly used to join the start and end of a row in the round.