Single Crochet

The single crochet is the simplest crochet stitch, and it is a good building block for learning the half-double crochet and double crochet stitches. If you've already mastered the chain, you're ready to move on to single crochet. This shows an American single crochet. In the U.K., this is called a double crochet.

Steps

A Basic Single Stitch

  1. Place your hook through the loop. Which loop you choose will partially depend on your pattern, but in a basic stitch, it should be the next loop over or the one after that. You can identify the loops by laying your work flat and looking at the bumps along the top edge where you are working. Your hook should be going in the front and out the back of the loop.
  2. Catch the yarn. Hook the yarn so that the yarn is facing you.
  3. Pull the yarn. Pull the yarn back through the loop. You should now see two loops of yarn on your hook.
  4. Catch the yarn again. Hook the yarn so that the yarn is facing you again.
  5. Pull the yarn again. Pull the yarn back through the two loops on your hook. You may need to turn the face of your hook down towards your piece. When you are done you should be left with a single loop again.
  6. Repeat the process. For the next stitch, avoid the loop which is pulled upward into your current stitch. Go for the next loop instead.

Crocheting a Chain

  1. Plan the right number of chain stitches. If you are starting a piece from scratch, you'll have to make a chain before you can single crochet. First, you'll want to chain the number of single-crochet stitches you'd like to create, plus one or two, depending on which stitch you will be using in the next row. Figure out how many you need and continue.
  2. Make a slipknot. To crochet chain stitches, first tie a slip knot and poke the crochet hook through the knot.
  3. Hold the yarn and hook correctly. Hold the crochet hook in one hand, and the end of the yarn that leads back to the Splice Yarn in the other.
  4. Wrap the yarn. Wrap the end of the yarn around the hook once, starting behind the hook and coming up and over until the yarn lies beneath the hook itself.
  5. Pull the yarn. Pull the hook through the slip knot, drawing the yarn you just wrapped along with it. You've just chained 1 stitch and have a new loop of yarn around the hook for making your next chain.
  6. Repeat. Repeat the process, wrapping the yarn around the hook and pulling it through the loop until you've chained the desired number of stitches.

Crocheting the Second Row

  1. Chain one stitch. Turn your work. Once you've done your chain row, or a row of single crochet, you'll have to turn around and do another row. In other words, hold the hook still while you flip the chain you just made from either right to left, or left to right.
  2. Find the next stitch. Identify the second chain stitch away from your crochet hook. In other words, skip the chain stitch and go on to the first single crochet stitch.
  3. Insert the hook. Poke the hook through the top of this stitch, from front to back. Continue as described in the first section.
  4. Make one chain stitch at the end. At the end of each row, always chain 1 more stitch, turn your work, and repeat the process back across the row.



Tips

  • You must make a chain before you start or it won't work.
  • You can create a scalloped edging effect in the final row by single crocheting multiple stitches into the same chain as you work across the row.
  • If you have two loops when you try to pull it through twice, it's okay, just pull to where you made the mistake.

Warnings

  • This is an American single crochet. In the UK, this is called a double crochet.
  • Don't yarn over twice.

Things You'll Need

  • Crochet hook
  • Yarn
  • Pattern (optional)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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