crochetguideKnow these stitches: half double crochet
Materials and yarn planning
Yarns we’ve reviewed that suit it: Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling yarn, Lion Brand Heartland yarn, Lion Brand Wool-Ease DK yarn. For the hook, choose by size and handle.
Yarn estimate for the 18-stitch, 120-row scarf: 2,160 half double crochets at about 6 cm of medium yarn each come to about 130 m, plus a little for tails. A ball of 150 m or more covers it; buy a second ball for a longer scarf, and use the weighed-swatch calculator for an exact figure.
For an exact figure in your own yarn, weigh a washed swatch in the pattern stitch: the weighed-swatch yarn calculator scales it to each flat panel or strip. Allow a little more for seams, edging and tails.
Finished size and gauge
Starting point: a medium (category 4) yarn on a 5.5 mm hook, the small end of the Craft Yarn Council hook range for that weight. Example: if your washed swatch has 13 half double crochets and 10 rows in 10 cm, the 18 stitches make a scarf about 14 cm wide and the 120 rows make it about 120 cm long. With your own swatch of S stitches and R rows in 10 cm, width = 180 ÷ S cm and length = 1200 ÷ R cm. For a longer adult scarf, read the row count from the size table below. These are calculations from the counts, not a measured sample.
The shape of the scarf.
Sizes from your swatch
Example: 13 half double crochets and 10 rows in 10 cm, the gauge the steps are written for. Type your own swatch over it to see your counts.
| Size | Width | Length | Stitches | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child | 14 cm (5.5 in) | 114.3 cm (45 in) | 18 (chain 20) | 114 |
| Teen | 16.5 cm (6.5 in) | 144.8 cm (57 in) | 21 (chain 23) | 145 |
| Adult | 17.8 cm (7 in) | 167.6 cm (66 in) | 23 (chain 25) | 168 |
| Long adult | 20.3 cm (8 in) | 198.1 cm (78 in) | 26 (chain 28) | 198 |
Counts are rounded to whole stitches and rows. Check the first rows against your swatch.
The gauge calculator compares your swatch with the pattern. A stitch name you do not know is in the abbreviation chart; a UK pattern’s names are in the US/UK term reference.
The pattern
Count rows for this patternStart and turn
- Chain 20. Half double crochet in the third chain from the hook and each remaining chain: 18 half double crochets. The skipped chains do not count as a stitch.
- Mark the first and last stitch. Chain 2 and turn without counting the turning chains.
- Half double crochet in the first marked stitch and every stitch across, including the last marked stitch: 18 stitches.
Continue and finish
- Repeat the turning row until you have 120 rows, or stop at the length you planned from your swatch. Count completed rows with the row counter.
- Cut the yarn leaving a tail long enough to thread and weave. Pull it completely through the active loop.
- Weave both tails through the backs of several stitches, change direction and avoid tightening the edge. Wash and dry by the yarn label.
Check the work
Both long edges have the same number of rows. Every row has 18 counted top Vs; the turning chains stay outside that count.
- If the scarf narrows, check the final marked stitch before undoing more than the last row.
- If it reaches the intended length earlier, record the actual row count so you can repeat the size.
Updated . Stitch counts checked row by row; we haven’t crocheted a sample of this one yet. How the patterns are checked. Keep your yarn label, hook and swatch on the printable project worksheet.