crochetHow to double crochet
Learn double crochet one motion at a time, with loop counts and a short practice strip.
Before you start
Chain stitch and a foundation chain. Practice with smooth, light yarn so the top loops are easy to see.
New to holding the hook or making a slip knot? Start there, then return to this lesson.
Make the stitch
Hook in your right hand; guide the working yarn with your left hand. The loop counts stay the same.
Hook in your left hand; guide the working yarn with your right hand. The loop counts stay the same.
- Yarn over and insert the hook into the named stitch.
- Yarn over and pull up a loop; three loops are on the hook.
- Yarn over and draw through the first two loops.
- Yarn over again and draw through the remaining two loops.
Count check: The two staged pull-throughs complete one stitch.
Try a practice strip
Chain 12. Double crochet into the fourth chain from the hook and each remaining chain. Count the 3 skipped chains as the first stitch: 10 stitches total. Chain 3 and turn; count it as the first stitch, skip the stitch beneath it, then work across, finishing in the top of the previous turning chain.
Put a removable marker in the first and last stitch of the row. Count before you turn. Different patterns treat turning chains differently; the rule above belongs to this practice strip.
Common mistakes to catch
- Trying to pull through all three loops at once. Pull through two, leaving two on the hook, then yarn over and finish.
- Entering the gap between stitches when the pattern calls for the stitch top. Locate the top V instead of the space beside the stitch post.
- Miscounting a turning chain as a stitch. For this strip, chain 3 counts; skip the stitch under it and finish in the previous chain 3.
Keep going
Read these stitches inside a written pattern or chart.
Before making a sized project, learn to measure a swatch. If a pattern uses a different hook label, convert the hook size.