Foundational Crochet – Crochet Stitches for Beginners

If you’re new to crochet or thinking about learning, I’d like to give you a big welcome on your crocheting journey! Crocheting can be difficult at first, but even some of the most beautiful pieces can be created with basic stitches. In this comprehensive guide, I will cover foundation crochet stitches for beginners. These are the basics all beginners should know.

For brevity, I’ll be skipping how to start a slip knot and getting started, focusing only on the stitches. If you’re a true beginner (as in never picked up a hook), I suggest starting at my crash course crochet post to help you get started. If you already understand how to make a slip knot and how to hold your yarn, you’re ready to learn the different crochet stitches for beginners.

Please note that the terms used in this post are American crochet terms. For UK and International crocheters, I recommend reading this explanation of the conversion to translate into terms that you’ll frequently find in UK/International crochet patterns.

Chain Stitch

Chain stitches are the most basic crochet stitches necessary for all crochet. In addition to being the starting for most crochet patterns, chain stitches are used for turning (to help elevate the stitches to the proper height) and in lace work.

To make a chain stitch, simply yarn over the hook and pull the yarn through the loop (with the yarn over becoming the new single loop on your hook). If the chain is the start of your piece, the initial loop will be from the slip knot. Otherwise, the loop is from the made from the previous stitch. In the beginning, your chain stitches may be uneven, but over time you’ll be able to create consistent chain stitches.

To count the chain stitches, I find it helpful to count from the “V” of the stitch. The loop on the hook does not count as a chain stitch, so make sure you don’t include it in your count.

Slip Stitch

Slip stitches are simple stitches often used for joining rounds,”moving” the hook along in a pattern, and decorative purposes. They have very little stitch height and often are very dense.

To make a slip stitch, insert your hook into the desired stitch (typically a stitch from the previous row/round unless otherwise indicated on the pattern), yarn over the hook and pull the yarn through the stitch and the loop on the hook (with the yarn over creating a new loop on the hook).

Slip stitches are counted in the same fashion as most other stitches, counting the “V” on the top of the stitch. Unlike other stitches, it can be incredibly hard to count the stitch from the side of the stitch due to the condensed nature of the stitch.

Single Crochet

The single crochet stitch is often the go to crochet stitch for beginners, but it’s one of the most important stitches to learn. It’s the stitch I recommend all beginners learn and master before moving on to more complex stitches. Once you have a good understanding of a single crochet, other stitches are significantly easier to learn. It’s by far the most “square” stitch (being about the same width as height), thus it’s frequently the go to in color work and other pieces. Single crochet tends to create a thicker fabric than other stitches, so it’s perfect for projects that require warmth or density.

To make a single crochet, insert your hook into the desired stitch (like most stitches, it’s typically a stitch from the previous row or round, unless otherwise indicated on the pattern), yarn over the hook and pull the yarn through the stitch to create two loops on the hook. Then yarn over again, and draw through both loops on the hook.

Counting single crochet stitches can be done by either counting the stitch “V” on the row you’re working on, or by counting the sides of the stitch (called posts). When getting into more complex work that requires work in previous rows, you’ll have to count from the side, so I would highly suggest practicing counting single crochets from the side as well as the “V” of the stitch.

The turning chain for a single crochet is one chain.

Double Crochet

The double crochet is often the next major stitch that beginners learn. It’s a “taller” stitch than a single crochet, adding significant height to a piece quickly. Additionally, the double crochet stitch is not as bulk as the single crochet, so often fabrics made tend to feel lighter and less dense, yet it’s still a durable stitch compared to other stitches. It’s less dense and additional height make it a frequently used stitch in many patterns. Blankets, scarves, and lace work often use the double crochet.

To make a double crochet stitch, yarn over your hook, then insert it into the desired stitch, yarn over your hook again, and draw through the stitch. This will create three loops on your hook. Yarn over your hook again, and draw through the first two loops on your hook. Your hook will now have two loops on it. Yarn over once more, and draw through the last two loops on your hook.

Counting double crochet stitches can be done by the “V” or the post. The posts of a double crochet are much longer and easier to count than a single crochet.

The turning chain for a double crochet is three chains, and often they count as the first double crochet of the row (consult with the pattern).

Half-Double Crochet

The half-double crochet is the “in-between” stitch of the single crochet and the double crochet. It offers more height than the single crochet, but is more compact than the double crochet. Fabrics made with a half double crochet often hang better than a single crochet, but are more dense than a double crochet. Often you can find it in patterns for blankets, scarves, and hats. I do suggest that beginners first learn a double crochet before moving on to a half-double crochet. The double crochet gives a good foundation for learning other stitches.

To make a half-double crochet, you’ll start off just like a double crochet. Yarn over your hook once, then insert it into the desired stitch, yarn over your hook again, then draw through the stitch. This will create three loops on your hook. Yarn over your hook again, and draw through all the loops on your hook.

Counting a half-double crochet is just like counting other stitches, and can be done by the “V” or the post.

The turning chain for a half-double crochet is two chain stitches. It can be counted as the first stitch in the row, always consult your pattern.

Treble Crochet

The treble crochet is an elongated stitch. It adds significant height to a piece and creates fabric with good hang, however the stitches tend to be more delicate than a double crochet. Treble crochets can easily be stretched out in a piece, so I wouldn’t recommend using them in pieces that are going to get used frequently. It’s one of the last crochet stitches I would recommend for a beginner to learn, however it’s still an important stitch to understand and learn.

To make a treble crochet, yarn over your hook twice, then insert it into the desired stitch, yarn over your hook again, and draw through the stitch. This will create four loops on your hook. Yarn over again, and draw through the first two loops on your hook. This will give you three loops on your hook. Yarn over again, and draw through the next two loops again on your hook. Now you should have two loops on your hook. Finally, yarn over again and draw through the last two loops on your hook.

The turning chain for a treble crochet is four turning chains, and they often count as the first stitch in the row.

There are taller stitches, such as the double treble and triple treble crochet. They’re made in a similar fashion as the treble crochet, but with more initial yarn overs (one and two, respectively) before inserting the hook into the stitch, then working back by pulling through two loops at a time for each yarn over until you have a single loop on your hook. These taller stitches also require more turning chains (five and six, respectively).

Conclusion

These are the basic crochet stitches that I would recommend a beginner learn and master before moving on to more complex stitches. These six stitches are the foundation to most crochet patterns and more complex stitch patterns. Often I find when people are beginning to learn to crochet, they don’t spend enough time on the fundamentals, and get frustrated by some of the more complex stitch patterns. Having a solid understanding of these stitches will make it easier to move on to more advanced stitches and patterns.

I hope you enjoyed this explanation of the fundamental crochet stitches for beginners. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will try to help you as best as I can.

Happy crocheting!