Crochet Vocabulary and Abbreviations

Vocabulary

Insert hook - to insert your hook into the desired stitch, unless specified otherwise this is through both loops

Yarn Over - to wrap the yarn around your hook, generally once unless specified otherwise

Pull Through - generally to pull back through the stitch that you inserted your hook into, tends to be immediately after a yarn over

Pull Through 2 - also follows a yarn over, not including the yarn over you pull through the next two loops on your hook

Pull Through All - preceded by a yarn over as well, to pull through all other loops on the hook, leaving a single loop left (from the yarn over), usually to finish a stitch

Crochet Abbreviations

This is especially important when it comes to reading patterns, normally these abbreviations are shown before the written pattern, but it is still useful to know and to become more familiar with them.

ch- chain

sc - single crochet

hdc - half double crochet

dc - double crochet

blo - back loop only (to crochet only into the loop of the stitch that is farthest from you rather than both)

inc - increase (to crochet two stitches in the same stitch)

dec - decrease (to crochet two stitches together)

Other

Often in patterns you will see a number followed by stitch type.  For example 2 dc.  The reverse can also be true where you see stitch type followed by a number, for example dc 2.

These DO NOT mean the same thing.

If a pattern uses a different system they will say that usually in the notes or abbreviation section before the main part of the pattern.

When it comes to the first type, e.g. 3 dc, this means that you put a single double crochet (dc) into each of the next 3 stitches.

The second type, e.g. 3 dc, means that you are supposed to put three double crochets all into the same stitch.