It’s time to learn a new stitch! Today, we’ll learn how to crochet the double crochet. Keep in mind that the You Should Craft Blog utilizes US crochet terminology. If you’re in the UK, you might see this stitch referred to as a “treble crochet.” You can learn more about UK vs US terms here.
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Let’s talk learning objectives! After today’s lesson (Day 20 if you’re following along in the Newbie Series), crocheters will be able to:
- Crochet the double crochet stitch
- Identify the double crochet abbreviation in written patterns
- Identify the double crochet symbol in charts
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Identifying Double Crochets in Patterns and Charts
Double crochets are abbreviated “dc” in written patterns. In charts, their symbol is similar to a half-double crochet (T), but with a line across the center.
Here’s a stitch chart for a small swatch:
The chart above could be written as:
- ch 15
- ROW 1: dc in third ch from hook, dc across (13)
- ROWS 2 – 4: ch 2 and turn, dc across (13)
In the chart above, the turning chains do not count as stitches (like with the single crochets and half-double crochet stitches). However, sometimes you’ll see patterns where the ch-2 counts as a stitch. That should be identified in the pattern. Here’s a visual:
The stitch chart above could be written as:
- ch 15
- ROW 1: dc in third ch from hook, dc across (14)
- ROW 2: ch 2 and turn, dc across (14)
Notice how the swatches started with the same number of chains, but the second chart has one more stitch in each row? That’s because we’re counting the turning ch-2 as a stitch.
Supplies / Materials
You just need a hook and yarn, so pick your favorites!
For this tutorial, I used:
- Brava worsted in Lady Slipper
- J 6.0 mm hook from the WeCrochet Bright set
NOTE: My friends at WeCrochet provided the materials for the Newbie Series.
Video Tutorial
Photo Tutorial
Double crochets are *almost* the same as half-double crochets, but with one extra yarn over. That extra step makes them a little bit taller, which is why we need two turning chains instead of one.
To double crochet, you will:
ch any number
- a.) yarn over and insert your hook into the third ch from the hook.
- b.) yarn over and pull up the first loop on your hook (you should now have three loops on your hook)
- c.) yarn over and pull through the next two loops on your hook (you should now have two loops left)
- d.) yarn over and pull through the last two loops on your hook
Repeat these steps until you reach the end of the chain, then ch 2 and turn.
