Top 8 Basic Stitches Used In Crocheting

1. Chain

This is used to make the starting chain in crochet patterns. Chains are also used within many patterns as part of the design.

2. Single Crochet

After learning how to make a chain, the Single Crochet is often the first stitch that a beginner learns.

3. Half Double Crochet

The Half Double Crochet is the next stitch up in height after the single crochet stitch. It doesn't seem to be used as often in patterns as the single crochet and the double crochet stitches but a crocheter will come across some patterns that use the half double crochet in some part of the design, so it's essential to know how this stitch is made.

4. Double Crochet

The Double Crochet is the next stitch up in height after the half double crochet stitch. The double crochet is a popular basic stitch, used extensively in patterns. Many other crochet stitches use combinations of the double crochet to form another stitch; the shell stitch, for example.

5. Treble

The Treble is the next stitch up in height after the double crochet stitch. The treble stitch is used in patterns when a taller stitch is needed to achieve the look that the designer is aiming for in that crocheted item.

The treble stitch is also sometimes referred to as a triple stitch.

6. Double Treble

The Double Treble is the next stitch up in height from the treble stitch.

In patterns that use the look of working a long stitch in a previous row that is several rows below the row currently being made, the double treble stitch is sometimes used for that type of crocheted design. My Southwestern Duo Potholder Pattern is an example.

7. Triple Treble

The Triple Treble (also called treble treble) is taller still than the double treble stitch and is used when a very long stitch is needed in a crochet design.

8. Slip Stitch

The Slip Stitch doesn't add any height and is used to join the last stitch made to another part of a row or round. It can also be used as a way to crochet squares together. The slip stitch is sometimes used to move the hook over to another part of a row or round, when needing to skip some stitches as part of a design, without adding any height to the part being skipped. Another use is as a decorative stitch on an edge, to give a finished look to the edge of a crocheted item.