Crochet guide
Right side and wrong side in crochet
The right side (RS) of crochet is the side meant to be seen when the piece is used or worn. The wrong side (WS) is the other one. In a piece worked in rows, the right side is usually the side that faced you while you made row 1, and the starting tail shows you which side that is.
On this page 6 parts
What RS and WS mean
| In a pattern | Stands for | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| RS | Right side | The side meant to show when the piece is used or worn |
| WS | Wrong side | The side that faces in, or away from view |
"Wrong" does not mean a mistake. The two are only names, and some people call them the public side and the private side.
A pattern uses the two letters to say which side faces you while you work a row:
Foundation: Ch 16.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (15 sc).
Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (15 sc).
Here the right side faces you during row 1. You turn the work, and the wrong side faces you during row 2. The rows are in single crochet (double crochet in United Kingdom patterns).
How to tell in rows
Look for the starting tail. Lay the piece flat with the starting chain at the bottom. If you are right-handed and the tail of the starting chain is at the lower left, the right side is facing you. If the tail is at the lower right, you are looking at the wrong side. If you are left-handed it is the other way round: tail at the lower right, right side facing.
This works when row 1 is a right-side row, which is usual. A pattern that counts row 2 as its right side reverses it, and the pattern will say so.
Count the rows. When row 1 is a right-side row, every odd row is a right-side row and every even row is a wrong-side row.
Mark it. Once you know which side is which, hang a stitch marker on the right side. Then you never have to work it out again.
The front and the back of a stitch
Each stitch has a front and a back, and they look different. Seen from the front, a single crochet is a V under the top edge.
Seen from the back, the same stitch has a short bar across it.
In rows you turn after every row, so each side of the fabric shows a row of fronts, then a row of backs, and so on. That is why a piece in rows of one stitch looks nearly the same on both sides.
How to tell in the round
When you work in the round without turning, the right side faces you the whole time. Every stitch shows its front on that side, so the two sides look different: Vs on the right side, bars on the wrong side.
A small piece worked in the round can curl so that the wrong side ends up on the outside. Flip it so that the Vs face out, and go on.
When it matters
- Textured stitches. Bobbles and other raised stitches stand out on one side only.
- Pieces that are sewn together. The pattern may tell you which side of each piece to have facing you.
- Toys worked in the round. The right side goes on the outside.
- Color pictures. The design is meant to show on the right side, and the yarn that is not in use is kept off it.
- Things that are worn. The right side is the side that is seen.
- Yarn ends. Weave them in on the wrong side when there is one.
For a plain piece in rows of one stitch it matters little, because both sides look alike. Choose the side you like and keep to it.
Questions people ask
Is row 1 always the right side? Usually, but not always. The designer decides, and a pattern that does it another way says so in its notes or in its row labels.
I cannot tell the sides apart. Does it matter? If you cannot see a difference, the fabric looks alike on both sides, and you may call either one the right side.
What if I am left-handed? Everything is the same except the tail: with the right side facing, your starting tail is at the lower right.
Next, how to read a crochet pattern explains the rest of a row's label, and turning chain shows the turn that takes you from a right-side row to a wrong-side row.