Crochet guide
Types of crochet
Crochet has many named kinds. Some are set apart by how color is worked, some by the fabric they make, some by an extra tool and some by the thing that is made. This guide names thirteen of them and says in a few lines what makes each one different.
On this page 7 parts
The kinds side by side
| Kind | Set apart by | What makes it different |
|---|---|---|
| Tapestry crochet | Color | Two or more colors in one row, the spare strand covered by the stitches |
| Intarsia crochet | Color | A separate ball of yarn for each block of color |
| Mosaic crochet | Color | One color to a row, with tall stitches worked down over earlier rows |
| Filet crochet | Fabric | A grid of open and filled squares that makes a picture |
| Irish crochet | Fabric | Lace made of separate motifs, joined by a mesh |
| Bruges crochet | Fabric | Narrow ribbons of crochet, joined into lace |
| Thread crochet | Fabric | Fine cotton thread and a small steel hook |
| Tunisian crochet | Tool | A long hook that holds a whole row of loops |
| Broomstick lace | Tool | Long loops formed over a thick rod |
| Hairpin lace | Tool | Loops wrapped round a loom of two prongs |
| Amigurumi | What is made | Stuffed toys in tight stitches |
| Corner to corner | What is made | A square or rectangle built in diagonal rows of blocks |
| Freeform crochet | What is made | A piece that follows no pattern |
Stitch names on this page are United States terms, with the United Kingdom name in brackets where it differs.
Kinds set apart by color
Tapestry crochet works with two or more colors of yarn at once. The color changes in the middle of a row, and the strand that is not in use is carried along and covered by the new stitches. Most tapestry crochet is made in single crochet (UK double crochet). See tapestry crochet.
Intarsia crochet also changes color in the middle of a row, but nothing is carried. Each block of color has a ball of yarn of its own, which is dropped where the block ends and picked up when it is needed again. See intarsia crochet.
Mosaic crochet uses one color in each row, so no color changes in the middle of a row. The fabric is striped, and the pattern comes from tall stitches that reach down over the rows below. See mosaic crochet.
Kinds set apart by the fabric
Filet crochet is a grid. It is made of chain stitches and double crochet (UK treble crochet), and each square of the grid is either left open or filled in. The filled squares build a picture or a pattern, and the design is usually read from a chart. See filet crochet.
Irish crochet is a lace. Motifs such as roses and shamrocks are crocheted one at a time, and a mesh then joins them into one piece.
Bruges crochet is another lace. Long, narrow ribbons of crochet are made first, and the lace is formed by joining the ribbons to each other.
Thread crochet is crochet in fine cotton thread in place of yarn, worked with a small steel hook. Doilies are a common example. See crocheting with thread, the thread size chart and steel hook sizes.
For open fabrics in ordinary yarn, see lace and openwork stitches.
Kinds set apart by the tool
Tunisian crochet uses a long hook, often with a stopper at its end. Each row is worked in two passes. On the forward pass a loop is picked up in every stitch and kept on the hook. On the return pass the loops are worked off again. The work is usually not turned. Holding many loops at once is what Tunisian crochet shares with knitting.
Broomstick lace is made with a crochet hook and a thick rod. The rod was once the handle of a broom, which gave the lace its name. A large knitting needle or a dowel does the same job. Long loops are lifted onto the rod, then worked off it in groups. It is also called jiffy lace.
Hairpin lace is made with a crochet hook and a loom of two parallel prongs. The yarn is wrapped round the prongs to make loops, and a line of crochet stitches down the center holds the loops together. The strips that come off the loom are joined to each other.
Kinds set apart by what is made
Amigurumi is the Japanese art of stuffed toys, crocheted or knitted. The crocheted ones are usually worked in the round, with a smaller hook than the yarn would otherwise take. That makes a tight fabric, so the stuffing does not show. See working in the round.
Corner to corner, often written C2C, is worked on the diagonal. It starts at one corner and ends at the opposite one, and each diagonal row is made of small blocks. Because the blocks sit like the squares of a grid, it is often used to crochet a picture from a chart. See corner to corner.
Freeform crochet follows no pattern. The piece is not planned out beforehand.
Styles named for a place
Several kinds of crochet carry the name of a place.
- Irish crochet grew up in Ireland in the middle of the 1800s. It was taught and sold there during the famine years as a way to earn a living.
- Bruges crochet takes its name from Bruges lace.
- Tunisian crochet has a second name, Afghan crochet. Both names mean the same technique.
Where to go next
- For what crochet is and where the word comes from, see what is crochet?
- For the stitches that most of these kinds are built from, see the basic stitches compared.
- To begin, see how to crochet.