Crochet guide
US and UK crochet terms side by side
Crochet patterns in English use one of two sets of stitch names. Several names are in both sets and mean a different stitch in each, so find out which set a pattern uses before you start.
On this page 7 parts
Two sets of names
Crochet patterns written in English name their stitches in one of two ways. United States terms are the usual ones in the United States and Canada. United Kingdom terms are the usual ones in the United Kingdom and Australia.
The stitches themselves are the same. The trouble is that the two sets share words. "Double crochet" is a stitch name in both, and it means a different stitch in each. Follow a pattern in the wrong set and you make the wrong stitches.
The stitch names side by side
| United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Chain (ch) | Chain (ch) |
| Slip stitch (sl st) | Slip stitch (ss) |
| Single crochet (sc) | Double crochet (dc) |
| Half double crochet (hdc) | Half treble (htr) |
| Double crochet (dc) | Treble (tr) |
| Treble crochet (tr) | Double treble (dtr) |
| Double treble crochet (dtr) | Triple treble (trtr) |
Read across a row: the two names are one stitch. A chain is a chain in both sets. So is a slip stitch, which United Kingdom patterns often shorten to ss.
Two more spellings turn up. United States patterns also call treble crochet "triple crochet", and some patterns shorten triple treble to ttr.
How the names line up
From single crochet upward, each United Kingdom name sits one step above the United States name for the same stitch. Single crochet is called double crochet, double crochet is called treble, and treble crochet is called double treble.
The United Kingdom names count the loops on the hook just after the first loop is pulled up through the stitch: two loops for double crochet, three for treble.
How to tell which set a pattern uses
A well-written pattern says which terms it uses. Look near the top, or beside the list of abbreviations.
If it does not say, read through the stitch names:
- Single crochet (sc) exists only in United States terms. A pattern that uses it is written in United States terms. The exception is an old United Kingdom pattern, where single crochet (sc) can mean a slip stitch.
- Half double crochet (hdc) is a United States name only, too.
- Half treble (htr) is the United Kingdom name for half double crochet, so it points to United Kingdom terms.
- None of the three? Then the names cannot settle it. A pattern made only of chains, double crochet and treble could be in either set.
Other clues help, though none is proof by itself:
- Where it was published. A book or magazine nearly always uses the terms of its own country.
- The picture. Compare the stitches you can see with the names in the pattern.
- The word tension. United Kingdom patterns say tension where United States patterns say gauge.
- The yarn. Yarn called fingering or bulky points to a United States pattern.
Other words that differ
| United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Gauge | Tension |
| Yarn over (yo) | Yarn over hook (yoh) or yarn round hook (yrh) |
How to convert a pattern
- Find every stitch name and abbreviation in the pattern.
- Replace each one with its partner from the table above. Chains and slip stitches stay as they are.
- Do the same inside longer abbreviations. A United Kingdom dc2tog, which is two double crochet worked together, is a United States sc2tog.
A chart drawn in symbols needs no converting. The symbols almost always stand for the same stitches in both sets, and only the words in the key change.
On this site
This site writes in United States terms and gives the United Kingdom name beside the first use of each stitch. To look up one name, use the US and UK terms chart. The abbreviations list spells out the short forms, and how to read a crochet pattern goes through a pattern line by line.