Floss Field.
SearchSaved
All crafts

Basic stitches · Easy

Reverse single crochet

Work single crochet (UK double crochet) backwards, from left to right instead of right to left, and each stitch twists as it closes: that is reverse single crochet, also called crab stitch. It makes a firm edge that looks like a cord, so it is used as the last row or round of a piece.

How to work it

  1. Hook into the stitch on the right

    Finished stitches lie along the edge at the left, with one loop on the hook above the last of them. An arrow leads from the head of the hook across the loop to the top of the next stitch on the right.

    Finish the row or round before the edging, chain 1, and do not turn the work: the right side stays toward you. Push the hook into the next stitch to the right of the loop, from the side that faces you through to the back, under both strands at its top.

  2. Pull up a loop

    Two loops on the hook, and they cross: the new loop comes up from the stitch on the right and sits nearer the head of the hook, and the loop that was already there leans over it from the left.

    Take the yarn over the hook and draw it back through the stitch, to the side that faces you. There are two loops on the hook, as in a plain single crochet. The stitch already looks twisted, and that is right: the twist is what working backwards makes.

  3. Close it

    One loop on the hook, above a finished stitch that lies over the edge as a slanting twist, at the right end of the others. An arrow along the edge points to the right, the way the row grows.

    Take the yarn over the hook again and draw it through both loops. One loop is left on the hook and the stitch is made. The next one goes into the next stitch to the right.

At a glance

Also called
crab stitch
Used for
a firm, cord-like edge on blankets, dishcloths, bags and other finished pieces; the last round of a border
Abbreviation
reverse sc, or rsc
In UK terms
reverse double crochet, or crab stitch
Direction
Left to right for the right hand, right to left for the left hand
To start
Chain 1 and do not turn. The right side faces you.

Every move is that of an ordinary single crochet. Only the direction changes, and working backwards twists each stitch, so the row lies along the edge like a cord.

Reverse single crochet is an edging. It is worked once, as the last row or round, and nothing is worked into it afterwards: the twisted tops are hard to get a hook into.

It is easier on a plain base. Many makers work one row or round of single crochet around the piece first, and work the reverse single crochet into that.

Tips

  • It feels awkward at first, because the hand is used to going the other way. It gets easier with practice.

When it goes wrong

My edge looks like plain single crochet.
The work was turned, or the stitches went in the usual direction. Do not turn after the chain 1, and work each stitch into the stitch to the right of the loop (to the left, for the left hand).

Left-handed

Left-handed crocheters work ordinary rows from left to right, so for the left hand reverse single crochet runs from right to left: the next stitch is the one to the left of the loop. Read each picture as its mirror image.

Questions

Is crab stitch the same as reverse single crochet?
Yes. They are two names for one stitch.
Why is it called reverse single crochet?
Because it is single crochet worked in the reverse direction: from left to right for a right-handed maker, where ordinary rows run from right to left.
Can I work another row on top of it?
It is not usual. The stitch is meant as a last row or round, and its twisted tops are hard to work into.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides

Patterns