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Texture · Beginner

Single and double crochet stitches

Single crochet (UK double crochet) and double crochet (UK treble) are enough to make a whole family of stitch patterns. The plainest works a row of one and then a row of the other, and its rows are written out below. The others set the two stitches side by side in one row, put both into one stitch, or work the short stitch in pairs.

How to work it

  1. A row of each in turn

    Rows of two heights in turn: a row of single crochet, drawn as short Vs, a row of double crochet, drawn as tall posts with one slash, and on top a new row of single crochet, begun in the accent color. One loop is on the hook.

    Work one row in single crochet and the next row in double crochet, and keep taking turns. Chain 1 to turn before a single crochet row and chain 3 before a double crochet row. In the rows below, the 1 chain does not count as a stitch and the 3 chains stand for the first double crochet.

  2. Side by side: lemon peel stitch

    A diagram of single crochet and double crochet side by side: in every row a short stitch, drawn as a V, and a tall stitch, drawn as an upright line with a slash, take turns, and each stands on one of the other kind. One pair is in the accent color.

    Work a single crochet in one stitch and a double crochet in the next, all along the row. On the next row each single crochet goes into a double crochet and each double crochet into a single crochet. One row repeats. The same fabric is also taught as griddle stitch.

  3. Both in one stitch: suzette stitch

    A diagram of a single crochet and a double crochet worked into one stitch: the two posts rise from the same place, the one with a slash being the double crochet, and the next stitch of the row below is skipped. One pair is in the accent color.

    Work a single crochet and a double crochet into the same stitch, skip the next stitch, and repeat. Here too one row repeats.

  4. The short stitch in pairs: grit stitch

    A diagram of pairs of single crochet: two single crochets rise from one stitch of the row below, and the next stitch of that row is skipped. One pair is in the accent color.

    Grit stitch uses single crochet alone: two single crochets in one stitch, then one stitch skipped. Swap the second single crochet of each pair for a double crochet and you have the pairs of suzette stitch.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain any number (4 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 21.
A swatch of single and double crochet rows.
  • The ch 3 at the start of a row counts as a dc. The last stitch of the next row is worked into the top of it.
  • The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
  • Row 1 is the right side.
  1. Foundation. Ch 21.
  2. Row 1 (RS). Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (20 sc).
  3. Row 2. Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn; dc in next 19 sts (20 dc).
  4. Row 3. Ch 1, turn; sc in next 19 sts, sc in top of turning ch (20 sc).

Repeat rows 2 and 3 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of single and double crochet rows: 5 rows on the foundation chain, each row numbered at the side it starts from. Odd rows are drawn dark and even rows green, so that neighbors can be told apart.

What each symbol meansHow to read a chart

Abbreviations in these rows

ch
chain stitch
sc
single crochet (UK double crochet)
dc
double crochet (UK treble)
RS
right side
st
stitch

At a glance

Used for
blankets and baby blankets; washcloths and dishcloths; scarves
Stitches used
Chain, single crochet and double crochet
Side by side
lemon peel stitch, also called griddle stitch
Both in one stitch
suzette stitch
In pairs
grit stitch
Multiple
Any number of chains (4 or more).
Row repeat
Rows 2 and 3.
Edges
The side edges are straight: where a row begins with a chain that counts, that chain is the edge stitch and the last stitch of the next row goes into its top; a row that begins with a chain that does not count begins and ends in a stitch, and that chain is not worked into.

All of these can be worked by anyone who knows the chain, the single crochet and the double crochet. Those are among the first stitches a new crocheter learns, and nothing else is used.

In the rows printed here the two stitches never meet in one row, so every row is plain: one stitch in each stitch, all the way across.

Where a short stitch and a tall stitch take turns along a row, the difference in height gives the fabric texture: that is where the texture of lemon peel stitch comes from. Suzette stitch and grit stitch are textured too. Each of the three is one row worked again and again.

When it goes wrong

My rows lose a stitch.
Look at the ends of the double crochet rows. The 3 chains that begin the row are its first stitch. At the end of the next row, work the last single crochet into the top of those chains.
I cannot tell which row comes next.
Look at the row you have just finished. After a row of short stitches comes a row of tall ones, and after a tall row a short one.

Left-handed

The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.

Variations

Patterns that use it

Questions

Can I mix single and double crochet in one piece?
Yes. A row of one and then a row of the other is a pattern in its own right, and the two stitches can also share a row, as they do in lemon peel stitch.
How many chains do I start with?
For the rows here, one more than the number of stitches you want. The first single crochet goes into the second chain from the hook.
Do the turning chains count as stitches?
In these rows the 1 chain before a single crochet row does not count, and the 3 chains before a double crochet row count as its first stitch.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides

Tools