Starting · Beginner
Yarn over
A yarn over is the yarn laid over the hook, from back to front, so that the hook can catch it. It is part of every crochet stitch: a yarn over is drawn through loops to make a chain or to finish a stitch, and one or more are put on the hook before a tall stitch is begun. Patterns write it yo.
How to work it
Pass the hook under the yarn
Move the hook under the yarn and up behind it, so that the yarn lies over the top of the hook, from back to front. The hook does the moving: the yarn is not thrown round it.
For a taller stitch, yarn over twice
A treble crochet (UK double treble) begins with two yarn overs. Take the yarn over the hook twice before the hook goes into the stitch.
At a glance
- Also called
- yarn over hook
- Used for
- drawing the yarn through loops on the hook, in every stitch; putting an extra strand on the hook before a tall stitch is begun
- Abbreviations
- yo in United States patterns. United Kingdom patterns write yoh, for yarn over hook, or call it yarn round hook.
- Direction
- Over the top of the hook, from back to front.
- Yarn overs before the hook goes in
- None for a single crochet (UK double crochet), one for a half double or a double crochet, two for a treble crochet.
The name is a little misleading. The yarn is not wrapped over a hook that stays still. The hook dips under the yarn and comes up behind it, and the yarn is left lying over the hook.
Yarn under is the opposite move: the hook goes over the yarn and catches it from above. Used to pull up the loop of a single crochet, it twists that loop. The stitches come out tighter and smaller, and on the right side they look like small Xs where ordinary single crochet shows Vs. Makers of stuffed toys use it for a dense fabric. In a stitch worked this way only the first catch is a yarn under: the stitch is finished with an ordinary yarn over.
When a pattern says yarn over, or yo, and nothing more, it means the ordinary way. A pattern that wants yarn under says so.
Tips
- To see which way you wrap, stop with the yarn caught on the hook, before you draw it through, and look at how the yarn lies across the hook.
When it goes wrong
- My stitches look twisted, or my fabric is tighter than the gauge.
- You may be catching the yarn from above, which is yarn under. Pass the hook under the yarn, so that the yarn lies over the hook, and work a small piece to compare.
Left-handed
The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.
Variations
- Yarn under. The hook passes over the yarn and catches it from above. It makes tighter, twisted stitches, and it is used by choice, most often for stuffed toys.
Patterns that use it
Questions
- What does yo mean in crochet?
- Yarn over: lay the yarn over the hook, from back to front, and catch it.
- Is yoh the same as yo?
- Yes. yoh stands for yarn over hook, the form used in United Kingdom patterns. Yarn round hook is the same move again.
- Which way does the yarn go over the hook?
- From back to front over the top of the hook. In practice the hook passes under the yarn and comes up behind it.
- How many times do I yarn over before a double crochet?
- Once, before the hook goes into the stitch. A half double crochet also begins with one yarn over, a treble crochet with two, and a single crochet with none.