Crochet Terms & Abbreviations for Beginners

Crochet abbreviations are a way to shorten a certain crochet stitch name inside patterns. Many designers, publishers, and companies will use abbreviations when referring to crochet stitches.

I use these crochet stitch abbreviations extensively in my crochet patterns, so understanding these terms is essential when trying to crochet the perfect crochet project.

Abbreviations for Crochet Actions

To show actions that need to be performed inside a crochet pattern, the following abbreviations are used as shorthand.

Abbreviation	Crochet Action
alt	alternate
beg	begin(ning)
bet	between
con or cont	continue
dec	decrease
foll	follow(s)(ing)
inc	increase
lp	loop
patt	pattern(s)
rem	remain(s)(ing)
rep	repeat(s)(ing)
RS	right side
sk	skip
sp	space(s)
TBL	through back loop, or turning back loop
TFL	through front loop, or turning front loop
tog	together
WS	wrong side
yo	yarn over

Abbreviations for Basic Crochet Stitches

These are the most common abbreviations in standard US terms as determined by the crochet guild. All of these abbreviations refer to the most basic of crochet stitches.

Abbreviation	Term
ch	chain
st(s)	stitch(es)
sl st or ss	slip stitch
sc	single crochet
dc	double crochet
hdc	half double crochet
tr or trc	treble crochet or triple crochet
dtr	double treble crochet
trtr	triple treble crochet
qtr	quadruple treble crochet

All the crochet stitches above that end in the word “crochet” are variants of the same stitch. A single crochet is roughly one chain tall, a half double crochet stitch is two chains tall, a double crochet is three chains tall, and so on.

These heights determine the number of turning chains you need to work at the beginning of each row for each of the basic stitches. The diagonal bars on the symbols for each are useful because they indicate how many times you have to wrap the yarn around the hook before working the stitch.

Advanced Crochet Abbreviations

The following stitches are for the more advanced crocheters, usually for making some Intermediate or Complex skill level patterns.

These abbreviations are not common in most of my patterns, but are sometimes found in crochet patterns in other places.

Abbreviation	Term
bo	bobble stitch
edc	extended double crochet
ehdc	extended half double crochet
esc	extended single crochet
etr	extended triple crochet
dc2tog	work 2 double crochet together
dc3tog	work 3 double crochet together
hdc2tog	work 2 half double crochet together
hdc3tog	work 3 half double crochet together
hhdc	herringbone half double crochet
pc	popcorn stitch
ps or puff	puff stitch
sc2tog	work 2 single crochet together
sc3tog	work 3 single crochet together

How to Start Crocheting

We created a beginner’s article to help those that are interested in learning more about the world of crochet. These beginners guides should help anyone when trying to understand the basics of becoming a crochet designer.

Crochet Patterns by Stitch Type

All of our free crochet patterns are tagged with the stitches they use. If you are looking for a crochet pattern to use with a specific stitch, have a look at our archives below.

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