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After learning the basics of how to crochet by making a single crochet swatch in my How to Crochet for Absolute Beginners: The Fundamentals post, let’s learn how to half double crochet into a foundation chain and then create additional rows. This is a great fundamental stitch for a lot of projects.
Supply List:
Yarn – If a beginner, I recommend starting with an Acrylic Medium Weight Level 4 Yarn
Hook:
- H / 5.00 mm, I / 5.50 mm, or K / 6.00mm hook (depending on the suggested hook size on the label)
Some other useful tools:
- Tapestry needle (to weave in ends)
- stitch markers
- Tape measure
- Scissors
Note: For the sake of this demonstration to ensure the stitches are defined and can easily be seen in my photographs, I will be using Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton yarn. This is a medium weight cotton yarn that recommends a 4.00 mm crochet hook. As a beginner, I would not suggest starting with cotton yarn because it’s much stiffer and harder to work with especially when you are just starting out. I recommend starting with an acrylic yarn.
Stitches Used/Abbreviations (US Terms)
Note: The following is written in US crochet terms.
- Chain (Ch)
- Half Double Crochet (hdc)
- Yarn over (yo)
Notes:
- This demonstration is from a right handed crochet perspective and uses US terms
- Photo steps/breakdowns are included below most text steps.
Half Double Crochet (abbreviated as HDC)
To simplify, this is how to make a half double crochet:
- Yarn over and insert hook into work.
- Yarn over and pull loop through work (3 loops on hook).
- Yarn over again and pull through all 3 loops on hook.
For a more detailed run down of how to make a half double crochet and how to work it into a foundation chain and then make additional rows, continue reading post.
Foundation Chain:
To follow suit of my single crochet instructions, let’s make a foundation chain of 14 + 2 for a total of 16 chains. Since the half double crochet stitch is slightly taller than a single crochet, you will need 2 additional chains as opposed to just 1 as you will be working into the 3rd chain from the hook this time. This will result in having 14 half double crochets for your row. As a rule of thumb when using half double crochet, you would chain the amount you want your row to be and then add 2 more chains for your foundation chain.
After creating your foundation chain, we will now learn a half double crochet stitch! We will be working into that foundation chain that you just created.
Start of Row 1:
- Starting with your foundation chain of 16, yarn over from back to front before inserting hook into the 3rd chain from hook.
- Yarn over to pull loop through chain (so that you now have 3 loops on your hook).
- Yarn over, pull through all 3 loops on your hook to create your first half double crochet!
- Tip: You can add a stitch marker into your first stitch so that when you work your next row, you know what will be the last stitch that you need to work into.
Row 1 Continued:
Continue to half double crochet into the remaining 13 chains for 14 half double crochet across total (yarn over and insert hook into work. Yarn over and pull loop through work. Yarn over again and pull through all 3 loops on hook). Make sure to not twist your chains as you work along the foundation chain.
Turning Chain:
After you create each row and before starting the next, you will need to turn your work and add a chain 2. This chain 2 brings you to the height of a half double crochet. How much you chain before each row depends on the height of the stitch you are using. For instance: single crochet = 1 chain, half double crochet = 2 chains, double crochet = 3 chains, triple crochet = 4 chains.
For the sake of this tutorial, the chain 2 will not count as a stitch, however, some patterns may count it as stitch.
What do you mean by turning your work?
This means to flip the work over to the opposite side so that you can work the next row going in the same direction. To further clarify, your last stitch of the previous row will now become the first stitch of the new row. It doesn’t matter which way you turn (clockwise or counterclockwise), however try to stay consistent with the direction you turn.
Row 2:
- Turn your work and chain 2.
- Half double crochet into the next 14 stitches across to bring you to the end of the row.
Row 3 – Row 10 (or however many rows you would like to make):
Turn your work, chain 2 to get you to the height of a half double crochet. Half double crochet into each stitch for 14 across.
Fasten off and weave in your ends, then your half double crochet swatch is complete!
Tip: Make sure to count the stitches in each row to ensure you haven’t missed a stitch or added an extra stitch! Keep practicing for consistency.
What’s next?
When you are ready, jump into learning the next set of fundamental stitches of crochet; double crochet, triple crochet and slip stitch!
Double Crochet (abbreviated as dc)
Double crochet is another very common stitch, I probably use this stitch the most! I absolutely love making granny squares and a double crochet is your best friend for granny squares. Like a half double crochet, to start your stitch add a yarn over before inserting hook to then pull up a loop. Then, yarn over and only pull through 2 loops, leaving 2 loops still on your hook. Then yarn over again, and pull through the remaining 2 loops.
Click here to get a full tutorial on how to do a double crochet starting from a foundation chain.
Triple Crochet (abbreviated as tc)
Triple crochet is the next stitch to learn! Sitting the tallest out of the previous stitches learned, it comes in handy for many projects. To start your triple crochet, you would yarn over twice before inserting your hook to then pull up a loop (leaving 4 loops on your hook). Like the double crochet, you would yarn over and only pull through 2 loops, now leaving 3 loops on your hook. Then, yarn over again, and pull through the next 2 loops, 2 times.
Click here to get a full tutorial on how to do a triple crochet starting from a foundation chain.
Slip Stitch (abbreviated as sl st)
A slip stitch sits the shortest out of all the crochet stitches and is used in most patterns, either to join in a round, as a decorative element to add details on the surface of your project or to allow you to move to a different part of your work without adding any additional height. You can crochet rows of slip stitches, however it would take a while and would also be quite dense – but sometimes this may have it’s purpose!
To slip stitch all you need to do is:
Insert hook into stitch. Then yarn over to pull the loop through both the stitch and the working loop that is currently on your hook. Click here for a more visual representation on how to make a slip stitch and some of it’s different uses:
