How to Single Crochet

The single crochet is the simplest crochet stitch, and it is a good building block for learning the half-double crochet and double crochet stitches. If you've already mastered the chain, you're ready to move on to single crochet. This shows an American single crochet. In the U.K. this is called a double crochet.

1. Chain the number of single-crochet stitches you'd like to create, plus one.
   • To crochet chain stitches, first tie a slip knot and poke the crochet hook through the knot.
     
     
   • Hold the crochet hook in one hand, and the end of the yarn that leads back to theskein in the other.
     
     
   • Wrap the end of the yarn around the hook once, starting behind the hook and coming up and over until the yarn lies beneath the hook itself.
     
     
   • Pull the hook through the slip knot, drawing the yarn you just wrapped along with it. You've just chained 1 stitch, and have a new loop of yarn around the hook for making your next chain.
     
     
   • Repeat the process, wrapping the yarn around the hook and pulling it through the loop until you've chained the desired number of stitches.
     
     
2. Turn your work. In other words, hold the hook still while you flip the chain you just made from either right to left, or left to right.
   
   
3. Identify the second chain stitch away from your crochet hook. In other words, skip the very first stitch and go on to the next.
   
   
4. Poke the hook through the top of this stitch, from front to back.
   
   
   • Use your other hand to maintain tension on the chain and the free end of the yarn.
5. Lay the yarn across the crochet hook, and then pull the hook back through the top of the chain stitch. You now have 2 loops of yarn on the hook.
   
   
6. Wrap the yarn around the crochet hook and pull it through the 2 loops, as if you were creating another chain stitch.
   
   
   • Make sure you pull the yarn through both loops that were on the hook. After completing a single crochet, you should have just one loop on the hook again.
7. Perform a single crochet into the next chain stitch. Poke the hook through the top of the chain, lay the yarn across the hook, and pull the hook and yarn back through the top of the chain to create 2 loops on the hook. Then wrap the yarn around the hook and pull it back through both loops – you've completed another single crochet stitch.
   
   
   • At the end of the row, chain 1 more stitch, turn your work, and repeat the process back across the row.
     
     

• You must make a chain before you start or it won't work.
• If you have two loops when you try to pull it through twice, it's okay, just pull to where you made the mistake.
• You can create a scalloped edging effect in the final row by single crocheting multiple stitches into the same chain as you work across the row.

• Don't yarn over twice.
• This is an American single crochet. In the UK this is called a double crochet.

• Crochet hook
• Yarn
• Pattern (optional)