A Guide to Crochet Shorthand

Question Marks

Have you just found a pattern to a truly beautiful crochet piece but are having trouble reading it? Are you looking at all of the abbreviations and symbols are have no idea what it all means? Well we are here to help! Below you will find a list of common crochet pattern abbreviations and what they mean, so you can decipher what you are supposed to do:

  • YO - yarn over
  • CH - chain stitch
  • SL ST - slip stitch
  • SC - single crochet stitch
  • HDC - half-double crochet stitch
  • DC - double crochet stitch
  • HTC - half-treble or half-triple crochet stitch
  • TC - treble or triple crochet stitch
  • DTR - double-treble or double-triple crochet stitch
  • STG or TOG - stitch together
  • DEC - decrease
  • INC - increase
  • BL - back loop
  • FL - front loop
  • BP - back post
  • FP - front post
  • BOW - back of work (back loop)

This should cover a majority of the abbreviations you will find. If you do find anything else that you think should be on this list, please let us know! We would love to hear about it!

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