There are hundreds of crochet stitches. You need seven.
That is not a simplification to make beginners feel better. The crochet stitches for beginners that actually matter are a short list, and this is it. Almost every crochet pattern you will meet in your first two years is built from a small handful of basic stitches, and the elaborate-looking ones — shells, bobbles, granny clusters — are not new stitches at all. They are arrangements of the basic ones. A shell is five double crochets in the same place. A granny stitch is three double crochets with a gap beside them.
So the list below is not seven things to memorise. It is four genuine stitches and three ways of using them, ordered so each one builds on the last.
Learn these crochet stitches for beginners in this order and by the end you can read most beginner patterns without looking anything up.
Before the seven: US and UK terms
This trips up more beginners than any actual technique, so it is worth thirty seconds now.
Crochet uses two naming systems, and they overlap in an unhelpful way — the same name means different stitches depending on which country the pattern came from.
| US name | UK name |
|---|---|
| Single crochet (sc) | Double crochet (dc) |
| Half double crochet (hdc) | Half treble (htr) |
| Double crochet (dc) | Treble (tr) |
| Treble crochet (tr) | Double treble (dtr) |
The stitches themselves are identical. Only the labels shift.
Everything on this site uses US terms, which is what most online patterns and most video tutorials use. If you are ever unsure which system a pattern follows, look for the phrase “single crochet” — if it appears anywhere, it is US.
1. The chain stitch
What it is: a loop of yarn pulled through another loop. The simplest thing in crochet and the foundation of nearly everything.
How it is made: yarn over the hook, rotate the hook slightly downward, pull the yarn through the loop already on your hook. Repeat.
What it is for: three jobs. The foundation chain you build your first row on. The turning chain at the start of each row that lifts your yarn to the right height. And chain spaces — the deliberate gaps in lace, mesh and granny squares.
The thing most tutorials skip: a chain has three parts. Lay it flat and each stitch looks like a small V. Turn it over and there is a raised ridge running along the back, called the back bump.
Which part you hook into for your first row changes how your finished edge looks. Working into both loops of the V is easiest. Working into the back bump is harder to see but leaves a clean edge that matches the top of your finished piece — which makes beginner work look considerably more finished on anything where both edges show.
Watch out for: chains that come out too tight to work into. It is the most common beginner problem, and the standard fix is to work your foundation chain with a hook one size larger, then switch back for the first row.
2. Single crochet
Height: shortest of the main stitches · Turning chain: 1, and it does not count as a stitch · UK name: double crochet
What it is: the workhorse. Short, dense, and it makes a fabric with almost no gaps.
How it is made: insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (two loops on your hook), yarn over, pull through both.
What it is for: anything that needs structure. Amigurumi, baskets, bags, dishcloths, toys, anything stuffed. If the fabric needs to hold a shape or hide what is behind it, this is the stitch.
What it is bad at: speed and drape. Single crochet is short, so a blanket takes a very large number of rows, and it is the most yarn-hungry stitch per area you cover.
Watch out for: rows that get wider or narrower. This is the single most common beginner failure, and it happens because the first and last stitches of a row are hard to identify. The fix is a stitch marker in the first stitch of every row, moved up as you go, plus counting at the end of each row.
3. Half double crochet
Height: between single and double · Turning chain: 2 · UK name: half treble
What it is: the compromise stitch, and an underrated one. Taller than single crochet so it works up faster, but still dense enough to be useful for most things.
How it is made: yarn over first, then insert your hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (three loops on your hook), then yarn over and pull through all three at once.
That last step is what makes it distinctive — every other stitch works the loops off two at a time.
What it is for: scarves, hats, blankets, anything where you want speed without the open gaps of double crochet. Many people find it the nicest stitch to work with once they have tried all three.
A quirk worth knowing: half double crochet has a third loop sitting behind the usual V at the top of each stitch. Working into it gives a distinctive horizontal ridge, and it is a common trick in hat brims and textured blankets. Not something you need on day one, but it explains patterns that mention “the third loop” without defining it.
4. Double crochet
Height: roughly twice single crochet · Turning chain: 3 traditionally, or 2 in most modern patterns · UK name: treble
What it is: the stitch most blankets and scarves are made of, and where crochet starts to feel fast.
How it is made: yarn over first, insert your hook, yarn over and pull up a loop (three loops on your hook), yarn over and pull through two, yarn over and pull through the last two.
The rhythm is: yarn over, in, up, through two, through two.
What it is for: blankets, scarves, shawls, granny squares, anything that should drape. It is also more economical than single crochet — the taller stitch covers more ground per length of yarn, which surprises people.
What it is bad at: structure. Too open and soft for baskets, bags or amigurumi.
Watch out for: the turning chain. More disagreement exists about this than almost anything in beginner crochet. The traditional method chains 3 and counts it as the first stitch. The problem is that a chain-3 is slightly narrower than a real double crochet, so treating it as one leaves a small gap at the start of every row — and down the side of a blanket those become a visible line of holes.
Most modern designers chain 2 and do not count it, working a real double crochet into the first stitch instead. The edge comes out closed and it is easier to count. Whichever a pattern specifies, follow it and stay consistent through the whole project — switching methods partway is what actually ruins edges.
5. The granny stitch
Built from: double crochet · Difficulty: easy once double crochet is comfortable
What it is: not a new stitch. It is three double crochets worked into the same space, with a chain beside them, repeated round and round or row after row.
How it works: you work into the chain spaces between clusters rather than into individual stitches. That is the conceptual jump, and it is genuinely easier than working into stitches — the gaps are large and obvious, so you cannot miss them.
What it is for: granny squares, granny stripe blankets, and a whole category of projects that look far more complicated than they are. It is also fast, portable, and forgiving, which is why it is how most beginners finish their first blanket.
Why it is on this list: learning the granny stitch roughly doubles the number of patterns available to you, for about twenty minutes of effort. It is the highest-value thing on this page after the four basics.
6. The shell stitch
Built from: double crochet · Difficulty: easy
What it is: several double crochets — usually five — worked into the same stitch, so they fan out into a shell shape. Stitches are skipped on either side to make room.
How it works: skip two stitches, work five double crochets into the next stitch, skip two, slip stitch or single crochet into the next. Repeat.
What it is for: blanket edges, scarves, baby blankets, bags, anything that should look decorative without being difficult. It is the fastest way to make something look like it took skill.
Watch out for: stitch counts. Shell patterns need your stitch count to be a specific multiple — usually of six — or the pattern will not fit evenly around the row. Counting your foundation chain properly matters more here than in plain stitches.
7. The bobble stitch
Built from: double crochet · Difficulty: moderate
What it is: several double crochets worked into the same stitch but left unfinished, then joined together at the top so they bunch forward into a raised bump.
How it works: you work each double crochet only to the point where two loops remain on your hook, rather than finishing it. After four or five of these, you yarn over and pull through every loop at once. The cluster pops out from the fabric.
What it is for: texture. Baby blankets, cushions, hats, anything where you want dimension rather than pattern. Bobbles also read as impressive out of proportion to how hard they are.
Watch out for: two things. Bobbles pop out on the back of the work as you make them, so on a piece worked in rows they appear on the side facing away from you — which is disorienting the first time. And they use a lot of yarn, so a heavily bobbled blanket needs noticeably more than you would estimate.
The order to learn these crochet stitches for beginners
Chain, then single crochet, then double crochet. Those three cover most beginner patterns on their own.
Half double crochet next — it slots between the two you know and takes about ten minutes.
Granny stitch after that, because it opens up more patterns than anything else on this list.
Shell and bobble last. They are decorative rather than structural, and both are easier once double crochet is automatic.
Do not try to learn all seven in a weekend. Two or three weeks of short regular sessions is realistic, and the stitches stick much better when each one gets used in a small project before you move on. If you want somewhere to use them, the beginner project list is ordered the same way.
Choosing which stitch a project needs
A rough guide to picking between the crochet stitches for beginners above, which covers most decisions:
- Needs to hold a shape — baskets, bags, amigurumi, anything stuffed: single crochet, on a hook smaller than the yarn recommends.
- Needs to drape — scarves, shawls, blankets: double crochet or the granny stitch.
- Needs to be fast — anything large: double crochet, or half double if you want it slightly denser.
- Needs to look decorative — edges, baby blankets, gifts: shell or bobble.
- Not sure: half double crochet. It is the safest default for almost anything.
Before any of this, it helps to have a comfortable grip on the hook and yarn — tension problems are far more often a grip problem than a stitch problem.
Frequently asked questions
What are the basic crochet stitches for beginners? Chain, single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet. Those four cover the large majority of beginner patterns. Granny, shell and bobble are arrangements of double crochet rather than separate stitches.
What crochet stitch should a beginner learn first? The chain stitch, then single crochet. Nearly every pattern starts with a foundation chain, and single crochet is the stitch most beginner projects are built from.
What is the easiest crochet stitch? The chain stitch is the simplest to make. Of the stitches you would build a project from, single crochet is the easiest to learn and the easiest to see clearly.
Which crochet stitch works up fastest? Double crochet, of the basic stitches. It is roughly twice the height of single crochet, so you cover the same area in about half the rows.
Which crochet stitch uses the least yarn? Taller stitches use less yarn for the same area, so double crochet is more economical than single crochet. Single crochet is the most yarn-hungry of the basic stitches.
Is US double crochet the same as UK double crochet? No, and this is the most dangerous naming clash in crochet. US double crochet is UK treble. UK double crochet is US single crochet — a much shorter stitch.
How long does it take to learn the basic crochet stitches? Two to three weeks of short regular sessions for most people. The stitches themselves take minutes; consistent tension is what takes the time.
Do I need to learn all seven stitches? No. Chain, single crochet and double crochet alone will carry you through a large number of patterns. The other four expand what is available to you rather than being prerequisites.
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The beginner basics I recommend
What are the first crochet stitches a beginner should learn?
The chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet. Those five build the overwhelming majority of beginner patterns, and once you have them you can follow most tutorials without learning anything new.
Which crochet stitch should I learn first?
The chain, then single crochet. The chain is the foundation of almost every project, and single crochet teaches you how to insert the hook, yarn over and pull through — the motion every other stitch is built from.
What is the difference between single, half double and double crochet?
Height. Single crochet is short and dense, double crochet is tall and open, and half double sits between them. More yarn overs before you insert the hook means a taller stitch and a looser fabric.
How long does it take to learn basic crochet stitches?
Most people have the chain and single crochet within an hour, and all five basic stitches within a week of casual practice. Consistent tension takes longer — usually a few projects rather than a few days.
Do I need to learn every crochet stitch?
No. Five stitches cover almost everything a beginner will make. Learn those properly, get your tension consistent, and add new stitches only when a pattern you actually want to make requires one.
