Welcome back to my next installment in my beginners 'Learn to Crochet Series'. If you have not seen my previous posts in this series do check them out (for one they may answer some of the questions you may have).
This post is the first installment of a 3-part post into the three most common crochet stitches, the double crochet (US single crochet), the half-treble (US half-double crochet) and the treble (US double crochet). This post is focused on the UK double crochet stitch, abbreviated to 'dc' (which in the US is called a single crochet, abbreviated to 'sc'). As you will see in the last picture in this post, rows of double crochet give a tight fabric, with only a small amount of stretch, making it suitable for hats, storage containers, or anything that requires a bit of structure.
To start a row of double crochet you need to crochet a length of chain stitch. If you don't know how to do this, see this post. Here I have crocheted 10 chain stitches. You will then crochet into these chain stitches to form your double crochet stitches.
When working double crochet, you always start by crocheting into the second chain from the hook. This is chain 9 in the above picture. There are a couple of alternatives, you can start by putting your hook underneath both Vs of the chain as shown by the image below.......
....or under just one as shown below. It is a little easier to crochet into one so is great when you are starting off, but crocheting under both 'Vs' gives a better finish.
Just a quick note before we start- I'm right handed so these images show crochet from the perspective of a right-handed crocheter. When crocheting right-handed in rows, you crochet right to left. A left-handed crocheter would therefore crochet rows from left to right. Now, lets begin!
1. Insert hook into the second chain from the hook (number 9 in this case!)
2. Wrap yarn over hook (towards you) and hook it through the chain stitch.
3. You will now have 2 loops of your hook. Use your left thumb and middle finger to adjust the loops so that you can see the light between the yarn and hook. This makes it easier for you to complete the stitch and keeps your stitches even.
4. Wrap the yarn over your hook again (towards you) and pull the yarn through both of the loops on the hook.
5. You have made your first double crochet stitch!Yay!
6. Continue this into each of the chain stitches until you get to the end of the chain. You will have 9 stitches in total.
Now all you need to do is crochet a few more rows! First you must remember the turning chain. This ensures your piece of crochet will be straight at the ends.
All you have to do is make one little chain stitch at the end of the row, and it will make the world of difference to your crochet!
Then, turn your work. Either way is fine, as long as you are consistent.
The first stitch of the next row is make into the very first stitch as indicated by my needle in the picture below:
All you need to do now is follow steps 1-6 (although you are crocheting into the 1st stitch rather than the chain). Remember, don't forget your turning chain when you get to the end of the row!
4 rows later- Tah-Dah!
When you have finished your rows of double crochet, snip off the yarn, and pull it all the way through the loop on your hook to fasten off.
Best of luck, and please do let me know if you find these tutorials useful- I would love to hear from you!
Up next week- the half treble, bet you can't wait ey!
Have a great day,
SSxx