All About the Single Crochet Stitch
The single crochet stitch (abbreviated as “sc”) is often one of the very first stitches beginner crocheters learn. It is known as one of the four basic crochet stitches, alongside the half double crochet, double crochet, and treble or triple crochet that beginners should master before moving on to more intricate stitches. Today, I’m not only going to show you how to make it, but also teach you how to make a single crochet increase and a single crochet decrease so you can be ready to level up your crochet game when the need arises.
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It should be noted that the single crochet is a US crochet term. Why the US and UK have different terminology for the same stitches, I have no idea, but in the UK this stitch is called a double crochet (or “dc”). But, because I am in the US, we’ll stick with the US terminology on my blog and in my patterns.
Don’t care about the background and just want to learn how to make the stitches? Click one of the buttons below to jump to those instructions!
Some Things to Know About the Single Crochet Stitch
Now, before we jump into the tutorial, here are a few things you may want to know about when working with the single crochet:
- Height wise, it is one of the shortest stitches. Because of that, the fabric you are making will be more dense and have less drape than with other stitches. It also creates a more opaque fabric with a tighter “weave” and less gapping between stitches. If you are looking to make it looser, go up several hook sizes to create a softer, more flexible fabric.
- Because it is a single stitch, there is not a set stitch multiple needed when starting your project. Meaning, if you are not following a pattern, you can start your project with however many stitches you want.
- When working into your foundation chain, you will make your first single crochet in the second chain from your hook.
- You will typically only need to chain 1 for your starting/turning chain because the stitch itself isn’t very tall.
- When working in turned rows, if you work into the back loop only, it will create a common type of ribbing often used for the ribbed band of beanies and other projects.
For these tutorials, I am using Dishie from WeCrochet and my 5mm Streamline Metal hook from Furl’s Crochet, but you can use any size yarn and hook you are comfortable with to practice.
You can check out the video below showing all 3 stitches being made, or keep scrolling for the written and photo tutorials!
Single Crochet Stitch Tutorial
Let’s first start with the basic single crochet stitch.
1. First, you are going to insert your hook into your stitch (A).
2. Then, yarn over (B) and pull up a loop (C). There will now be 2 loops on your hook.
3. Yarn over (D) and pull through all of the loops on your hook (E).
That’s it! Your stitch is now complete!
Single Crochet Increase Tutorial
So now that you’ve got a handle on the basic single crochet stitch, let’s learn how to make a single crochet increase (abbreviated either as “sc inc” or “2 sc”). As the name implies, you use an increase stitch when you want to increase the number of stitches in your row or round. Each increase stitch will increase the number of stitches in that row or round by 1.
Ready to learn how to make it? It’s so simple. I promise.
To make a single crochet increase, you just place 2 single crochet stitches into the same stitch. They are made exactly the same way as above, you are just putting 2 of them in the same stitch. That’s it! That’s why some designers use the abbreviation “2 sc” for this stitch, because that’s what it is!
Single Crochet Decrease Tutorial
The single crochet decrease stitch is typically abbreviated as “sc dec” or “sc2tog” (meaning 2 single crochet stitches made together). Typically, you use a decrease stitch when you want to decrease the number of stitches in a given round or row, although it can be used as a decorative stitch as well. Each decrease stitch will decrease your stitch count by 1. So let’s get into it.
1. Insert your hook into your stitch (A)
2. Then, yarn over (B), pull up a loop (C). So you start exactly the same way as your standard single crochet stitch.
3. But this is where the stitches differ. Now, insert your hook into the next st (D)
4. Yarn over (E), and pull up another loop (F). There will now be 3 loops on your hook.
5. Yarn over (G) and pull through all loops on your hook (H).
And now your stitch is complete!
And that’s it! I hope you found these tutorials helpful. Be sure to bookmark this page or pin to Pinterest to always have quick access. Happy stitching!
