Crochet reference
Crochet symbols chart
The common crochet chart symbols, what each is called in US and UK patterns, and how to read it. Krowshea draws these in the Craft Yarn Council style on every chart it makes.
- HeightA taller symbol is a taller stitch.
- BarsEach bar across a post is one yarn over.
- Tops that meetWorked together into one stitch.
- Feet that meetWorked into the same place.
Symbols
The symbols
| Symbol | US name | UK name | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| chain (ch) | ch | An oval. Chains make the foundation, the turning chains and the spaces between groups. | |
| slip stitch (sl st) | ss | A small filled dot. It joins a round or moves the hook along without adding height. | |
| single crochet (sc) | dc | A plus sign (some charts use an x). The shortest stitch. | |
| half double crochet (hdc) | htr | A T with no bar across the post. | |
| double crochet (dc) | tr | A T with one bar across the post. Each bar is one yarn over before you insert the hook. | |
| treble crochet (tr) | dtr | A T with two bars: two yarn overs. | |
| sc2tog | dc2tog | Two single crochet whose tops meet: work them together, one stitch fewer. | |
| dc2tog | tr2tog | Two dc that share one top. Tops joined means worked together. | |
| 3-hdc puff | 3-htr puff | An oval of loops: draw up loops in one stitch and close them together. | |
| 3-dc cluster | 3-tr cluster | Three dc worked into one place and closed together at the top. | |
| 5-dc popcorn | 5-tr popcorn | Five dc in one stitch, folded closed so they pop forward. | |
| front post dc (FPdc) | front post tr (FPtr), also RtrF | A dc with a hook at its foot: work around the post of the stitch below, from the front. | |
| ch-3 picot | ch-3 picot | A small ring of chains closed with a slip stitch. | |
| worked in back loop only | back loop only | A small arc at the base of a stitch: put the hook through the back loop only. | |
| magic ring | magic ring | A ring drawn as a coil: an adjustable ring that the first round is worked into, then pulled tight. | |
| double treble crochet (dtr) | trtr | A T with three bars: three yarn overs. | |
| dc3tog | tr3tog | Three dc that share one top: worked together, two stitches fewer. | |
| 5-dc bobble | 5-tr bobble | Five partly worked dc in one stitch, closed with a straight bar across the top. It pops out on the side away from you. (The popcorn is the one with the curved fold.) | |
| back post dc (BPdc) | back post tr (BPtr), also RtrB | A dc with a hook at its foot, drawn the other way: work around the post of the stitch below, from the back. | |
| worked in front loop only | front loop only | A small arc at the base of a stitch, the other way up from back loop only: put the hook through the front loop only. |
Symbols follow the Craft Yarn Council chart standard, as Krowshea draws them. A chart looks the same in US and UK terms; only the names change. Next: how to read crochet charts.
More crochet guides
Krowshea is in beta
Charts that draw themselves
In the Krowshea Studio, members will be able to:
- Build a pattern and watch its chart draw with these symbols
- See a key of exactly the symbols used
- Mirror the chart for left-handed crochet
- Print the chart with its key