Crochet Abbreviations Chart: Every Term Explained (US & UK)

You are three rows into a pattern, it says 2 hdc in next st, sk 1, rep from *, and you have no idea what half of that means. Here is the whole vocabulary in one place, written out properly instead of assuming you already know it.

Print this page and keep it in your project bag. That is what it is for.

The stitches

These are the ones that build almost everything. All names below are US terms, which is what the overwhelming majority of patterns written for American crocheters use.

Where to put the stitch

Half of pattern confusion is not the stitch itself — it is where it goes.

Actions and counts

Textured stitches you will meet in patterns

These are combinations rather than true stitches, so the exact instructions vary between designers. A good pattern defines its own version in a “special stitches” section — if it does, trust that over any chart, including this one.

US vs UK terms: the one that catches everyone

This is the single most expensive mistake in crochet, measured in frogged rows.

The names are shifted by one. What the US calls a single crochet, the UK calls a double crochet. Same stitch, different name. So a UK pattern asking for dc wants the short dense stitch, while a US pattern asking for dc wants the tall one.

How to tell which one you are holding

The pattern usually will not say. Three reliable tells:

1. Look for sc. UK terminology has no single crochet at all. If sc appears anywhere, it is a US pattern.
2. Look for htr. That abbreviation only exists in UK terms. If you see it, work UK.
3. Check the spelling of colour, gauge, and yarn weight. “Colour”, “tension” instead of “gauge”, and yarn described in grams rather than yards all point to a UK or Australian designer.

Reading the punctuation

The symbols carry as much meaning as the abbreviations.

• ( ) parentheses — a group worked into the same place. (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in next st all goes into one stitch. Parentheses at the end of a row usually give the stitch count instead: (12 sts).
• [ ] brackets — a group to be repeated a set number of times. [sc, ch 1] x 6.
• * asterisk — marks the start of a repeat. *sc, ch 1, rep from * to end means keep doing that pair until you run out of row.
• * * two asterisks — encloses a section repeated as a block.
• A number before the stitch means how many to make: 3 dc is three double crochets.
• A number after the stitch is part of its name: dc3tog is one decrease made from three stitches.

So *2 dc in next st, sk 1 st, rep from * to end (24 sts) reads as: two double crochets into one stitch, skip the following stitch, keep alternating to the end of the row, and you should finish with 24 stitches.

The mistakes worth knowing about in advance

Counting the turning chain as a stitch — or not. Designers disagree on this, which is genuinely annoying. Some count the ch 3 at the start of a double crochet row as the first stitch; others do not and tell you to work into the very first stitch. If your rows are gaining or losing a stitch every time, this is the cause. Read the pattern’s first row carefully, then be consistent.

Working into the chain instead of the space. When a pattern says ch-2 sp, put your hook through the hole, not into the individual chain stitches. Working into the chains gives a tighter, smaller result that will not match the gauge.

Missing the “special stitches” section. If a designer invented a stitch for a pattern, they define it near the top. Skipping that section and guessing from a chart is how a blanket ends up with the wrong texture.

Assuming dc means what it did in the last pattern. Especially if you jump between designers from different countries. Check the terminology before row one, not on row twelve.

Frequently asked

Is there an official standard for these? Yes. The Craft Yarn Council maintains the standard list of US abbreviations, and most American publishers and yarn companies follow it. The chart above uses those terms, plus the widely used community abbreviations that the standard does not formally cover, such as MR and FO.

Why do some patterns use symbols instead of words? Those are stitch diagrams, common in Japanese patterns and in lace. They are a separate visual language, and once you can read one they are often clearer than text because you can see the shape of the finished motif.

Do I need to memorize all of this? No. You will absorb about fifteen of these naturally in your first month, and the rest you look up. That is exactly why this page is printable.