By Show Me Step by StepPublished
Based on a video by Winding Road Crochet.
Front post double crochet, written FPdc in patterns, gives crochet that raised, ridged look you see on hat brims, cuffs and textured blankets. The stitch is a regular double crochet. The only change is where the hook goes. You wrap it around the post of the stitch below instead of through the top loops. Lindsey of Winding Road Crochet shows it on a small cotton swatch, then adds the back post version so you can see the two side by side.
Every double crochet has a top, the two loops shaped like a sideways V, and a post, the tall column of yarn that runs down from the top to the row below. Normal stitches go into the top. Post stitches go around the column instead, which pulls that column forward or back. That pull is what makes the ridge.
| Stitch | Pattern says | Hook path | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front post double crochet | FPdc | In from the front, behind the post, out the front | Post pops toward you |
| Back post double crochet | BPdc | In from the back, in front of the post, out the back | Post sinks away from you |
Both use the same yarn over, pull up a loop, and two pulls through two loops. Only the way in differs.
Lindsey uses a smooth baby cotton with a size G (4 mm) hook. Smooth, light yarn is best while you learn, because you can see each post. Fuzzy or dark yarn hides it. Post stitches eat more yarn than flat rows and the fabric pulls in a little, so a ribbed piece comes out narrower than the same count in plain double crochet.
If double crochet is still new, start with how to double crochet and how to crochet a foundation chain. How to read a crochet pattern covers FPdc, BPdc and the other shorthand. Ribbing is a natural fit for a crochet beanie brim. A quick soak and pin out, covered in how to block crochet, evens out the ridges.
9 steps · about 6 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Post stitches need posts to work around, so you start with a row of regular double crochet. Lindsey chains 12, works a double crochet in the third chain from the hook, then one in every chain across. That gives you a short practice strip. Chain 2 and turn your work to start row two. A smooth, light yarn makes the posts easy to see.
Tip
A small practice swatch of 10 to 12 stitches is plenty. You can rip it out and try again fast.
Make the first stitch of row two a normal double crochet. Yarn over and put the hook under both top loops of the stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop, so you have three loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through two, then yarn over and pull through the last two. This edge stitch keeps the side of the swatch straight.
Tip
Many patterns work the first and last stitch of a post row as plain double crochet for a neater edge.
Look at the next stitch along. The two loops on top are where you would normally go. Below them, the tall column of yarn running down to the row before is the post. The arrows in Lindsey's video trace the path around it. For a front post double crochet the hook goes in from the front, behind that column and back out to the front.
Tip
Tilt the swatch toward the light. The gaps on either side of each post are easier to spot.
Yarn over first, the same as any double crochet. Push the hook into the gap on the right of the post from the front. Bring it behind the post and out through the gap on the left, so the hook sits on the front of your work with the post lying across it. You are not going under the top loops at all this time.
Tip
If the hook will not slide behind the post, your previous row is tight. Go up a hook size for the foundation row next time.
Yarn over and draw the yarn back around the post and toward you. You now have three loops on the hook. Pull that new loop up to about the height of the row you are working. A loop that stays low makes a short, stiff stitch that pulls the fabric out of shape.
Tip
Lift the hook slightly as you pull through so the loop does not snag on the post.
Yarn over and pull through the first two loops on the hook. Yarn over again and pull through the last two. That is one front post double crochet. Look at the swatch from the front. The post you wrapped now bulges toward you, standing proud of the stitches on either side. That ridge is the whole point of the stitch.
Tip
Skip the top of the stitch you wrapped. The post stitch takes its place in the row.
Work two more the same way. Yarn over, hook in from the front, behind the next post and out the front. Yarn over and pull up a loop, then pull through two loops twice. After three you can see a raised band of three columns. Lindsey stops at three so she can switch to the back post stitch and show the contrast.
Tip
Count as you go. It is easy to wrap the same post twice by accident.
A back post double crochet is the mirror move. Yarn over and insert the hook from the back, in front of the post and out the back again. Finish it like a normal double crochet. This time the post sinks away from you. Work three, then go back to one front post stitch to see a ridge, then a dip, then a ridge.
Tip
Patterns write this stitch as BPdc. Some lefty videos show it reversed, so follow the direction of the post, not the hand.
Keep alternating three front post and three back post stitches across a few rows, and the swatch turns into wide, stretchy ribbing like this one. Work one of each for a thinner rib suited to a hat brim. Weave in the tails with a yarn needle when you finish. Ribbing relaxes and evens out after a soak and a gentle press.
Tip
On a wrong-side row, work FPdc around posts that stick out toward you so the ribs line up.
Keep going
How to Stuff Amigurumi Evenly (No Lumps)
How to Crochet Front Post Double Crochet (FPdc) for Ribbing
Clover
Clover Amour Crochet Hook Set (10 sizes)
Soft, easy-grip handles that warm to the touch and a full size range in one case. The set most crocheters upgrade to and never look back.
Lion Brand
Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn
Mercerized cotton with crisp stitch definition and a subtle sheen. Machine washable, and the go-to for amigurumi, bags, and dishcloths.
Clover
Clover Locking Stitch Markers (20-pack)
Lock onto stitches so they never slip while you mark rounds, increases, and repeats. A dollar-store fix that actually holds.
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