By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by Crochet Guru.
The double crochet is twice as tall as a single crochet, and once you have it down you've unlocked half of every pattern you'll ever read. Granny squares, blankets, scarves, dishcloths - they all run on double crochet.
Bobbie Thomson from Crochet Guru teaches the stitch as five repeating moves: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over and pull through (3 loops), yarn over and pull through 2 (2 loops), yarn over and pull through 2 (done). The trick is the rhythm. After three or four stitches your hands stop thinking about it.
Yarn over first. That wrap on the hook, before it ever enters the stitch, is the whole reason a double crochet stands tall. Push the hook through, yarn over again, pull a loop back out through the stitch only. Three loops on the hook.
The finish comes in two passes, not one. Yarn over, pull through two. Yarn over, pull through the last two. One loop left, stitch done. That two-at-a-time ending is what separates it from the shorter half double crochet, which closes all three loops in one pass.
Patterns write this stitch as dc. "dc in next st" means one double crochet in the next stitch. yo is yarn over, ch is chain, sk is skip.
Count the tops, not the posts. Every finished dc has a small V of two loops at the top, and that V is what you count and what your hook goes into on the next row. Count the tall posts from the side and you get a different number every time.
This tutorial uses US terms. British patterns shift every stitch name down one rung. UK "double crochet" is what the US calls single crochet, and the stitch on this page is UK "treble crochet".
If a British pattern says dc and your fabric comes out twice as tall as the photo, that is why. US treble crochet is taller again, with two yarn overs before the hook goes in.
At the end of a row you chain 3 and turn. Three chains stand about as tall as a dc, which is why the count is 3 here and only 1 on shorter stitches.
Whether that chain counts as a stitch is the pattern's call, and that is where row edges go wrong. If it counts, skip the first stitch of the row below and work your last dc into the top of the previous turning chain. If it doesn't, work into that first stitch and ignore the old chain at the end. Hold one rule for the whole piece.
Speed and drape. A dc row covers twice the ground of a single crochet row and leaves a looser fabric, which is why it dominates big projects. A crochet blanket is mostly dc, and so is the granny square - clusters of three dc separated by chain spaces. Joining granny squares turns a pile of those into an afghan. Scarves, market bags and dishcloths lean on it too.
Gaps you can see through. Some openness belongs to this stitch, but holes wide enough for a finger mean the hook is too big for the yarn or the pull-up loop is too long. Drop a hook size and keep that pull-up level with the top of the stitch below.
Stitches leaning sideways. The hook is rolling in your hand, so the yarn over slides around it. Keep the throat facing you through both pull-throughs.
Rows getting narrower or wider. Count every row for the first few. A lost stitch is nearly always the last of the row, hiding inside the previous turning chain. A gained one means you counted that chain and worked into it too.
7 steps · about 6 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Tie a slipknot, slide it onto your hook, and chain 20. This is your foundation - the row that everything else gets built into.
If your slipknot or chain is rusty, Crochet Guru has separate lessons (4 and 5) that drill them. A loose, even chain makes the rest of this tutorial easier, so don't pull each stitch tight as you go.
Tip
Count your chains as you make them. Twenty gives you enough room to practice the rhythm without finishing in three stitches.
Look at your chain and count back from the hook: one, two, three, four. The fourth chain is where your first double crochet goes.
You skip the first three chains because they act as a turning chain that stands in for the first dc of the row. If you place the first stitch any earlier or later the row won't measure up correctly, so this placement matters.
Sweep the yarn from back to front around your hook. This is the move that makes a double crochet a double crochet - you yarn over before the hook goes into the stitch.
Single crochet skips this step. The extra wrap on the hook is what gives the double crochet its height.
Tip
The wrap should sit between the hook tip and the loop already on your hook. If it slides off, hold the working yarn taut with your other hand.
Push the hook through the fourth chain. Yarn over again, then pull that wrap back out through the chain only - not through anything else.
Stop and look at your hook. You should see three loops sitting on it: the original loop, the yarn-over from step 3, and the wrap you pulled through the chain. Three loops is the checkpoint that tells you the first half of the stitch is done.
Yarn over and pull through the first two loops on your hook. You're left with two loops.
Yarn over one final time and pull through those last two loops. One loop remains. That's a complete double crochet. Take a look at the small post you've built - it's roughly twice the height of a single crochet. The pattern is yarn-over, pull-through-two, yarn-over, pull-through-two from here on out.
Tip
Whisper the rhythm out loud the first few times: "yarn over, through two, yarn over, through two." It locks in fast.
Move to the next chain over and run the full sequence again: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over and pull through (3 loops), yarn over and pull through two (2 loops), yarn over and pull through two (done).
Keep going stitch by stitch all the way to the end of the chain. By the time you reach the last one your hands will have the rhythm. Don't worry if some stitches look uneven - tension settles down with practice.
At the end of the row, chain 3 and flip your work around so the back side faces you. The chain 3 reaches the height of a double crochet, so it counts as the first stitch of the new row.
Because of that, skip the very first stitch (it's hidden inside the turning chain) and place your next double crochet into the second stitch of the row below. When you reach the far end of the new row, work one last dc into the top of the previous row's turning chain so the edges stay straight.
Tip
Always chain 3 when starting a new double crochet row. For single crochet you'd chain 1 - the height is what changes.
Keep going
How to Crochet a Panda Plushie
How to Double Crochet: The 5-Step Stitch Walkthrough
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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Test your knowledge
5 questions covering what you just read. No signup, no score saved, and you can stop after this one.
Question 1 of 5
Which chain do you put your first double crochet into?
Quick reference
5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.Which chain do you put your first double crochet into?
Answer: The fourth chain from the hook
Skip the first three chains. They act as a turning chain that stands in for the first dc. Start the actual stitch in the fourth.
2.What makes a double crochet a double crochet?
Answer: Yarn over before inserting hook
Yarn over BEFORE the hook goes into the stitch. Single crochet skips this step. The extra wrap is what makes the double tall.
3.After inserting the hook and pulling up a loop, how many loops are on the hook?
Answer: Three loops
Three loops: the original loop, the yarn-over from before inserting, and the loop you just pulled up.
4.What's the rhythm to finish the stitch after you have 3 loops on the hook?
Answer: Two more passes, through two each time
Yarn over, pull through the first two. Yarn over, pull through the last two. One loop remains — the stitch is done.
5.How many chains do you make to turn between double crochet rows?
Answer: Chain 3
Chain 3 matches the height of a double crochet, so it counts as the first stitch of the new row. (Single crochet rows turn with chain 1.)
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