Learn to crochet · lesson 12 of 12 · about 20 minutes

How to read a crochet pattern (UK terms)

To read a crochet pattern, first check whether it uses UK or US terms, then decode the abbreviations, the repeats marked by asterisks and brackets, and the stitch count at the end of each row. It looks like code at first, but it’s only shorthand. Read the whole pattern through once before you pick up the hook.

Step by step

1. 1UK or US?

   Look for “sc” or “single crochet”: UK patterns don’t have it, so if you see it, the pattern is in US terms. UK names are one step up from US names: US single crochet is UK double crochet, US double crochet is UK treble. Many UK publishers say on the pattern which terms they use.

2. 2The stitch abbreviations

   ch = chain. ss = slip stitch (sl st in US patterns). dc = double crochet (US single crochet, sc). htr = half treble (US half double crochet, hdc). tr = treble (US double crochet, dc). dtr = double treble (US treble, tr).

3. 3The other words

   st(s) = stitch(es). sp = space; ch-sp = chain space. beg = beginning. rep = repeat. rnd = round. RS and WS = right side and wrong side. yrh or yoh = yarn round hook. tog = together, as in dc2tog. inc and dec = increase and decrease. sk = skip. pm = place marker. t-ch = turning chain. Every pattern should list its own abbreviations too, so check that list first.

4. 4What patterns leave out

   No pattern tells you to make a slip knot; it just assumes it. “Ch 17. Row 1: tr in 4th ch from hook and in each ch to end [15 sts]” means slip knot, 17 chains, then trebles. Never count the slip knot or the loop on your hook.

5. 5Asterisks

   “*” means repeat the instructions after it, as many times as the pattern says. “Rep from * to end” means keep going to the end of the row. If you see “**”, ignore it until the last repeat, then stop when you reach it.

6. 6Brackets

   Round brackets usually mean one of two things: work everything inside into the same stitch or space, as in “(3 tr, 2 ch, 3 tr) in next ch-sp”, or repeat the group the number of times shown after it. Square brackets differ between publishers. UK magazines usually keep them for stitch counts; some patterns use them for repeats. The pattern notes will tell you.

7. 7Stitch counts

   A number at the end of a row, often in square brackets or after a colon or dash, is the total you should have. It isn’t an instruction to work more stitches. Count and compare before you turn.

8. 8Turning chains and notes

   The pattern should say whether the turning chain counts as a stitch. If it doesn’t say, the usual rule is: it doesn’t count for double crochet and it does for treble and taller. Half treble varies: the Craft Yarn Council and Simply Crochet count its 2 chains, but some patterns don’t. Read the notes and the tension section before you begin; they often explain exactly this.

Check your work

• You can say out loud what each line of your pattern asks you to do.
• You know whether the pattern is in UK or US terms before you start.
• Your stitch count matches the number in the pattern at the end of each row.

Common mistakes

Your project comes out much smaller or much bigger than it should.

Check which terms the pattern uses. Work a US pattern with UK stitches and every stitch is one size too short, so it comes out small and stiff. Work a UK pattern with US stitches and every stitch is one size too tall, so it comes out big and loose. Convert the stitch names first.

Your count is always one out.

Check you’re not counting the slip knot or the loop on the hook, and whether the turning chain counts in this pattern.

The end of a repeat doesn’t fit.

Look for “**” or a “to last st” instruction. The last repeat often stops early or finishes differently.

You worked extra stitches at the end of a row.

You read the stitch count as an instruction. Numbers in brackets at the end are totals to check, not stitches to work.

US to UK crochet terms converter →

Paste a pattern and get its yarn shopping list →

Sources: craftyarncouncil.com, craftyarncouncil.com, simply-yarn.com, simply-yarn.com, simply-yarn.com, simply-yarn.com, simply-yarn.com. Written in UK terms; the US name is in brackets the first time a stitch appears.