How to Read Crochet Patterns: Abbreviations, Symbols and Repeats Explained

A crochet pattern is written in a compressed language. It looks like code because it is code: a few dozen abbreviations, some punctuation rules, and a couple of conventions about repeats. Once you know the rules, a pattern that looked like gibberish reads as easily as a recipe.

This guide covers written patterns first, then charts, then the US/UK trap.

The Standard Abbreviations

These are the ones you will meet in almost every US pattern.

• ch — Meaning: chain
• sl st — Meaning: slip stitch
• sc — Meaning: single crochet
• hdc — Meaning: half double crochet
• dc — Meaning: double crochet
• tr — Meaning: treble crochet
• st(s) — Meaning: stitch(es)
• sp — Meaning: space (usually a chain space)
• yo — Meaning: yarn over
• inc — Meaning: increase (usually 2 sc in one stitch)
• dec — Meaning: decrease (usually sc2tog)
• sc2tog — Meaning: single crochet two together
• BLO / FLO — Meaning: back loop only / front loop only
• FPdc / BPdc — Meaning: front post / back post double crochet
• rep — Meaning: repeat
• RS / WS — Meaning: right side / wrong side
• MR — Meaning: magic ring
• beg — Meaning: beginning
• rnd — Meaning: round

Most patterns include their own key. Read it, because designers sometimes define special stitches with abbreviations that only exist in that pattern.

Punctuation Is Grammar

Commas separate instructions within a row: ch 1, sc in each st across, turn.

**Asterisks (\)* mark a repeat: sc in next st, dc in next st; rep from across. Work everything between the asterisk and the semicolon repeatedly to the end of the row.

Parentheses ( ) group instructions that go into the same place: (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 sp means all of that goes into one chain space. Parentheses at the end of a row, like (24), give the stitch count.

Brackets [ ] usually enclose a repeat with a number: [sc in next 3 sts, inc] 6 times. Some designers reverse the roles of brackets and parentheses. The key will tell you.

"Across" or "around" means to the end of the row or round.

"Turn" means physically flip the work. In the round, you usually do not turn.

Reading a Row Out Loud

Take this line: Row 3: ch 2 (does not count as st), hdc in first st and in each st across, turn. (20)

Translated: make two chains that do not count as a stitch, half double crochet into the very first stitch and every stitch after it, turn the work, and confirm you have 20 stitches. That is all it says.

Now a round: Rnd 4: sc in next 2 sts, inc; rep from around. (24)

Translated: single crochet into two stitches, then put two single crochets into the third stitch, and repeat that three-stitch block around the whole round. You started with 18 and you finish with 24.

Stitch Counts Are Your Safety Net

The number at the end of a row is not decoration. Count after every row for the first few projects. If the count is wrong, fix it now; a mistake in round 4 of an amigurumi head becomes a lopsided face by round 12. In blankets, a count that is off by one shows up as a diagonal edge fifty rows later.

Gauge and Why the Pattern Cares

Near the top of most patterns you will see something like: Gauge: 14 sts and 16 rows = 10 cm in sc. It tells you how big your stitches need to be for the finished piece to match the pattern's measurements. For a blanket, gauge barely matters. For a sweater, it is the difference between fitting and not fitting. Make the swatch.

Reading Crochet Charts

Charts use symbols instead of words, standardized by the Craft Yarn Council:

• A small oval or circle is a chain.
• A dot or filled circle is a slip stitch.
• A plus sign or X is single crochet.
• A T with one bar is half double crochet.
• A T with two bars is double crochet.
• Three bars is treble.
• Symbols joined at the base are worked into the same stitch (a shell); symbols joined at the top are worked together (a decrease).

You read a chart in the direction you crochet: for rows, right to left on odd rows and left to right on even rows (row numbers are printed on the side where the row begins); for rounds, counter-clockwise from the center. Charts show you the shape of the fabric, which is why lace and motifs are so much easier from a chart.

The US vs UK Terminology Trap

The same stitches have different names, and the names are offset by one step.

• single crochet (sc) — UK term: double crochet (dc)
• half double crochet (hdc) — UK term: half treble (htr)
• double crochet (dc) — UK term: treble (tr)
• treble (tr) — UK term: double treble (dtr)
• slip stitch (sl st) — UK term: slip stitch (ss)
• chain (ch) — UK term: chain (ch)

A US "dc" and a UK "dc" are different stitches. Check the terminology line at the top of the pattern. If it is missing, the presence of sc or hdc means US; htr means UK.

A System for Not Losing Your Place

1. Print the pattern or open it on a tablet you can annotate.
2. Highlight the row you are on. Cross it off when done.
3. Put a stitch marker in the first stitch of every row until turning is automatic.
4. For long repeats, place a marker after each repeat so a miscount only costs you one section.
5. Keep a row counter (a phone app or a paper tally) and update it every time you turn.

The Best Way to Learn

Pick a simple free pattern, a dishcloth or a basic beanie, and read the entire thing before you start. Translate each line into plain words in your head. Then work it, counting every row. After two or three patterns, the abbreviations stop being a language you translate and become one you simply read.