Crochet Terms and Abbreviations

Today I created for you a list of crochet terms and crochet abbreviations, which will hopefully make your life easier, so be sure to check it out! If you use crochet patterns, you know that they are full of strange letters, so it’s good to know what they all mean. Whether you are going to use them in your own crochet patterns, or in a conversation, no acronym will surprise you. I will try to add to this list whenever I find something new, but what you find here should be great for starters.

This list is not organized alphabetically, so if you want to find specific term quickly, please use CTRL+F or CMD+F for searching.

Basic Stitches Abbreviations

To learn more about basic crochet stitches, you can click on the links below, or check out THIS ARTICLE! Remember, that terms differ between US and UK, so each pattern will tell you which terms you are looking at.

ch(s) – chain(s); ch-# refers to already existing chain, for example ch-1 space.

sl st – slip stitch

sc – single crochet

hdc or half dc – half double crochet

dc – double crochet

tr – treble crochet / triple crochet

dtr = double treble crochet

tr tr – triple treble crochet

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Basic Techniques Abbreviations

Below you will find a list of the most popular crochet techniques and their abbreviations, so keep them in mind.

inc – increase

dec or tog – decrease or “together”, for example: hdc dec (half double crochet decrease), or hdc2tog (it means the same, but you can read it as “two half double crochets together”)

BL or BLO – “back loop” or “back loop only”; it may look like this: BLdc (back loop double crochet) or BLO dc (same here!)

FL or FLO – “front loop” or “front loop only”; it may look like this: FLdc (front loop double crochet) or FLO dc (same here!)

BP – “back post“; adding BP before the name of the stitch will result in specific information, for example: BPdc – back post double crochet, BPdtr – back post double treble crochet, and so on.

FP – “front post“; adding FP before the name of the stitch will result in specific information, for example: FPdc – front post double crochet, FPdtr – front post double treble crochet, and so on.

e- – extended stitch, for example: edc – extended double crochet, etr – extended treble.

pc – popcorn

bo – bobble

ps or puff – puff stitch

cl – cluster

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TALKING ABOUT STITCHES…

Our growing website and library of free crochet patterns has some projects that might interest you, so if you want to know more about one of the coolest stitches, check out this article about How to Crochet Alpine Stitch!

→ Yes! Take me to this tutorial! ←

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incl – include / including

rev – reverse

sk – skip

Length and Weight

You can find these crochet abbreviations on yarn labels, or in pattern notes, regarding yarn types and how much you need for a project.

” or in – inches

yd – yards

mm – millimetres

m – meters

oz – ounce/ounces

g – grams

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Repeat Symbols

rep – repeat.

Instructions within asterisks or parentheses should be repeated as many times, as it is indicated in the pattern. You can also use parentheses to indicate a group of stitches that should be worked in the same stitch or space, so be prepared for that, too. Examples:

* *

( ) 

[ ]  

Working with Colors

CC – contrasting color

MC – main color

C# – for example: C1, C2, C5; indicates specific color used in particular pattern, but usually when the pattern requires lots of colors.

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Tunisian Crochet Terms and Abbreviations

Tunisian crochet is one of the coolest techniques, because it combines the look of a knit and the process of crochet. It’s a fantastic way to achieve totally new effect without going out of your comfort zone too much, so be sure to try it! It’s quite easy to learn, but remember that you need special crochet hook for it.