If you’re anything like me, the first time you opened a pattern, reading the crocheting terms felt like you were reading a foreign language. No joke!
As with every industry, crafting has its own jargon. If you want to join the convo, you have to learn the lingo. So you don’t get bogged down with TMI, I will not be talking about “crocheter slang” in this article, just the essential terminology to help you read and understand patterns and conversations about crocheting.
I will give you a breakdown of some common terminology you need to understand to get started on your stitching journey.
Let the vocabulary lesson begin!
Basic Crocheting Terms
Yarn over (YO)
This is exactly as simple as it sounds. It simply means wrapping the yarn over the hook from back to front, unless the pattern specifies a different method or number of wraps.
Pull up a loop
Pull up a loop means pulling yarn from back to front through a stitch, making a loop on the hook. This term usually follows ‘yarn over’. For example: “Yarn over and pull up a loop” means wrap the yarn around the hook and pull it through the stitch to create another loop on the hook.
Pull through
Pulling through refers to pulling a strand of yarn through loops on the hook. This term will often be followed with something like “all stitches on hook”, or a specified number of loops. For example: ‘Pull through two’ would mean pulling the yarn through the first two loops on the hook. It often follows ‘yarn over’. For example: “Yarn over and pull through all remaining stitches”, which means wrap the yarn over the hook and pull it through all of the stitches on the hook.
Increase/Decrease
When you are a beginner crocheter, your goal is to ensure every row has the same number of stitches so the project looks even and square.
But as you take on increasingly complex projects, they will likely include shapes that are something other than a square (like amigurumi). Creating shape in a crochet project often requires a mixture of stitches of different heights and increasing/decreasing stitches.
Increasing refers to adding stitches to the project. This is commonly done by crocheting two stitches in the same hole. There are other methods, but they are far less common.
Decreasing refers to eliminating stitches from the project. This is commonly done by crocheting two stitches together with various techniques.
Other Common Crocheting Terms
Foundation Row
I wasn’t sure if I should include this in the essential terms. Without getting too deep in the weeds, the term ‘foundation row’ is used in Tunisian crochet to refer to the first front and back pass (don’t worry about what that means…we aren’t focusing on Tunisian crochet). However, there is a really fancy way to start a crochet project that uses a foundation single/double/triple crochet that is referred to as the ‘foundation row’.
All of that sounds very complicated and difficult, but it’s not! If you want to watch someone do a foundation double crochet, there are tons of tutorials on YouTube (I picked this one because she has a very fancy hook lol).
Foundation row can also refer to the row of chain stitches you created at the beginning of the project.
Bottom line…pun intended…a foundation row is the first row of stitches you create to build the project from. Hence, the foundation of your project.
Post stitch
A stitch is comprised of several parts (not an A&P class, I promise). If you think of a stitch as a body with no arms or legs, the top of the stitch is the head and is comprised of two loops (see below). The main ‘body’ of the stitch is the post, which is attached to the top of the stitch.
A typical crochet stitch takes place in the ‘head’ of the stitch. A post stitch takes place around the ‘body’.
This technique is used to create texture, like ribbing.
Front/Back/Both Loops
It is very common to see a pattern where only the ‘front’ or ‘back’ loop is referred to.
Front/back/both loops terminology is all referring to the top of the stitch, or the ‘head’ from our anatomy lesson.
If you look at a stitch from the top, it is comprised of two loops that form a ‘v’ shape. The side of the ‘v’ closest to you is the front loop, the side of the ‘v’ furthest from you is the back loop. (See photo below)
Cluster
A cluster simply refers to more than one stitch in the same hole/stitch. Shell stitching will have three or more double crochets in the same stitch to create a seashell design. Each stitch with multiple stitches in it will be referred to as a cluster.
Complete List of Crocheting Terms
This is not at all intended to be an inclusive list of all crochet terminology. There are entire books written on this very subject.
This list is only the most common terms I get questions about. When we talk about crochet, people often slip into a lingo that feels very natural but can be difficult for beginners to understand. The terms included here will help you better understand explanations about crocheting, more easily read patterns, and enjoy conversations with your growing community of fellow crocheters.
My hope is for you to quickly outgrow this basic list as you dive into the world of crochet and start taking on much more adventurous projects.
If you are just starting out, you can learn the basic crochet stitches along with this terminology so you can jump right into the world of crochet.
