When you crochet or knit, whether it’s for your own amusement, to crochet charity afghans for family and friends, to crochet clothing (which can become a new source of income), crochet patterns are available in published books & on the internet – eBooks; crochet magazines; crochet websites; crochet blogs.
You may crochet using various yarns with different textures and weights. And this will result in different gauge measurements. Thus, you need to know how to read patterns for different types of crochet. This article presents an A-Z list of crochet abbreviations used in patterns by designers/publishers. In addition, designers and publishers may use special abbreviations in a pattern, which you might not find on this crochet abbreviations list. Generally, a crochet pattern will have a crochet abbreviation key at the beginning of a book or crochet pattern.
The crochet abbreviations/acronyms listed in this article are specifically for crochet and patterns designed in U.S. crochet terminology. But most common crochet abbreviations used by designers and publishers throughout the world can be found here: International crochet terms & crochet abbreviations.
| Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|
| alt | alternate |
| approx | approximately |
| beg | begin/beginning |
| bet | between |
| BL or BLO | back loop or back loop only |
| bo | bobble |
| BP | back post |
| BPdc | back post double crochet |
| BPdtr | back post double treble crochet |
| BPhdc | back post half double crochet |
| BPsc | back post single crochet |
| BPtr | back post treble crochet |
| CC | contrasting color |
| ch | chain stitch |
| ch- | refer to chain or space previously made, e.g., ch-1 space |
| ch-sp | chain space |
| CL | cluster |
| cont | continue |
| dc | double crochet |
| dc2tog | double crochet 2 stitches together |
| dec | decrease |
| dtr | double treble crochet |
| edc | extended double crochet |
| ehdc | extended half double crochet |
| esc | extended single crochet |
| etr | extended treble crochet |
| FL or FLO | front loop or front loop only |
| foll | following |
| FP | front post |
| FPdc | front post double crochet |
| FPdtr | front post double treble crochet |
| FPhdc | front post half double crochet |
| FPsc | front post single crochet |
| Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|
| FPtr | front post treble crochet |
| hdc | half double crochet |
| hdc2tog | half double crochet 2 stitches together |
| inc | increase |
| lp | loop |
| m | marker |
| MC | main color |
| pat or patt | pattern |
| pc | popcorn stitch |
| pm | place marker |
| prev | previous |
| ps or puff | puff stitch |
| rem | remaining |
| rep | repeat |
| rnd | round |
| RS | right side |
| sc | single crochet |
| sc2tog | single crochet 2 stitches together |
| sh | shell |
| sk | skip |
| sl st | slip stitch |
| sm or sl m | slip marker |
| sp | space |
| st | stitch |
| tbl | through back loop |
| tch or t-ch | turning chain |
| tog | together |
| tr | treble crochet |
| tr2tog | treble crochet 2 stitches together |
| trtr | triple treble crochet |
| WS | wrong side |
| yo | yarn over |
| yoh | yarn over hook |
Terms & Common Measurements
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| * | repeat the instructions following the single asterisk as directed |
| * * | repeat instructions between asterisks as many times as directed or repeat at specified locations |
| { } | work instructions within brackets as many times as directed |
| [ ] | work instructions within brackets as many times as directed |
| ( ) | work instructions within parentheses as many times as directed or work a group of stitches all in the same stitch or space |
| Measurement | Description |
|---|---|
| ” or in | inch |
| cm | centimeter |
| g | gram |
| m | meter |
| mm | millimeter |
| oz | ounce |
| yd | yard |
Tunisian Abbreviations
Tunisian crochet is also commonly known as Afghan Crochet. It has also been called by a variety of other names including Shepherd’s Knitting, Railroad Knitting and Cro-hooking.
| Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|
| etss | extended Tunisian simple stitch |
| FwP | forward pass |
| RetP | return pass |
| tdc | Tunisian double crochet |
| tfs | Tunisian full stitch |
| thdc | Tunisian half double crochet |
| tks | Tunisian knit stitch |
| tps | Tunisian purl stitch |
| trs | Tunisian reverse stitch |
| tsc | Tunisian single crochet |
| tss | Tunisian simple stitch |
| tslst | Tunisian slip stitch |
| ttr | Tunisian treble crochet |
| ttw | Tunisian twisted |
Abbreviation & Term Differences between the U.S., United Kingdom (U.K.) and Canada.
| U.S./Canada | U.K. |
|---|---|
| slip stitch (sl st) | slip stitch (ss) |
| single crochet (sc) | double crochet (dc) |
| half double crochet (hdc) | half treble (htr) |
| double crochet (dc) | treble (tr) |
| treble (tr) | double treble (dtr) |
| double treble (dtr) | triple treble (trtr) |
| U.S. | U.K./Canada |
|---|---|
| gauge | tension |
| yarn over (yo) | yarn over hook (yoh) |
