How to · Crochet
How to read a crochet pattern
A crochet pattern is a dense, abbreviated notation that nobody is taught and everybody is expected to know. It is entirely learnable in one sitting, and the single biggest cause of a ruined project is not a technique failure but a misread instruction.
Everything that decides whether a pattern works is above the instructions, and it is the part people skip. Four things in particular.
- Which terminology it uses — US and UK crochet terms name different stitches with the same words. A US "single crochet" is a UK "double crochet"; a US "double crochet" is a UK "treble". Working a US pattern in UK terms produces fabric of entirely the wrong height, and the pattern will not say which it is unless you look at the header.
- The gauge — Stitches and rows per 10cm. If yours differs, the finished item will be the wrong size no matter how correctly you follow every instruction.
- Whether the turning chain counts as a stitch — This varies by pattern, is stated once at the top, and is the single commonest reason a piece drifts wider or narrower row by row.
- Rows or rounds — Rows are worked flat and turned; rounds are worked continuously in a spiral or joined. The instructions look similar and the fabric does not.
| Written | Means | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| * | Start of a repeated sequence | *dc 2, inc; repeat from * — do that pair over and over |
| ( ) or [ ] | A group worked into one stitch, or repeated as a unit | (dc, ch 1, dc) in next st — three things in the same place |
| × n or (n times) | How many times to repeat | [dc 2, inc] × 6 — the bracketed group six times in total |
| — n or (n) | The stitch count at the end of that row | Row 4: … (24) — you should have 24 stitches. Check it |
| sp | Space, not stitch | Work into the gap between stitches rather than the top V |
| tog | Together — a decrease | dc2tog turns two stitches into one |
| inc | Increase — two stitches into one | Two stitches worked into the same place |
| BLO / FLO | Back or front loop only | Under one half of the V rather than both, which makes a ridge |
The stitch count in brackets at the end of a row is the most useful thing on the page and the most ignored. It is a checksum: if your count matches, the row was correct, and if it does not, the error is in that row and nowhere else. Checking it every row turns unpicking nine rows into unpicking one.
Step 1: Read the whole row before starting it
Including the repeat and the final count. A row that ends "repeat from * to last 3 sts" behaves completely differently from one that does not, and finding that out at the end costs the row.
You will know it worked when: You know the shape of the row before you are committed to it.
Step 2: Mark the repeats
A stitch marker at the start of each repeat. When something goes wrong you lose one repeat rather than the row.
You will know it worked when: Errors are contained.
Step 3: Count against the bracket at the end
Every row, at first. Thirty seconds.
You will know it worked when: A miscount is caught while it is cheap to fix.
Step 4: Keep a row counter or a tally
Paper, an app, or a row counter. Patterns with a long repeated section are impossible to resume otherwise.
You will know it worked when: You can put the work down.
| What happened | Usual cause |
|---|---|
| Stitch count is one too many, every row | Turning chain being counted as a stitch when the pattern says it is not |
| Stitch count is one too few, every row | The last stitch of the row is being missed against the turning chain |
| Fabric is much taller or shorter than the picture | US and UK terms confused — check the header |
| The finished item is the wrong size | Gauge, not the pattern. Nothing in the instructions will fix it |
| Holes where there should not be | Working into the space between stitches rather than into the top V |
| A round is not joining up | Spiral versus joined rounds — the pattern says which and they are not interchangeable |
One genuine caveat: patterns do contain errors, and published corrections are common enough that checking the designer’s errata before assuming you are at fault is worth doing. But it is the second thing to check rather than the first, and the count-at-the-end-of-the-row test will usually have told you the truth already.
Questions this guide answers
Listed so you can tell at a glance whether this is the page you wanted. HobbyHQ keeps one guide per question family rather than a page per phrasing.
- how do I read a crochet pattern
- what do crochet abbreviations mean
- what do brackets mean in a crochet pattern
- what does repeat from mean in crochet
- why does my crochet pattern not work
- what does the asterisk mean in crochet
Sources for this section
- Standards & Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting (opens in a new tab) — Craft Yarn Council · Standards body · read — supports the claim
Part of Crochet. Last reviewed 2026-08-14.