Welcome to Sofasaurus Crochet! I’m Sofia and in this beginner-friendly tutorial I’ll guide you through the art of crocheting half-double crochet – one of the four fundamental crochet stitches. Whether you’re a crochet enthusiast looking to refine your technique or a complete beginner eager to dive into the world of crochet, this step-by-step guide is designed with you in mind. I’ll break down the process into simple, easy-to-follow steps, ensuring that you not only understand the basics but also gain the confidence to crochet half-double crochet without a second thought. Grab your yarn and favorite hook and we’ll get started! Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter for more crochet tips and tutorials. If you’re interested in a printable, ad-free version of how to crochet half-double crochet , you can check it out in the shop! Happy Crocheting!

In UK Terms, this stitch is called the half-treble crochet.

First Time Crocheter? This is the recommended order for anyone learning how to crochet.

Please note

All instructions are in US terms. Please treat the techniques used in this post as recommendations – crochet is an art form and experimentation is the best way to figure out what works best for you! Also, I only recommend products and services that I would use myself and all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

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Storytime

When I was working on my certification to teach, I absolutely could NOT match the gauge for my half-double crochet swatch. Eventually, I just said “screw this” and worked on the project the best I could. In the end, my project did not meet the standard because my stitches were not the correct size. I was incredibly frustrated because this meant that I would have to redo that part of the certification and I most certainly did not want to. (I didn’t really want to make it in the first place if I’m totally honest).

As it turns out, the issue was with how I pulled up my loops. Every time I would hold the hook parallel to the chain/row so that the loops were all the “same size.” Spoiler alert: they were NOT the same size. I was overextending two of the three loops on the hook, effectively making them taller than they should be.

They were still pretty and sometimes I still work that way. But if you’re ever trying to match your gauge to another pattern and you’re facing a similar issue, try adjusting the size of the loops on your hook by positioning your hook differently.

Materials

Yarn: Any medium or worsted-weight yarn
Hook: 5.5mm crochet hook

Video Tutorial

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Written Instructions

Everything you need to understand what, why, and how!

What is a Half-Double Crochet?

The half-double crochet (hdc) is a crochet stitch that is slightly taller than the single crochet, yet shorter than the double crochet. Even the process is in between the processes of those two stitches – where one step is added to the single crochet, and one step is removed from the double crochet.

The half-double crochet is a versatile stitch that can be used to create a variety of crochet projects. It’s an important stitch for beginners to learn and is relatively easy to master. It also gives you practice in pulling the yarn through multiple loops at a time which will be a useful skill when working with different puff and cluster stitches in the future.

How do you crochet Half- Double Crochet?

These are quick notes, for an in-depth explanation scroll just a little more.

For the beginning chain, you can start with however many chains you like. The number of chains you make will determine the width (or height) of your project.

Start by working into the third chain from the hook.

Yarn Over
Insert your hook into the stitch
Pull up a loop
Yarn over
Pull through all three loops on the hook
Repeat

Tips + Tricks

For the turning chain, you can either use one or two chains – if you decide to use one chain then it does not count as a stitch. If you decide to use two chains, those WILL count as a stitch and you’ll have to start the first double crochet in the second stitch from the base of the chain.
When you have three loops on your hook, they should be in a step formation instead of parallel to the row you’re working with. In other words, make sure your hook is angled. Not doing this could cause your half-double crochet to be too tall (making it difficult to match gauge)
Always push the loops back onto the body of the hook to ensure even and uniform stitches.
Give yourself and your hands time to gain the muscle memory required for smooth movements. Remember: Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Foundation Row

You’ll need at least three chains to get started, but you can use as many as you like. I would recommend starting with 20-25 chains for your first swatch.

The standard, according to the Craft Yarn Council (CYC) is to work into either the second or third chain from the hook.

Yarn over

First, yarn over by bringing the hook down in front of the yarn and then back up behind the yarn. Rotate your wrist so turn the hook down – this will make it easier to insert the hook into the stitch.

Insert your hook into the chain

Hold the chain between the left middle finger and thumb. You want to position your middle finger directly behind the chain you plan to work into (in this case, the third chain from the hook) and your thumb should be right at the base of that same chain (the bottom of the “V).

Push the tip of your hook into the center of the chain (the center of the “V”), then use your left thumb to help guide that top loop onto the hook. This is considered “insert your hook into the stitch” in crochet language.

Push the hook all the way through and yarn over again.

Pull up a loop

After you yarn over, rotate your right wrist to rotate your hook to face down and “catch” the yarn. Next, guide the yarn through the chain to pull up a loop. Push all three loops back onto the body of the hook – pushing the loops back onto the hook makes your stitches even in size.

Whenever you pull up a loop, you’re effectively hooking that chain (or stitch) your stitch into your work. This new loop should not be the same size as the loops that are already on your hook. Instead, it should be slightly smaller/shorter/tighter. You still want to push all the loops back onto the body of the hook, but keep your hook at an incline with the tip of the hook closer to your chain than the body of the hook.

Yarn over again

Before you yarn over again, use your middle finger and thumb to pinch the chain that you just pulled through and pull it underneath your hook. This will give you additional control and help you maintain tension as well. Now yarn over again (this is the third yarn over).

Pull Through all Three Loops

Then continue to pinch with your middle finger and thumb and pull down slightly while pushing your hook up to create tension with the loops. This will prevent the hook from getting stuck on the loops. Then guide the yarn through all three loops on the hook.

Repeat until the end of the chain

Then move your middle finger and thumb to the next chain. Place your middle finger behind the chain stitch and your thumb at the bottom of the stitch. And point your hook into the center of the chain and pick up the top loop. Then repeat all the steps until you’ve reached the end of the row.

Second Row of Half-Double Crochet

Chain one or two for the turning chain. Most people prefer to work with one turning chain. Then turn your work.

For the second row (and every row thereafter) you have the option of chaining one or two for your turning chain. If you chain one, you can work this stitch similarly to the single crochet where you insert your hook directly into the first stitch and then work the rest of the stitches across.

If you decide to chain two for your turning chain, that chain will count as a stitch. This means that you will have to skip your first stitch (because it is now the base of your real first stitch-the turning chain) and then work into the top of the turning chain on your way back. If you use this method, you will have to start your stitch counts with the turning chain.

TIP: Decide whether you want to “chain then turn”, or “turn then chain” NOW for all of your projects. Creating a habit of either (not both) will help you remember to add your turning chains. Forgetting about the turning chain is the most likely reason your square/rectangle starts looking like a trapezoid!

If you’re working with one chain for your turning chain, you will insert your first stitch into that first gap (or first “V”) at the base of the chain. Place your left middle finger behind that stitch/gap/V and rest your left thumb on the bump in between the stitches.

Then push your tip into that first gap and use your left thumb to make sure you pick up both loops of the “V.” Then repeat all the other steps for the half-double crochet.

And that’s it! If you need more help, check out the photo tutorial below!

Animation

Hopefully, this animation can help you understand the concepts a little better!

Coming Soon!

Photo Tutorial

Are you more of a visual person but don’t have the patience to watch a video right now? Take a look at this photo tutorial and don’t forget to save it for later!

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Illustrated Guide

Are you more of a visual person but don’t have the patience to watch a video right now? Then take a look at this illustrated guide and don’t forget to save it for later!

Coming Soon!

Crochet Chart Symbols

Crochet Charts are a great way to avoid common language barriers and clarify difficult crochet patterns. These symbols are used to help you visualize where stitches go and how they align with one another. Don’t forget to add this image to your crochet toolbox!

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find a collection of common issues and troubleshooting tips! If you’d like to add your own question, just leave a comment on this post!

How do I count my crochet stitches?
What is tension?
How can I get more even stitches?
Why does my rectangle turn into a trapezoid/triangle?
How do I count my crochet rows?
How many turning chains do I need?
How do I work into the third loop of a half-double crochet?

You can count your half-double crochet by the “V” going across the top or the “V” going across the front of the stitch. If your turning chain counts as a stitch, don’t forget to include it as well!

The short version is that tension is a term used to describe the evenness and size of stitches in relation to others. The only way to truly improve tension is with practice – over time your hands will develop the muscle memory required to achieve “even tension.”
Tension can also be used to reference the size of the stitch. The theory is that you can “control your tension” to create smaller or larger stitches to achieve a different effect. I don’t recommend this practice. Just go up or down a hook size – if your stitches are all even in size you do not have to “adjust your tension” to match a pattern.

Practice is the best way. BUT I did mention a few tricks that have helped my students in the past
– Make sure the loop is always either as big or only slightly bigger than the body of the hook. Take care not to choke your hook. You should never struggle with pulling the yarn through the loop on your hook because it’s too small.
– At a minimum, hold the yarn by either wrapping it around your left index or middle finger. I wrap mine around the pinky for extra control, but keeping your hand from flailing around like crazy helps SO MUCH
– Use your left middle finger and thumb to control the bottom of your stitches.Get used to doing that now and you will thank yourself later – especially when you start working those puff stitches!

You’re missing or adding a stitch somewhere. Count your stitches at the end of every single row. If your stitch count is off, then check these hotspots:
– The turning chain: If you skip the turning chain, you won’t be able to work into the top of that first stitch when you come back around.
– The very first stitch: It’s easy to overlook that one.
– The very last stitch: It’s even easier to overlook THAT one.
– The awkward gap in the middle of the row: This doesn’t happen more often with more advanced crocheters, because they’re more likely to work quickly and accidentally miss one going across.

Once you understand the anatomy of the stitch, this should be much easier. The key is to be able to differentiate the front and back of a half-double crochet. Then you can count each row individually, or you can count by two’s by only counting the front side or backside.

This is fairly debatable as there is no listed standard. Even the Craft Yarn Council acknowledges that both the chain-one and the chain-two turning chains are correct options. Unless your pattern specifies one, I always recommend using the chain-one method, especially for beginners.

You can create a knit appearance by working into the third loop of your half-double crochet. This method is referred to as the camel stitch. The key here is that you do not turn your work after every single row. This can only be accomplished by either working in the round or by cutting your yarn and reattaching it after every row.

How to Crochet Half-Double Crochet

Please note