Half Double Crochet – Learn to Crochet Series
Welcome back to the next step in your Learn to Crochet Journey – the Half Double Crochet Stitch! Just one additional step takes you from a single crochet to a half double crochet stitch! What’s more, with a half double crochet stitch you can crochet bigger, faster and create so many things from garments, to hats to blankets!
This Learn to Crochet Series was designed to help you learn to crochet in the same manner I learned! For me, the most accessible method to learn crochet was through the help of books, YouTube videos (like those you will find below!), and beginner patterns. While there are some fantastic programs out there, as a busy mom I preferred this method of learning rather than having a formal “teacher” and classes.
The other aspect that of self paced teaching that I like is that you can learn without pressure, at your own pace, and in your own time. Like I stated above, this makes it perfect for busy moms (like me!) or students who need to work at their own pace! Or those who don’t have a lot of free time to take a class or seminar, but are eager to learn! Crochet is a wonderful creative outlet! When I found crochet, I knew that I was HOME! 🙂 I hope it feels the same for your too, but if it doesn’t, learning this way won’t cost you much time or money – Hooray! So, let’s get started!
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LESSON 3
Lesson 3 is meant to teach you the second stitch – the Half Double Crochet. I will cover how to create a Half Double Crochet. Lesson 1 teaches you how to create a slip knot and chain. Lesson 2 teaches you how to create a single crochet. Each subsequent lesson will cover an additional stitch or technique to help you on your way to learning the basics. So come along and Learn to Crochet with me!
Already mastered the basics? Ready to move on to the next step? Need to go back to the beginning? Follow the links below to check out my other Learn to Crochet Series, Crochet Tutorials, Free Patterns, and more!
VIDEO TUTORIAL: HALF DOUBLE CROCHET
Half Double Crochet
The second stitch in your journey! Hooray! You are going to be amazed at what you can do with this one. There are so many applications for a half double crochet. It works up larger than a single crochet, so you can work faster. You can vary your hook size to get a tighter or looser finished product. It’s still a basic stitch, but awesome! Half Double Crochet are used to make almost anything, so it is an incredibly versatile stitch! In fact, Half Double Crochet is the main stitch used in all of my Crochet Crown patterns, (which so far includes the Basic Crown, the Dinosaur Crown, and the Birthday Crown) so I’m a bit partial to this one! 😉 Let’s get started!
Begin by creating a slip knot with your yarn on your hook. Next, you will need to create some chains. I chained 15 to start. This will give you enough chains to practice on before beginning the next row! Once you have your chains created, we will work back down the row of chains to create and practice our Half Double Crochet Stitches.
Just like with a Single Crochet the loop on your hook is your working chain. Skip the two stitches to the left of this chain and and insert your hook under the top loop of the Third Chain from Hook. Yarn Over (if you need a refresher just look back at my Single Crochet or Slip Knot and Chain tutorials) and pull that yarn back through the loop where you just inserted your hook. Now you have 3 loops of yarn on your hook. Yarn over again, and pull that yarn through all three loops on your hook. That’s it! You have created your first Half Double Crochet stitch! Awesome!! Did you notice that the ONLY thing that is different between the Single Crochet and Half Double Crochet is that you begin with the extra yarn over? Easy peasy. 🙂
Ready? Let’s make another Half Double Crochet. Yarn over. Insert your hook in the next chain to the left from the stitch you just made (woo!) and yarn over again. Pull that yarn back through the chain and you again have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn one more time, pull through all three loops on your hook, and there you have it! One more Half Double Crochet! Way to go! But don’t stop there – keep making HDC (that’s short for Half Double Crochet!) until you fill in all those nice chains you made. Practice makes perfect! 🙂
You Rock. Way to fill in that chain with HDCs! Don’t worry at all if the stitches are not quite the same size or shape, or all that pretty. You’ll get there. Practice, practice, practice! Right now it’s time to learn how to start your next row. Woo! Just like with the Single Crochet, we will now make another chain, or in this case two chains. Half Double Crochet = Two Chains up. This will set us up to start on the next row. You will be working in the top two loops of the stitches we just made in the previous row. Once you have created your two chains, turn your work around to face the other direction.
You are now going to work back down your previous row, creating Half Double Crochets just like you did before. Yarn over. Insert your hook under both loops of the next stitch to the left (for the first stitch it will be right where your hook already is). Yarn over again, and pull that loop back through. Of course by now, you already know there should now be 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over one more time and pull through all three of those loops, and DONE! Now work an additional HDC in each stitch down the row. Make sure to work all the way down to the end. After that you can keep turning and creating more and more rows! Keep it up until you are confidant in your stitch. 🙂
JUST A REMINDER: You will want to count the number of stitches you are making to ensure the number is the same from row to row. In the beginning it is very easy to accidentally add or drop a stitch before you are familiar with what each stitch and step looks like, from the front and back. Yes counting your stitches is tedious! But you will thank me later, I promise. Ask my how I know this… 😉 Take it from me, and take the time to do it right the first time! 🙂
Thanks so much for joining me! Looking for more advanced techniques and stitches? Check out these links. Looking for a stitch you don’t see here? Let me know what you would like to see in the comments!
Make sure to share your pics and tag #greenfoxfarms #greenfoxfarmsdesigns @greenfoxfarms on any social media! Please share your finished creations on Ravelry too!
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You may also enjoy these posts:
Free Tiny Dinosaur Amigurumi Pattern
Learn to Crochet Series: Single Crochet
Birthday Crown Crochet Pattern
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