If you're new to crochet, one of the first stitches you'll want to master is the double crochet stitch (often abbreviated as dc). It’s a classic, versatile stitch that forms the backbone of countless patterns—from blankets and scarves to garments and home decor.

SCROLL DOWN FOR A DETAILED VIDEO TUTORIAL OF A BASIC DOUBLE CROCHET STITCH

WHY LEARN DOUBLE CROCHET

The double crochet is a bit taller than the single crochet, which means it works up faster and creates a lighter, more flexible fabric. It’s perfect when you want your project to have a bit of drape or when you're making larger items and want to see progress quickly.

While this post focuses on the basic double crochet stitch, it's worth mentioning that there are many creative variations, such as the crossed double crochet, extended double crochet, and linked double crochet. Each of these opens up new textures and patterns—but mastering the basic stitch first will give you a solid foundation to build on.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• Yarn of your choice
• A crochet hook that matches your yarn label recommendation

BASIC STEPS

1. Yarn over.
2. Insert your hook into the stitch.
3. Yarn over and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook).
4. Yarn over and pull through the first 2 loops.
5. Yarn over and pull through the remaining 2 loops.

That’s it! One double crochet made.

This is what a double crochet stitch (dc) looks like in drawn stitch charts.

And this is how the fabric looks once you make several rows of it.

HOW TO READ DC IN PATTERNS

When learning you can start with 12 chains stitches. In written instructions designers simply write:

Ch 12.

Then insert your hook into 4th chain from hook, and make a dc. Then make 8 more dc stitches. In a pattern it would be written like this:

Row 1: dc in 4th ch from hook, dc in each st to end of row, turn.

And the chart for these instructions would look like this (the direction of this row is from right to left):

Then you would move onto the next row (Row 2) and make 3 chains. In most cases these 3 chains count as the first dc in a row. Sometimes designers ask you to make 2 chains instead of 3 and count it as the first dc. And other times, they tell you not to count those turning chains as a dc. In written instructions it will look like this:

Row 2: ch 3, dc in each st to end of row, turn.

And it would look like this in a chart form (Row 2 in orange):

And finally, if you have more rows of dc stitches, the written pattern will look the same as Row 2 instructions, yet the chart will add one more row (Row 3 in black):

If this is still confusing, watch this video. At first, it will show you what a dc stitch looks like and teach you the main steps, then it will walk you through making your own sample from the beginning. Enjoy and leave some comments on our blog, especially, if you need more help understanding the double crochet stitch. We are eager to help!

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Practice your tension to keep stitches even.

Remember, the 3 turning chains at the start of a row often counts as your first dc (unless a pattern says otherwise).

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