Common Crochet Terms & Abbreviations
COMMON CROCHET TERMS
Fasten Off: a way of finishing your project by closing the final stitch left on your hook, usually by pulling the tail of yarn through that last stitch
Blocking: finishing your crochet piece by using water or steam to relax the yarn. The knit is often pinned into desired shape or dimensions during this process, and it can help improve the drape of the fabric
Contrast color: in stranded colorwork, the contrast color is any color (or colors) that is the less prevalent in that part of the pattern (often used to make the design itself)
Frogging: unraveling or undoing your crochet. So called because you "rip it" (ribbit) out
Gauge: essentially, the size of your stitches. This is almost always listed as "number of stitches in 10cm/4in + number of rows in 10cm/4in".
Main color: in stranded colorwork, the main color is whichever color of yarn makes up the majority of the stitches in that part of the pattern (often the 'background' color)
Right side (RS): the side of your work that will be visible when the finished item is worn/used
Wrong side (WS): the side of your work that will NOT be visible when the finished item is worn/used
Yarn weight: how thick a given yarn is. Will affect the size of an individual stitch (your 'gauge'), and will also affect how thick the finished fabric is
COMMON CROCHET ABBREVIATIONS
Note: these terms may or may not be capitalized within a given pattern, it's simply designer preference. These are common abbreviations, but a designer may choose to abbreviate slightly differently - this should be noted in their pattern.
There are also differences between US and UK terms in crochet, which you can find more information about here. Doodles use US crochet terms for crochet stitches.
| Approx. | approximate(ly) |
| BLO | back loop only |
| BOR | beginning of round |
| CC | contrast color |
| CC 2/3/etc. | additional contrast colors |
| CH | chain |
| Cont. | continue |
| CSC | center single crochet |
| MC | main color |
| R | row |
| Rep. | repeat |
| Rnd(s) | round(s) |
| RS | right side of fabric |
| SC | single crochet |
| SLST | slip stitch |
| St(s) | stitch(es) |
| WS | wrong side of fabric |
| YO | yarn-over |
While this list includes all abbreviations used in my Doodle patterns, it is not a complete list. For the most complete list, visit the Craft Yarn Council Crochet Abbreviations Master List.
Happy Doodling!
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Blog co-written by Jamie Lomax and Grey Lundy.
