By CraftingStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by Crochet Guru.
The double crochet is twice as tall as a single crochet, and once you have it down you've unlocked roughly half of every pattern you'll ever read. Granny squares, blankets, scarves, dishcloths - they all run on double crochet.
Bobbie Thomson from Crochet Guru teaches the stitch in five repeating moves: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over and pull through (3 loops), yarn over and pull through 2 (2 loops), yarn over and pull through 2 (done). The trick is the rhythm. After three or four stitches your hands stop thinking about it.
One quick note before you start. This tutorial uses US crochet terminology. If you've watched UK crochet videos and learned a stitch called "treble crochet" that goes yarn-over, insert, pull-through, and pull-through-twos - that's the same stitch with a different name. UK "treble" equals US "double crochet." When in doubt, check which standard your pattern uses.
Grab a light-colored worsted yarn and an H/5.0mm hook so you can see what your loops are doing.
Tie a slipknot, slide it onto your hook, and chain 20. This is your foundation - the row that everything else gets built into.
If your slipknot or chain is rusty, Crochet Guru has separate lessons (4 and 5) that drill them. A loose, even chain makes the rest of this tutorial easier, so don't pull each stitch tight as you go.
Tip
Count your chains as you make them. Twenty gives you enough room to practice the rhythm without finishing in three stitches.
Look at your chain and count back from the hook: one, two, three, four. The fourth chain is where your first double crochet goes.
You skip the first three chains because they act as a turning chain that stands in for the first dc of the row. If you place the first stitch any earlier or later the row won't measure up correctly, so this placement matters.
Sweep the yarn from back to front around your hook. This is the move that makes a double crochet a double crochet - you yarn over before the hook goes into the stitch.
Single crochet skips this step. The extra wrap on the hook is what gives the double crochet its height.
Tip
The wrap should sit between the hook tip and the loop already on your hook. If it slides off, hold the working yarn taut with your other hand.
Push the hook through the fourth chain. Yarn over again, then pull that wrap back out through the chain only - not through anything else.
Stop and look at your hook. You should see three loops sitting on it: the original loop, the yarn-over from step 3, and the wrap you pulled through the chain. Three loops is the checkpoint that tells you the first half of the stitch is done.
Yarn over and pull through the first two loops on your hook. You're left with two loops.
Yarn over one final time and pull through those last two loops. One loop remains. That's a complete double crochet. Take a look at the small post you've built - it's roughly twice the height of a single crochet. The pattern is yarn-over, pull-through-two, yarn-over, pull-through-two from here on out.
Tip
Whisper the rhythm out loud the first few times: "yarn over, through two, yarn over, through two." It locks in fast.
Move to the next chain over and run the full sequence again: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over and pull through (3 loops), yarn over and pull through two (2 loops), yarn over and pull through two (done).
Keep going stitch by stitch all the way to the end of the chain. By the time you reach the last one your hands will have the rhythm. Don't worry if some stitches look uneven - tension settles down with practice.
At the end of the row, chain 3 and flip your work around so the back side faces you. The chain 3 reaches the height of a double crochet, so it counts as the first stitch of the new row.
Because of that, skip the very first stitch (it's hidden inside the turning chain) and place your next double crochet into the second stitch of the row below. When you reach the far end of the new row, work one last dc into the top of the previous row's turning chain so the edges stay straight.
Tip
Always chain 3 when starting a new double crochet row. For single crochet you'd chain 1 - the height is what changes.
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