Crochet Abbreviations
Crochet patterns have a language all of their own and it’s easy to get confused! Enter my handy guide to all things crochet abbreviations.
Here we’ll tackle everything you need to know about crochet abbreviations so you can get right to the best part: the crocheting!
What are Crochet Abbreviations
Crochet abbreviations are used to describe the various stitches and techniques used in crochet. Knowing these abbreviations is essential for understanding how to work crochet patterns.
Many crocheting patterns will preface the pattern with a short list of abbreviations used in that particular pattern. However, the pattern designer often assumes you know the common abbreviations and some patterns leave crochet stitch abbreviations off entirely.
It’s not just beginners that have trouble. We all tend to use the same basic stitches like slip knot, chain stitch, single crochet, double crochet and treble crochet stitch over and over. But when seasoned crocheters venture out into more difficult or unusual patterns they can get stumped by special stitches, complicated stitches or even unfamiliar common stitches (like treble stitch)!
If you’re looking for information on how to crochet a stitch pattern like the cluster stitch, the crocodile stitch, fan stitch, berry stitch or blanket stitch, you might enjoy my crochet stitches post. There you can see a variety of crocheted stitches to inspire your next design.
Crochet Abbreviations Chart
| Abbreviation | Description |
| ALT | alternate |
| APPROX | approximately |
| BEG | begin/beginning |
| BET | between |
| BL or BLO | back loop / back loop only |
| BO | bobble |
| BP | back post |
| BPDC | back post double crochet |
| BPDTR | back post double treble crochet |
| BPHDC | back post double treble crochet |
| BPSC | back post single crochet |
| BPTR | back post treble crochet |
| CC | contrasting color |
| CH | chain stitch |
| CH-SP | chain space |
| CL | cluster |
| CONT | continue |
| DC | double crochet |
| DC2TOG | double crochet 2 stitches together |
| DEC | decrease(s) / decreasing |
| DTR | double treble |
| EDC | extended double crochet |
| EHDC | extended half double crochet |
| ESC | extended single crochet |
| ETR | extended treble crochet |
| FL or FLO | front loop / front loop only |
| FOLL | following |
| FP | front post |
| FPDC | front post double crochet |
| FPDTR | front post double treble crochet |
| FPHDC | front post half double crochet |
| FPSC | front post single crochet |
| FPTR | front post treble crochet |
| HDC | half double crochet |
| HDC2TOG | half double crochet 2 stitches together |
| INC | increase/increases/increasing |
| LP | loop |
| M | marker |
| MC | main color |
| PAT or PATT | pattern |
| PC | popcorn stitch |
| PM | place marker |
| PREV | previous |
| PS / PUFF | Puff stitch |
| REM | remaining |
| REP | repeat |
| RND(S) | round(s) |
| RS | right side |
| SC | single crochet |
| SC2TOG | single crochet 2 stitches together |
| SH | shell |
| SK | skip |
| SL ST | slip sitich |
| SP | space |
| ST(S) | stitch(es) |
| TBL | through back loop |
| TCH or T-CH | turning chain |
| TOG | together |
| TR | treble crochet |
| TRTR | triple treble crochet |
| TR2TOG | treble crochet 2 stitches together |
| WS | wrong side |
| YO | yarn over |
| YOH | yarn over hook |
| [ ] or () | work instructions within brackets as many times as directed |
| * | repeat the instructions following the single asterisk as directed |
| * * | repeat instructions between asterisks as many times as directed or repeat from a given set of instructions |
| “ | inch(es) |
Now that we’ve covered US crochet abbreviations, let’s dive into terminology differences related to geographic location and also Tunisian Crochet, which has it’s own set of abbreviations.
US and UK Crochet Abbreviation Differences
The crochet conversion chart in this post is in US terms since all my crochet patterns are written in US terminology. However, we need to talk about some terminology differences out there.
We live in a global marketplace these days and it’s not uncommon to run into patterns written by UK or AUS designers. You might be surprised to learn that the UK/AUS terms are slightly different than the US terms.
To be clear, the stitches themselves are formed the same way, they just have different names. The easiest way I can remember them is that the stitches are “shifted”… so the US single crochet is the UK double crochet and so on.
To learn all the differences, pop over to my US to UK Crochet Terms post and read all the details.
Tunisian Crochet Abbreviations
Tunisian crochet is a type of crochet that has multiple loops on a long crochet hook. While knitting also has multiple loops on at once, Tunisian crochet uses one crochet, not knitting needles.
Tunisian crochet is becoming more and more popular among crafters. From Tunisian Simple Stitch to Tunisian Knit Stitch, there are a number of different stitches and abbreviations used in Tunisian crochet. It can be intimidating to learn these terms and stitch abbreviations, especially if you are a beginner.
Here are some of the most common Tunisian crochet stitches terms and abbreviations so you can work on your Tunisian crochet projects with confidence.
| Abbreviation | Description |
| etss | extended Tunisian simple stitch |
| FwP | forward pass |
| RetP | return pass |
| tdc | Tunisian double crochet |
| tes | Tunisian extended stitch |
| tfs | Tunisian full stitch |
| thdc | Tunisian half double crochet |
| tks | Tunisian knit stitch |
| tps | Tunisian purl stitch |
| trs | Tunisian reverse stitch |
| tsc | Tunisian single crochet |
| tslst | Tunisian slip stitch |
| tss | Tunisian simple stitch |
| tss2tog | Tunisian simple stitch 2 together |
I hope my guide to crochet terms and crochet abbreviations for stitches helped you understand abbreviations from everything from single crochet stitches, double crochet stitches, half-double crochet stitch and triple crochet stitch to crochet post stitches, decrease stitch and other common crochet terms.
Remember, on occasion, terms might vary from designer to designer or a crochet designer might use special terms but typically most reputable designers use these common abbreviations to make things easier for every crocheter to understand.
I love seeing your finished projects! If you enjoyed this abbreviations list or making one of my patterns I’d love to see yours on Crochet 365 Knit Too Facebook page or pop over to the Crochet365KnitToo Club and share a photo! I’d love to see your work!
