ABBREVIATIONS

It’s easy to learn the language of a crochet pattern!

At first glance, you might think crochet patterns are written in another language. And they sort of are, but it’s a simple language to understand. Patterns use a set of abbreviations that are sensible ways to shorten the description of techniques that you’ll do regularly. For example, double crochet is abbreviated to dc. These letters are often accompanied by a number that relates to the stitches. For example, 4dc means ‘double crochet 4 stitches’. This system creates a shorthand that makes patterns shorter and simpler. If all the instructions were written in full, some patterns would run to dozens of pages. We’ll have more on specific abbreviations in later chapters, once you start learning the techniques and practising them by making our simple projects. But if you see an abbreviation you don’t understand, you can just come back to this page. Just to be clear, our patterns use UK crochet terminology throughout. You’ll find that crocheters in the UK and US use very different crochet terms, such as ‘single crochet’ in the US and ‘double crochet’ in the UK. The UK and US also use different systems for yarn weights (see page 5 for more) and hook sizes (see page 8 for more). Aside from these areas, the differences are quite minor, so don’t be put off from using a pattern from either country. Most patterns will state which terms they are using.