Crocheting actually has it’s own language and if you are not versed in the language of crochet, it can be very difficult understanding a written pattern and/or chart.  The Craft Yarn Council offers a standard language that is used nationally and internationally. Designers use a lot of abbreviations and symbols in describing crochet stitches and terminology for their patterns – so much so, that the average person would have no idea what is being conveyed.  Here’s an exerpt from a crochet stitch pattern book:  ” Row 11:  Ch4 (counts as dc, ch1), dc in ch1 sp, *[ch5, sc in next dc, (ch3, sc in next dc)x4, ch5, dc in next ch3 sp}x2 . . ‘  Have any idea what just happened here?! Looks weird to the untrained eye!  YouTube is is a great way to learn how to crochet however, every pattern is not taught on YouTube so it is to your advantage to learn the  Language of Crochet. Here, we will go over a few of the basic crochet terms, their abbreviations and their symbols.

A crocheted fabric is made up of stitches that are often, though not always done in a shape of a square, circle or triangle or some form of these. Stitches are created in Rows or Rounds, depending on the shape. A good pattern will always guide you by numbering the rows or rounds. There are thousands of crochet stitches but they are all varied combinations of basic stitches such as Chains, Single Crochet, Double Crochet, Slip Stitch, and Half Double Crochet Stitch.

Abbreviations make patterns easier to read and less “wordy”. Here are the abbreviations used for what we just mentioned: Round = rnd Stitch(es) = st(s) Chain = ch Single Crochet = sc Double Crochet = dc Half Double Crochet = hdc

Abbreviated symbols are used to instruct the crocheter to do something with a section of the pattern such as repeating. For example: () or [] are used to instruct you to work the written instruction within parenthesis or brackets for as many times as directed. * followed by ** means to repeat the instructions in between the single asterisk and the double asterisk as many times as instructed after the double asterisk.

So, as you see Crochet definitely has it’s own language but don’t be afraid to try reading a pattern. There is always a lifebuoy available to keep you afloat! You are almost always guaranteed to find notes, and a mini abbreviation dictionary at the beginning of a written pattern. Starting out with a pattern that is marked as Easy or Beginner is a good choice if you are new at reading patterns.