Crocheting For Dummies Cheat Sheet

By Susan Brittain, Karen Manthey, Julie Holetz

You’re never too old or too young to discover crochet. The skills you master, the benefits you receive, and the beautiful heirlooms you create can last a lifetime and be passed on to future generations. To get started with crocheting, you need to decode crochet symbols and abbreviations so you can follow patterns with ease, and you need to find out what gauge is (and why it’s so important).

Common International Crochet Symbols and Crochet Stitch Abbreviations Check out the following quick reference guide to the International Crochet Symbols and the abbreviations (in parentheses) for common crochet stitches. Note: The info in brackets describes the version of the crochet stitch that the symbol represents.

Abbreviations for Common Crochet Terms So they stay free of clutter, crochet patterns feature a lot of abbreviations for common crochet terms. Here’s a sampling of typical crochet abbreviations you might find on a pattern: approximately (approx)

begin(ning) (beg)

between (bet)

contrast color (CC)

centimeter(s) (cm)

decrease(s)(d)(ing) (dec)

follow or following (foll)

gram or grams (g)

inch or inches (in.)

increase(s)(d)(ing) (inc)

meter(s) (m)

main color (MC)

ounce(s) (oz.)

pattern (patt)

remaining (rem)

repeat (rep)

ribbing (rib)

right side (RS)

round(s) (rnd or rnds)

stitch(es) (st or sts)

turning ch (tch)

together (tog)

wrong side (WS)

yard (yd)

yarn over (the) hook (yo)