How to Double Crochet (dc): Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

The double crochet, written "dc" in patterns, is one of the most useful stitches in crochet. It is taller than the single crochet and the half double crochet, so it covers ground quickly and makes a soft, flexible fabric that suits blankets, scarves, shawls and granny squares. This guide shows how to make the stitch, how to start and turn a row, and how to avoid the mistakes beginners make most often.

US and UK names

"Double crochet" is a US term. In UK patterns the same stitch is called a "treble crochet" (tr), and the UK "double crochet" is the stitch that US patterns call a single crochet. This is the most common cause of confusion when you follow a pattern from another country. Check the pattern first, and use our US and UK crochet terms chart to compare the names.

Before you start

You should know how to make a slip knot, a chain and a single crochet. If not, read how to crochet for beginners and how to single crochet first. For practice, use smooth, light-colored, medium (worsted) weight yarn and a 5 mm hook so you can see where the hook goes.

How to make a double crochet

1. Yarn over (wrap the yarn over the hook from back to front).
2. Put the hook into the stitch you are working into, under the top V.
3. Yarn over and pull the yarn back through the stitch. You have 3 loops on the hook.
4. Yarn over and pull the yarn through the first 2 loops on the hook. You have 2 loops left.
5. Yarn over again and pull the yarn through the last 2 loops. One loop is left, and the stitch is done.

Pattern line: dc in each st across. That means a double crochet in every stitch.

Your first row

1. Make a slip knot and chain 23. For double crochet, the foundation chain is the number of stitches you want, plus 3 chains that stand in for the height of the first stitch.
2. Yarn over, and put the hook into the 4th chain from the hook, so you skip 3 chains.
3. Make a double crochet in that chain, and then work one double crochet in each remaining chain across.
4. The 3 skipped chains count as your first stitch. So the row has 20 double crochets plus that first stitch, or 21 stitches in all.

Turning and the next row

1. At the end of the row, chain 3. This turning chain takes the place of the first double crochet of the next row.
2. Turn your work.
3. Skip the first stitch of the row, which is the one directly under the turning chain, and work a double crochet into the second stitch.
4. Continue with a double crochet in each stitch across.
5. At the end of the row, work your last double crochet into the top of the turning chain from the row before, so the edge stays straight.
6. Chain 3, turn, and repeat.

Patterns differ on this point: some count the turning chain as a stitch, and some do not. The pattern will say, usually with a note such as "ch 3 counts as first dc". Follow the note and count the stitches after every row. A row of double crochet shows a line of posts with a V on top, and each post and V together is one stitch.

Single, half double and double crochet side by side

Common mistakes and fixes

What you can make with double crochet

• Blankets and throws: the tall stitch covers a large area quickly.
• Scarves, wraps and shawls: the fabric drapes well.
• Granny squares: they are built from groups of double crochets worked into a ring or into spaces.
• Light tops and cardigans, where a flexible fabric is needed.

If you prefer toys, most amigurumi uses single crochet instead, which makes a tighter fabric. You can try both in our crochet patterns for beginners, or practice on a free crochet pattern first.