How to Single Crochet (sc): Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Single crochet, written "sc" in patterns, is the first stitch most people learn and the one most amigurumi toys are made from. It is short, tight and sturdy, so it makes a firm fabric that hides stuffing. This guide shows how to make the stitch, how to work a flat practice swatch, how to count your stitches and how to avoid the mistakes almost every beginner makes.

Before you start: US and UK names

The name "single crochet" is a US term. In UK patterns the same stitch is called a "double crochet" (dc). That is why patterns from different countries can look confusing. This guide uses US terms. If you follow a pattern, check which system it uses first. Our US and UK crochet terms chart shows both side by side.

What you need for practice

• Smooth, light-colored yarn in a medium (worsted) weight, so the stitches are easy to see.
• A 4 mm to 5 mm crochet hook for practice. For amigurumi you will later use a smaller hook, but a bigger one is easier while you learn.
• Scissors and a yarn needle.

Step 1: make a slip knot and a chain

1. Make a slip knot on your hook. Tighten it so it slides easily but does not fall off.
2. Hold the hook in your right hand and the yarn in your left, so the yarn runs over your fingers and gives you control of the tension.
3. Yarn over (wrap the yarn over the hook from back to front) and pull it through the loop on your hook. That is one chain stitch (ch).
4. Repeat until you have 21 chains. Do not count the loop that is on the hook. Keep the chains loose enough that you can fit the hook into them later.

Step 2: make your first single crochet

1. Skip the first chain next to the hook. Put the hook into the second chain from the hook, under the top V of the chain.
2. Yarn over and pull the yarn through the chain. You now have 2 loops on the hook.
3. Yarn over again and pull the yarn through both loops. You have 1 loop left on the hook.
4. That is one single crochet. Repeat in each chain across. A chain of 21 gives you 20 single crochets.

Pattern line: sc in each st across (20). That means a single crochet in every stitch, with 20 stitches at the end of the row.

Step 3: turn and work the next row

1. At the end of the row, chain 1. This is the turning chain. It lifts the yarn up to the height of the next row, and it does not count as a stitch.
2. Turn your work so the other side faces you.
3. Put the hook into the first stitch of the row (not the turning chain). Look for the top V of the stitch, and work a single crochet as before.
4. Work one single crochet in every stitch across. In the last stitch of the row, put the hook into the last stitch, not into the turning chain from the row before.
5. Chain 1, turn, and repeat until the swatch is about 10 rows tall.

How to count your stitches

On a row of single crochet you can see a line of small V shapes. Each V is one stitch. Count the Vs along the top of your row and compare the number with the pattern. Counting every row is the best habit you can build, because a stitch that is added or lost in the first row will change the whole shape of your project. A small stitch marker or a scrap of contrasting yarn in the first stitch helps you find where the row begins.

Common mistakes and fixes

Single crochet in the round

For toys, you work single crochet in circles instead of rows. You start with a magic ring or a chain ring, work 6 single crochets into it, and then increase evenly every round. You do not turn the work and you do not use a turning chain. Most amigurumi patterns use a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and work in a continuous spiral.

Increase and decrease

• Increase (inc): work 2 single crochets in the same stitch. This adds one stitch and makes the work wider.
• Decrease (dec, also written sc2tog): put the hook in the next stitch and pull up a loop, put the hook in the following stitch and pull up a loop (3 loops on the hook), then yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. This turns two stitches into one.
• Invisible decrease: work the decrease through the front loops only. It leaves a smaller gap, so many toy patterns prefer it.

A circle that stays flat has 6 more stitches in each round: 6, 12, 18, 24. If you want to see how these numbers look in a real pattern, our guide to reading a crochet pattern explains the notation, with the number in brackets at the end of each line.

Practice plan

1. Make a swatch of 20 stitches and 10 rows, and check that each row still has 20 stitches.
2. Make a second swatch, but this time try to make the edges straight and the stitches even.
3. Try a small circle: a magic ring, then rounds of 6, 12 and 18 stitches.
4. Finish with a simple project, such as a ball or a coaster.

When you feel comfortable, try a beginner project from our crochet patterns for beginners, or download a free crochet pattern to practice on. Single crochet is also the base for every toy in our amigurumi patterns.