How to Make a Slip Knot and a Slip Stitch in Crochet

The slip knot is how every crochet project begins, and the slip stitch is the quiet helper that joins rounds, finishes edges and moves your yarn across a row without adding height. Neither is hard, but both are easy to do badly if nobody shows you the details. This guide covers both, with the mistakes to avoid.

How to make a slip knot

1. Leave a tail of about 15 cm (6 in), and make a loop by crossing the yarn over itself, with the working yarn (the end attached to the ball) on top.
2. Reach through the loop with your hook, or with your fingers, and grab the working yarn.
3. Pull a new loop of working yarn through the first loop. The first loop becomes a knot.
4. Put the new loop onto your hook.
5. Hold the tail with one hand and pull the working yarn to snug up the knot around the hook. The loop should be firm, but it must slide along the hook without sticking.

If the knot is too tight, the first stitch is hard to work. If it is too loose, it will slip off the hook. Aim for a loop that moves freely with a small tug. The slip knot does not count as a stitch when you count chains.

How to make a slip stitch (sl st)

1. Put the hook into the stitch you want to work into, going under the top V of the stitch.
2. Yarn over (wrap the yarn over the hook from back to front).
3. Pull the yarn through the stitch and through the loop that is already on your hook, all in one smooth motion.
4. One loop remains on the hook, and you have made one slip stitch.

Pattern line: sl st in next 3 sts. That means three slip stitches, one in each of the next three stitches.

The slip stitch is very short, so it looks like a flat line of small knots. If your slip stitches are tight and hard to work, loosen your grip, and make sure you pull through both the stitch and the loop at once.

What the slip stitch is used for

• Joining a round: at the end of a round, a slip stitch into the first stitch closes it into a ring. It is used for flat circles, hats, coasters and some toys.
• Moving across stitches: a slip stitch lets you travel along a row or to a new spot without adding any height to the fabric.
• Finishing an edge: a row of slip stitches along an edge makes a firm, flat border.
• Joining pieces: you can slip stitch two edges together to make a seam.
• Starting a chain ring: a chain closed with a slip stitch makes a small ring to work into.

Joining a round with a slip stitch

1. Work the last stitch of the round as the pattern says.
2. Put the hook into the first stitch of the same round, under the top V (do not use the turning chain unless the pattern asks for it).
3. Make a slip stitch to join. The round is now a closed ring.
4. Follow the pattern for the start of the next round. Many patterns ask you to chain 1 (usually not counted as a stitch) and then work your first stitch into the same stitch you joined to.

Amigurumi toys often skip joining and work in a continuous spiral with a stitch marker instead, so the slip stitch is used less in toys than in hats and flat circles. The pattern tells you which method to use. If you are not sure how to read the instructions, see our guide on how to read a crochet pattern.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Once the slip knot and slip stitch feel natural, move on to the single crochet, and see all five basic stitches in one place on our page about basic crochet stitches for beginners. If you want to try a real project, browse the crochet patterns for beginners or download a free crochet pattern.