Crochet Pattern Terms: US & UK Differences
In the world of crochet, just like so many other things, the US and the UK don’t follow the same terms. Why can’t the two go together and make our lives simpler!! But, no worries… We are going to cover the whole lot and how the US (or American English) terms are different from the UK (or British English) terms in crochet patterns.
Why should you read the post any further, and why do you need to?
Well, if you are in the crochet world, you are already aware that knowing the correct terms is essential. For the newbies trying out your hand in crochet, you’ll come across either the US crochet terms or the UK crochet terms. So, you gotta know what the terms mean in either of the two systems.
Many times it happens, even with pros, that you’ve started following a pattern assuming it’s written in the US terminology. But, after working on it for some time, you see that the things aren’t quite matching the pattern. You are left wondering what went wrong? That’s when you realize that the pattern is in UK terms! Damn!
This problem has become quite common these days as we have access to a whole lot of patterns from all over the world using specific terms. So, knowing the right terms is important.
To avoid such mishaps, we compiled the differences between the two crochet patterns terms.
So, how are they different?
The main difference between the UK and the US terms is that UK terms are a step ahead from the US terms. Essentially, one system is an offset of the other. Here’s an effortless way to remembering the convention:
- UK crochet terms refer to the number of loops you have on the hook after drawing up a loop through the next stitch you are working in.
- US crochet terms refer to the number of times you have to pull through the loops on the hook to complete a stitch.
Not clear?
Let’s take the example of one particular stitch to understand.
“single crochet (US) / double crochet (UK)”
- UK terminology – When you insert hook into a stitch, yarn over hook and draw up a loop, you have 2 loops on the hook => this makes it a “double crochet” in UK terminology.
- US terminology – You take the yarn over the hook and pull through these 2 loops on the hook once to complete the stitch => this makes it a “single crochet” in US terminology.
Stitch comparison chart
The chart includes some of the most basic and common stitches that are used in any crochet pattern. It’s not a completely comprehensive list by any means but it is enough to get started with.
If a pattern uses some special or unique stitch, most likely, you’ll find a description of the same in the pattern itself.
| US Crochet Term | UK Crochet Term | |
|---|---|---|
| chain (ch) | = | chain (ch) |
| slip stitch (sl st) | = | slip stitch (sl st) |
| single crochet (sc) | = | double crochet (dc) |
| half double crochet (hdc) | = | half treble crochet (htr) |
| double crochet (dc) | = | treble crochet (tr) |
| treble crochet (tr) | = | double treble crochet (dtr) |
| double treble crochet (dtr) | = | triple treble crochet (ttr) |
| back post double crochet (bpdc) | = | raised treble back (rtrb) |
| front post double crochet (fpdc) | = | raised treble front (rtrf) |
| yarn over (yo) | = | yarn over hook (yoh) |
| skip (sk) | = | miss |
| gauge | = | tension |
How to figure out what is being used in a crochet pattern?
From our observations, usually, the crochet pattern designer mentions if their pattern is following the US or the UK terminology. You’ll come across some pattern designers who share their pattern in both systems, making it simple for all folks.
However, it’s not always that simple. There are times when it’s not clearly mentioned in the crochet pattern.
In these cases, one simple way to identify the pattern terminology is to look for the term “single crochet” or “sc” in the pattern. If you find the stitch in the crochet pattern, then it’s a pattern in the US terminology. The crochet term “single crochet” or “sc” does not exist in the UK terminology.
You can also try looking for other terms like “skip” vs “miss” in the crochet pattern. If the pattern is asking you to “miss” certain stitch/stitches, then it’s probably written in UK terms.
These are some of the most common and universal terms that no pattern can exist without. You’re bound to find either one or the other in your crochet pattern.
The above chart is a great way to understand the differences between the crochet terms written in American English and British English. These days, many designers offer their patterns in both US and UK terms so that you can select the one that you are most comfortable with when crafting.
Here’s a simple graphic for the US and the UK crochet terms.
Here’s a downloadable PDF of these US and UK crochet terms for you!
Check other crochet and knit resources from our website.
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