Learn to Crochet: How to Double Crochet (dc)

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In this eighth post in my learn to crochet series, we’re going to learn how to double crochet! We’ve already learned:

1. Crochet Terms and Abbreviations (a free printable chart)
2. Basic Supplies Needed to Crochet
3. How to Hold a Crochet Hook
4. How to Make a Slip Knot
5. How to Hold Crochet Yarn
6. How to Crochet a Chain
7. How to Single Crochet

Materials Used in this Tutorial

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Before we begin, you’ll want to make sure you have the following supplies on hand so you can follow along with this crochet tutorial:

• Yarn – Any yarn will do, but I’ve found the easiest to work with, especially for beginners, is worsted weight yarns like Wool-Ease. You may also want to choose a light color as it is harder to see your stitches with dark yarns. At least for learning, you’ll want to choose a light colored yarn.

• Crochet Hook – If you’re just starting out, it may be easier for you to learn to crochet using a larger hook. I recommend learning with a size H (5.0mm) crochet hook, like this ergonomic hook from Clover. This hook is large enough that you can see the individual stitches.

• Scissors – You’ll find that having a small pair of scissors on hand will be an essential tool as you begin to work on crochet projects. I usually just have a little 5″ pair of these Fiskars scissors on hand, but any small pair will work just fine!

You can purchase yarn, crochet hooks and scissors at your local craft store or online from Amazon, Craftsy, Yarnspirations or even Etsy, to mention a few.

Double Crochet

As you’ve already learned, crochet usually begins with a series of chain stitches called a beginning or foundation chain. When you read a crochet pattern or instructions, the term “double crochet” is usually abbreviated “dc”. For example:

Ch 30.
Row 1 (right side): Dc in 3rd ch from hook, *skip next 3 ch, dc in next ch; repeat from * 5 times, skip next 3 ch, dc in last ch, turn.

In the above example, this project begins with a chain of 30. So, you would start this project out with a slip knot on your crochet hook, followed by 30 chain stitches. You’ll also notice that double crochet is listed as “dc”. Row 1 starts out with a dc in the 3rd ch (chain) from the hook. The instructions contained between the two asterisks (*) are repeated 5 times. This will make more sense as we move along in our learn to crochet series.

Double crocheting is super easy. As I’ve said before:

The important thing in crocheting is learning to create stitches that are consistent in size.

The best way to accomplish this is practice, practice, practice! You may get tired of hearing me say this, but I promise you, the more comfortable you are with the basic stitches, the easier it will be for you to transition to more difficult stitches and projects. Do I sound like a broken record yet?

I really believe this and can’t stress enough how important it is for you to be confident in your crocheting abilities before you move on to bigger projects. There is nothing more frustrating than to spend hours and hours and days upon days crocheting something and then have it turn out lopsided or sloppy looking. I want you to enjoy crocheting and have the best results possible. So, practice those stitches until you feel comfortable and confident and you’re able to produce consistently sized stitches.

How to Double Crochet:

For the purpose of this tutorial, I’m going to assume you’ve already made a slip knot and crocheted a number of chains.

1. Wrap the yarn around your hook (this is called “yarn over” and abbreviated “yo”)
2. Insert hook into next stitch. (If you’re starting with a chain, you’ll typically start in the 3rd chain from the hook for a dc.)
3. Yarn over.
4. Pull yarn through stitch loop. You will now have three loops on your crochet hook.
   
5. Yarn over.
   
6. Pull yarn through two loops on your hook, leaving you with two loops still on your hook.
   
7. Yarn over.
8. Pull yarn through both loops. You should now have one loop on your hook.
   
9. Double crochet made. Continue with steps 1-9.

That seems pretty easy, right?!  Seriously. The best possible way for you to become comfortable with chaining, single crocheting or double crocheting is to practice! Just keep practicing it over and over until it feels natural and your stitches are consistent in size.

Here’s a little video that will help to demonstrate these steps:

If you found this video helpful, you might want to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I actually make videos available there before I share them here on the blog, so you’ll be the first to know and a step ahead!

We are really making progress in this learn to crochet journey. I hope you’re feeling good about your progress! You’ve, hopefully, already  armed yourself with your crochet terms printable cheat sheet, have your basic crochet supplies purchased, have learned how to hold a crochet hook, how to hold crochet yarn and how to make a slip knot. Plus, you’ve now learned how to crochet a chain, how to single crochet. See, I told you that you’d be crocheting up a storm in no time!

By the way, if you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. I’ll be glad to try to answer and assist you in your crochet journey!

Happy crocheting…

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