Before you can start crocheting, you need to make sure you know the basics, particularly abbreviations for crochet. You might know how to complete basic stitches (or not), but you need to learn what the crochet abbreviations are before you make any progress on a crochet pattern... and crochet has a lot of abbreviations. Some abbreviations are quite simple to figure out without a guide, but some might take a bit to remember.

If you look at a crochet pattern, you will see a lot of shorthand. Our page, How to Read Crochet Patterns, will certainly help guide you through understanding and this page will detail all the popular crochet abbreviations. Not only will Crochet Abbreviations Explained be a helpful page to search specific terminology but we have an awesome downloadable list for you, too!

Plus, for all the crochet stitch abbreviations in this guide, we've included step-by-step instructions so that you can work it up yourself. So, before you get started, take a second to look through this handy guide to the most common crochet abbreviations.

Print or pin our handy abbreviations guide (below), and then keep scrolling for a list of each popular abbreviation, an explanation or stitch description and some handy step-by-step video tutorials.

Table of Contents
Crochet Abbreviations Chart (PDF)
Crochet Stitch Abbreviations
Instruction Abbreviations
BONUS! More Abbreviation Resources