Basic Stitch
Half Double Crochet (hdc)
Used For
- Blankets
- Hats
- Garments needing moderate drape
- Quick-working projects
A stitch that splits the difference in height between single and double crochet, giving fabric that's a little looser but still fairly dense.
Instructions
- Yarn over before inserting your hook — this starting yarn over is what makes it a "half double" rather than a single crochet.
- Insert your hook into the next stitch.
- Yarn over and draw a loop back through — three loops now sit on your hook.
- Yarn over once more and draw through all three loops at once.
- Move to the next stitch and repeat.
Tips & Notes
- The starting yarn over is easy to forget when you're used to single crochet — it's the one thing that defines this stitch.
- The standard turning chain for hdc is 2 chains at the start of a new row.
- Half double crochet works up roughly a third faster than double crochet while still giving good drape.