Basic Stitch

Slip Stitch (sl st)

Beginner Basic
Slip Stitch finished swatch

Used For

  • Joining rounds
  • Moving across stitches without adding height
  • Seaming pieces together
  • Flat, low-profile edging

The shortest crochet stitch, almost always used to join, move across stitches invisibly, or finish an edge rather than to build fabric height.

Instructions

  1. Insert your hook into the next stitch (or, to join a round, into the first stitch of the round).
  2. Yarn over and draw a loop through both the stitch and the loop already on your hook in one motion.
  3. One loop remains on your hook — the slip stitch is complete.
  4. Repeat as needed.

Tips & Notes

  • Slip stitches add virtually no height, which is exactly why they're used to join rounds or travel across a row without a visible step-up.
  • Worked too tightly, slip stitches can pucker a seam — keep tension relaxed, especially when seaming two pieces together.
  • A whole round of slip stitches through the back loops only creates a ribbed, textured effect called slip stitch ribbing.

Related Stitches