How to Make a Double Crochet Stitch

The double crochet, often shortened to dc, is a common basic stitch — taller than a half double crochet and quick to work up. It produces a more open, flexible fabric, which makes it a great choice for blankets, scarves, garments, and all kinds of decorative crochet patterns.

Below is a step-by-step walkthrough showing you how to work double crochet stitches.

Step 1. Begin from a working position, with the working yarn (the strand marked in red in the image on the left) sitting in front of the hook, and yarn over first. Then push the hook into the next stitch. At this stage you'll have 4 loops on the hook.

Step 2. With all 4 loops on the hook, yarn over again — but draw the yarn through only the 2 loops closest to the tip of the hook. Those 2 are the loops that stand for the stitch you inserted into. After that, you'll have 3 loops on the hook.

Step 3. Yarn over once more, then pull the yarn through the next 2 of the 3 loops on the hook. You should now be down to 2 loops.

Step 4. Yarn over one final time and pull the yarn through the last 2 loops on the hook. When you're done, a single loop remains — and that's it, your first double crochet is complete!

To really see what this stitch does, take a look below at a full row of dc stitches, working 2 dc into each stitch from the previous row. Notice how much taller and bigger this row sits compared to the earlier ones made with only single crochet (sc).

Double crochet is a wonderful stitch whenever you're after height, speed, and a softer drape than single crochet gives you. Once the rhythm becomes second nature, it turns into one of the easiest and most useful stitches to work — and it really does show up all the time in crochet patterns.