Crochet Abbreviations: US Terms and Their UK Equivalents
Crochet abbreviations are short codes for stitches and actions: sc is single crochet, inc is increase, sl st is slip stitch, and so on. The important catch is that US and UK patterns use the same words for different stitches. Keep this list beside you and always check the legend in your own pattern first, because designers spell things in their own way.
The abbreviations you will meet most
These cover almost every amigurumi pattern. The right-hand column says what your hands do.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | What your hands do |
|---|---|---|
| ch | Chain | Yarn over, pull through the loop on the hook. |
| sl st | Slip stitch | Hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull through the stitch and the loop on the hook in one motion. |
| sc | Single crochet | Hook in, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops. The workhorse of amigurumi. |
| hdc | Half double crochet | Yarn over, hook in, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through all three loops. |
| dc | Double crochet | Yarn over, hook in, pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through two loops, twice. |
| tr | Treble crochet | Yarn over twice, hook in, pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through two loops, three times. |
| MR | Magic ring (magic circle) | An adjustable loop you work the first round into, then pull tight to close the hole. |
| inc | Increase | Usually two sc in the same stitch. |
| dec | Decrease | Two stitches become one, for example sc2tog. Check which method your pattern names. |
| inv dec | Invisible decrease | Work through the front loops only of the next two stitches, which closes shaping without gaps. |
| BLO / FLO | Back loop only / front loop only | Work under only the loop named. BLO leaves a ridge, handy for a crisp edge. |
| FO | Fasten off | Cut the yarn and pull the tail through the last loop. Leave a long tail if you need to sew. |
Words that describe position and count
| You see | It means |
|---|---|
| st / sts | Stitch / stitches. "12 sts" means 12 stitches. |
| Rnd / R | Round, one full lap of the spiral. |
| Row | Worked back and forth, turning at the end. |
| ( ) or [ ] | A group to repeat. (sc 2, inc) x 6 means do it six times. |
| [18] | The stitch count at the end of the round. |
| **\...\** | Repeat from the star the number of times stated. |
| sk | Skip a stitch or space. |
| rep | Repeat. |
| tog | Together, as in sc2tog. |
| yo | Yarn over. |
| beg | Beginning. Mark the first stitch of the round. |
| sp / ch-sp | Space or chain space. Work into the gap under the chain. |
| RS / WS | Right side / wrong side. |
| MC / CC | Main colour / contrast colour. |
For a line-by-line example of putting these together, see how to read a crochet pattern.
US vs UK crochet terms
This is the part that trips up new crocheters. Both systems use the same stitch names but attach them to different stitches. The stitch itself is the same in both. Only the name moves by one step.
| US term | UK term |
|---|---|
| Single crochet (sc) | Double crochet (dc) |
| Half double crochet (hdc) | Half treble (htr) |
| Double crochet (dc) | Treble (tr) |
| Treble crochet (tr) | Double treble (dtr) |
| Slip stitch (sl st) | Slip stitch (ss) |
| Skip | Miss |
| Gauge | Tension |
A pattern that says "dc" can therefore mean two different stitches, depending on where it was written. The usual signs that a pattern uses US terms are the abbreviations "sc" and "hdc". UK patterns use "htr" and often say "miss" instead of "skip". Most designers state which they use near the top. If yours does not, a quick test is to see whether it ever mentions "single crochet"; if not, it probably uses UK names.
Why amigurumi rarely needs more than one stitch
Most stuffed toys use US single crochet, called UK double crochet in the other system, for nearly every round. That is why the confusion hurts less in toy patterns than in blankets or garments, which use a mix of taller stitches. If you can work a single crochet in the round, you can start almost any toy.
Spelling varies between designers
Do not be thrown if the same thing looks different from one pattern to the next.
- Slip stitch: sl st, slst, sl-st or ss.
- Increase: inc, or "2 sc in 1 st".
- Invisible decrease: inv dec, invdec, or "front loop only decrease".
- Magic ring: MR, magic circle, magic loop or adjustable ring.
When two patterns disagree, trust the legend inside the pattern you are making.
Ways to learn them faster
- Do not memorise the list. Keep it open and look terms up as they appear.
- Learn the dozen that matter for toys first: MR, sc, inc, inv dec, sl st, BLO, FLO, st, Rnd, FO, and the brackets.
- Say the repeat out loud once per repeat while you work. It feels silly and it works.
- When you do not know a term, look it up before you stitch, not after.
If you are choosing a first project to practise on, the guide to amigurumi patterns for beginners explains which shapes use the fewest terms, and the hook size guide covers the other half of reading a pattern, which is matching your tools to it.
Go deeper
1,947 Amigurumi Patterns includes a Crochet Stitch & Abbreviations Guide that lists the chains, slip stitches, increases, decreases, loops and common symbols, and gives the US to UK conversion in one place. The First Plush Handbook adds a chapter that explains each US term as an action for your hands, with a decoder for a typical round, so the words on the page turn into stitches.