How to Work Single Crochet

Single crochet — sc for short — is the firm, hard-wearing little stitch that most of our crochet patterns are built on: one short stitch that makes a dense fabric with no holes for stuffing to escape through. It’s the stitch of the angel panels worked in single crochet rows, the tapestry signs worked right into a single crochet fabric, and just about every amigurumi animal in the shop — and if you learned in the UK, you already know this exact stitch as double crochet: same stitch, two names.

Step by step

Start with a foundation chain one longer than your first row needs: for single crochet you work into the second chain from the hook, so chain your stitch count plus one.
Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull up a loop. You now have two loops sitting on your hook.
Yarn over again and pull through both loops. That’s one single crochet — short, neat, done. (UK friends: this is your double crochet. The giveaway is that there’s no yarn-over before the hook goes in — US single crochet and UK double crochet are stitch-for-stitch identical.)
Work one stitch into every stitch across, and count as you go. Single crochet fabric forgives mistakes kindly at first and cruelly later, so a quick count at the end of each row keeps the edges straight.
At the end of a row, chain one and turn. That little turning chain does not count as a stitch in single crochet — your first real stitch of the new row goes into the very first stitch of the row below, right at the base of the chain.
Mind your edges: the last stitch of a row likes to hide just under the turning chain of the row before, and missing it is how nice straight blankets slowly become triangles. Poke about for it until hunting it becomes habit.
For amigurumi you’ll work the same stitch in a spiral instead of rows — the same two movements, no turning, just round and round with a stitch marker keeping your place (see our How to Work in the Round page).
Try the back loop for texture: working into the back loop only of each stitch leaves a little ridge standing on the front of the fabric — that’s how ribbed effects and pumpkin grooves get their definition (see our How to Work Ribbing page).
Keep your tension firm and even. Amigurumi wants a tighter gauge than usual so the stuffing stays invisible, which is why our tea cozy faces are worked in single crochet at a firmer tension than their bodies — if you can see stuffing through your stitches, drop down a hook size.

Patterns that use it

Flat Hanging Angel Ornaments Crochet Pattern | 3 Appliqué Angels PDF | Bell Panel, Motif & Filet Lace

Kangaroo Road Sign Coasters & Mug Rugs Crochet Patterns | Aussie Tapestry Table Set PDF

Swooping Magpie Crochet Pattern | Funny Aussie Amigurumi Bird PDF, Hanging Magpie Decor, Crochet Bird Pattern, Instant Download

Cone-Skirt Angel Ornaments Crochet Pattern | 3 Hanging Angels PDF | Classic, Lacy Shell & Striped Mini

Aussie Fauna Tea Cozy Crochet Patterns | Koala, Kangaroo & Joey, Kookaburra | 3 Cozies in 2 Sizes PDF

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Common mistakes

Losing the last stitch of the row. It hides just under the turning chain of the row before, and missing it row after row is how a straight blanket quietly turns itself into a triangle.
Counting the turning chain as a stitch. In single crochet the chain one doesn’t count, so treating it as a stitch adds one every row and the work flares wider and wider as you go.
Working amigurumi too loosely. If you can see stuffing peeping between the stitches the fabric is too open — drop down a hook size rather than pulling harder, which only tires your hands and rarely tightens things evenly.

Tina’s tips

Work your foundation chain with a hook one size bigger, then swap to the pattern hook for the rows. A chain pulled as tight as the stitches makes the starting edge bow and pucker, and the bigger hook saves it without any fuss.
Slip a stitch marker into the first stitch of every row while you’re learning. When you work back across, the marked stitch is the last one you need to find — no more poking about hopefully under the turning chain.
Single crochet makes a firm, dense fabric — perfect for a mug cosy that keeps its shape.