Half Double Crochet Stitch

Abbreviation: hdc (UK htr)

This stitch is stylish and smart! If you've managed to complete your first double crochets, then this one will be a breeze!

We'll start just as we did for the double crochet tutorial, making a base of some single crochet to work into to make things easier:

Step-by-Step Half Double Crochet

Step 1: Chain 2 - don't make the chains too tight, as you will work into the top chain at the end of the next row!

These two chain will count as your first stitch of this row.

I've put a stitch marker in the last stitch of the single crochet row so you can see where it is:

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Step 2: Turn your work. The two chain are on the right. We skip the first stitch of the last row where the stitch marker is:

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Step 3: The stitch marker is out! Yarn round hook:

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Step 4: Insert hook into the second stitch of the row:

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Step 5: Yarn around hook and pull through a loop:

You now have three loops on your hook:

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Step 6: Yarn round hook a third time; pull through all three loops:

And you've just made a half double crochet!

In fact, you've just made two stitches - remember, the turning chain counts as your first stitch, your half double crochet as the second:

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Step 7: Continue until the end of the row.

So: yarn round hook, insert into next stitch, yarn round hook, pull through stitch, then yarn round hook for the third time and pull through all three loops!

And you will end up with this:

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Step 8: Starting the second row of half double crochet, work 2 chain, not too tightly.

Now turn your work. Remember to skip the first stitch of the row (stitch marked) before stitching along the row:

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Step 9: At the end of the row, you arrive at the 2 chains you worked to turn.

I've marked the top chain out of those two turning chain:

Make your last half double treble into the top chain of the turning chain.

And below you can see the finished row:

Then you can ch 2 to turn, and stitch along the next row to practise!

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