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In this Photo and Video Tutorial, I will teach you how to crochet one of the most basic crochet stitches which is known as the half double crochet. It is abbreviated as HDC. You will also learn how to increase and decrease with the half double crochet.
You will find this tutorial very helpful if you are just starting out to learn how to crochet. In case you never crocheted any stitch before be sure to check out my tutorial one the most basic crochet stitch known as the single crochet.
This is very detailed and made for a beginner and therefore very easily understandable. Ideally, you would watch the video tutorial first (below) and then reference the picture tutorial to solidify your new gained knowledge. Be sure to practice this stitch a lot as most patterns use this stitch.
Furthermore, I even have a crochet tutorial for the Linked Half Double Crochet where you reduce the gaps between the stitches.
The Half Double Crochet Tutorial is part of a “How to Crochet Beginner Guide Series”. You can find all of the Basic Crochet Stitches in my Basic Crochet 101 page.
How to Crochet a Half Double Crochet
A full video tutorial can be found below as well, in case the picture tutorial is not as clear for you.
1. First, create a chain (abbreviated as CH) of the length that you wish or is needed for a specific crochet pattern.
2. Skip the first chain (sometimes you might need to skip 2 chains for half double crochets if the chains are counted as a stitch). Now wrap your hook around your yarn once and insert your hook into the second chain from the hook. Yarn over (abbreviated as YO) with your hook.
3. Pull the just yarned over yarn thru the chain. You will now have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over again.
4. And pull the just yarned over yarn through all 3 loops on your hook. You now made your first half double crochet.
5. Next, by going into the next chain (no skipping of any chains), yarn over and then repeat steps 3 and 4. Below you can see I crocheted 4 half double crochets. One half double crochet into each chain.
How to Crochet a Half Double Crochet Increase
1. In order to crochet a half double crochet increase which is abbreviated as HDC INC, you will crochet two half double crochets into the same chain (or stitch = st). Sometimes, you might have to crochet more than one stitch into the same chain (or stitch) which is then called a cluster.
How to Crochet a Half Double Crochet Decrease
1. In order to crochet a half double crochet decrease which is abbreviated as HDC DEC (or half double crochet together = hdc tog) you will need to create unfinished half double crochets into at least 2 chains (sometimes more, but a pattern would mention that). That means, you will wrap your yarn once around your hook and then insert your hook into a chain or stitch and yarn over and pull a loop through. You will have now 3 loops on your hook.
2. Now instead of finishing that half double crochet, you will repeat that same process with the next chain (yarn over and then insert the hook, yarn over again and pull a loop through). You will now have 5 loops on your hook. Yarn over.
3. And then pull through all 5 loops. You can have created a half double crochet decrease. Below you can see 2 half double crochets made. You reduced the number of stitches from 2 to 1 when crocheting one decrease.
How to crochet the Half Double Crochet – Video Tutorial
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