Here is a great guide on how to do a half double crochet so you can start to introduce it to your own crocheting and try out some new projects.
Check out the guide below!
What Is The Half Double Crochet?
A half double crochet is a type of stitch used in crocheting.
It’s halfway in height between a single and double crochet and is often abbreviated to HDC when used in guides. It’s used to make a solid crochet pattern without holes, so it’s commonly used to make thick, dense projects.
This includes clothing items like shawls and hats, but the half double crochet can be used in pretty much any kind of crochet project that calls for a solid pattern.
Because of this, it’s a very common type of stitch in crocheting and one most beginners learn fairly early on.
How To Do A Half Double Crochet
To do a half double crochet, you first need to start with your foundation by starting with a simple slip-knot and chain (give yourself a chain of 12 so you have plenty of yarn to work with while you practice).
When you have your chain ready, it’s time to get started with your first half double crochet.
First, skip the first 2 stitches of the chain and the chain so you are looking at the back of the stitches. It’s important that you skip these first 2 stitches so you can add height to the stitch as you go on.
Yarn over (loop the yarn over your hook) and insert the hook into the stitch.
Yarn over again and pull the yarn through the stitch so you have three loops on the hook. Yarn over once more and pull the yarn through those three loops.
And that’s it – that’s the half double crochet!
You can continue practicing by starting a new half double crochet on the next stitch, and so on until the chain is done.
Increasing And Decreasing With Half Double Crochet
The basic half double crochet is easy to master, even for beginners. Once you feel confident with using the half double crochet, you can look towards more complex techniques that use this stitch – such as increasing and decreasing.
These techniques are used in crochet to add or take away a stitch in your crotchet to help make the fabric either grow wider or thinner.
It’s a handy crocheting skill to know so let’s take a look at how you can do this technique using the half double crochet.
How To Increase With Half Double Crochet
Increasing with half double crochet is easy – just add another half double crochet to an already existing half double crochet stitch instead of moving on to the next stitch in the chain.
This means you will have two half double crochet stitches worked into the same single stitch in your chain.
Basically, if you know how to do a half double crochet, then you know how to increase with a half double crochet.
How To Decrease With Half Double Crochet
Decreasing with a half double crochet is a little trickier than increasing but it’s still simple enough for beginners to quickly master.
Standard Decrease With Half Double Crochet
First, you start off the same way as making a normal half double crochet by yarning over and inserting the hook into your stitch. Yarn over again and pull through as usual – but this is where the method changes.
Yarn over again and insert the hook into the next stitch in the row. Yarn over and pull through so you now have 5 loops on your hook.
Then, complete the crochet by yarning over and pulling the yarn through all 5 loops. This will decrease a stitch from your work by bringing the 2 stitches together in 1.
Slim Decrease With Half Double Crochet
The standard decrease with the half double crochet is easy but unfortunately, this decrease can feel very bulky so here’s a modified method to help create a less bulky decrease.
First, work the half double crochet as usual until you get the 3 loops on the hook. Instead of yarning over, insert the hook into the next stitch, and yarn over so you have 4 loops on the hook.
Then, yarn over once more and pull the yarn through the 4 loops.
Invisible Decrease With Half Double Crochet
You can also try out an invisible decrease with the half double crochet. This will leave your crochet work with a seamless design.
To start, yarn over and insert the hook through the front loop of the stitch but do not pull or yarn over. Instead, insert your hook into the front loop of the next stitch again so you have 4 loops on the hook.
Yarn over and pull the yarn through the first 2 loops on your hook so it now should have 3. Then, yarn over and pull the yarn through the remaining 3 loops – and there’s your invisible decrease with the half double crochet!
In Summary
The half double crochet is a simple beginner’s stitch in crochet that is a must-have in every crocheter’s arsenal.
It’s very popular and found in a lot of patterns for things like blankets, shawls, sweaters, and more – so you need to learn this one off by heart.
Check out the guide above and get practicing!
Once you can confidently use the half double crochet, and both increase and decrease with it, then you can try out more complex variations.
These include the half double crochet in the back loop only (HDC BLO), the half double crochet stitch in the 3rd loop rather than the second, and the camel stitch.
These can help you create whole new patterns and projects that really put your skills to the test.
However, you first need to master the half double crochet!
Crochet is one of the most calming and therapeutic crafts out there. It’s a simple dance of stitches, working in rounds, and forgetting the outside world as you create something beautiful.
Hi, my name is Nancy Adriane and I have been crocheting in my free time for almost 10 years.
I first picked up a hook when I was studying in college, stressed and frustrated with the pressures put on me by people around me. The workload got too much, and I desperately needed an outlet.
I tried everything – socializing, cooking, watching TV… nothing helped with the stress. I was too anxious to read a good book and quickly lost hope of keeping on track for the school year.
Enter, crochet. I fell in love as soon as I saw my holey, bobbly hat that I made on a whim. It was too loose to be warm, but I wore that hat every day the entire winter until I learned to make something of higher quality.
