The half double crochet (hdc) is the in-between stitch: taller than a single crochet, shorter than a double, and quicker to grow than either of them suggests. It makes a soft, warm fabric and it is the stitch that gives crochet curves their smooth shape.
This half double crochet tutorial goes through the three steps with photos of the loops on the hook, then covers the first row, the chain 2, the third loop on the back of the stitch and the mistakes that make rows grow or shrink.
What You Need to Practice
- Worsted weight (4) yarn in a smooth, light solid color, so you can see every loop. Cotton shows the stitches crisply; acrylic is softer and a little more forgiving.
- A 5 mm (US H-8) hook, or the size on your yarn label. The hook size chart converts letters and millimeters.
- Scissors and a yarn needle.
You should already be comfortable with the foundation chain and the single crochet. The hdc is the next step up: one yarn over before you start, and one pull through three loops at the end.
How to Half Double Crochet, Step by Step
- Yarn over first. Before you insert the hook, wrap the yarn once over the hook from back to front. You now have the loop plus one wrap on the hook.
- Insert and pull up a loop. Insert the hook under both top loops of the next stitch, yarn over and pull the yarn back through the stitch. There are three loops on the hook.
- Pull through all three. Yarn over and draw the yarn through all three loops in one smooth pull. One loop is left on the hook and the stitch is finished.
Step 3 is where most people get stuck. Pull up the loop in step 2 to the height of the stitches beside it, keep all three loops on the wide part of the shaft, and point the hook slightly down as you pull through. If the loops still jam, your tension is tight for this stitch: go up half a hook size.
The First Row and the Turning Chain
Into the foundation chain. Make a chain, then work the first hdc in the 3rd chain from the hook and one in each chain across. In this lesson the two skipped chains do not count as a stitch, so a chain of 17 gives you 15 stitches.
Chain 2 and turn. At the end of the row, chain 2 and turn. Most modern patterns do not count this chain as a stitch, so the first hdc goes into the first stitch of the row. Some older patterns count it and skip the first stitch instead; the pattern notes always say which. Whatever the pattern does, do the same thing at both ends and your count stays put.
How to Recognise an Hdc
A row of hdc is about twice the height of a row of single crochet, and the fabric is softer and quicker to grow. Each stitch has the usual sideways V on top, and behind it, on the side facing away from you, a third horizontal bar. That bar belongs only to the hdc and is its fingerprint.
Working into that third loop instead of the two top loops pushes both top loops to the front as a raised line. Row after row it gives a knit-look ridge that is popular for hats and blanket borders.
Counting is the same as in every stitch: count the Vs along the top, never the loop on your hook.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- The rows get shorter. You are missing the last stitch, which sits under the turning chain of the row below. Mark the first stitch of every row with a stitch marker.
- The rows get longer. You worked into the chain-2 as well as into the first stitch. Decide whether it counts, as above, and stick to it.
- A gap at the start of every row. The chain-2 is too loose or too tall. Make it snug. If it still gaps, start the row with a chain 1 and work the first hdc in the first stitch.
- You end up with four loops on the hook. You did an extra yarn over before pulling up the loop. There are only two yarn overs before the final pull: one before you insert, one to pull up the loop.
US and UK Names
The hdc is a US term. UK patterns call this exact stitch a half treble (htr). Do not confuse it with the UK “half double”, which does not exist. If a pattern uses UK terms, our US ⇄ UK stitch converter translates the whole pattern, and how to read crochet patterns lists the common abbreviations.
Variations Worth Knowing
- Herringbone half double crochet (hhdc). Yarn over, insert the hook, yarn over and pull the loop through the stitch and through the first loop on the hook in one motion (two loops left), then yarn over and pull through both. The stitches lean in a slanted, woven-looking pattern.
- Extended half double crochet (ehdc). Yarn over, insert, pull up a loop (three loops), yarn over and pull through one loop, then yarn over and pull through all three. A slightly taller, looser stitch.
- Foundation half double crochet (fhdc). Makes the chain and the first row together. Ch 2, yarn over, insert in the 2nd ch from the hook and pull up a loop (three loops), yarn over and pull through one (the “chain”), yarn over and pull through all three. For the next stitch, yarn over and insert under the two loops of that chain. The bottom edge comes out as stretchy as the rest.
- Hdc2tog, the decrease. Yarn over, insert and pull up a loop in the next stitch (three loops), yarn over, insert and pull up a loop in the stitch after it (five loops), then yarn over and pull through all five. More on shaping in increases and decreases.
Where You Will Use It
Because it is halfway between single and double crochet, the hdc is the stitch designers reach for to shape curves. In the crochet heart pattern the hdc sits between the single crochets and the trebles of Round 2 and makes the sides of the heart slope smoothly. In the sunflower granny square each petal starts and ends with an hdc, which turns the petals into points instead of blunt blocks.
From here, the double crochet adds one more “pull through two”, and the treble crochet one more after that. Every lesson is in Learn to Crochet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to half double crochet?
Yarn over, insert the hook in the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (three loops on the hook), then yarn over and pull through all three loops at once.
How do I do a half double crochet into the chain?
Work the first one in the 3rd chain from the hook, then one in each chain across. The two skipped chains do not count as a stitch in most modern patterns.
Does the chain 2 count as a stitch?
Usually not: most patterns work the first hdc into the first stitch. Some count it and skip the first stitch, so read the pattern notes and do the same at both ends.
Why can’t I pull through three loops?
The loops are too tight on the hook. Pull up the middle loop a little higher, keep all three on the widest part of the shaft, and try a hook half a size larger.
What is an hdc in UK terms?
It is a half treble, abbreviated htr. The stitch is worked exactly the same way; only the name changes.
Clara Parker
I’m Clara — a mom who is never without a hook, and the crochet half of the Recipes Dad family. I write cozy, practical patterns you can actually finish.
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