How to Half Double Crochet (HDC)

Part One: The Half Double Crochet (HDC) Stitch[1] X Research source

Yarn over. Wrap the yarn around your hook, bringing it around from the back to the front. Only yarn over once. Yarn over around the tip of the hook, just below the hook opening and above the loop already on your hook.

Insert the hook into the stitch. Slide the tip of the crochet hook into the stitch in which you want to make your half double crochet. If you are following a crochet pattern, this stitch should be specified in the instructions. Only the tip of the hook needs to be inserted into the stitch. You do not need to draw any of your yarn loops through.

Yarn over. From the back of the piece, wrap yarn over the tip of the hook and into or just below the opening of the hook. As before, only yarn over once and do so by wrapping the yarn from back to front.

Draw up another loop. Pull the yarn-over back through to the front of the stitch. This action should turn the yarn-over into a loop. At this point, you should have a total of three loops on your hook. Note that the opening of the hook will need to latch onto the yarn-over as you pull it back through to the front. If you have difficulty sliding the hook back through, you may need to keep a little tension on the chain or row by pinching it between the thumb and forefinger of your opposite hand (the hand not holding onto the hook).

Yarn over. Wrap the yarn over the tip of the hook one time, working from back to front. For this yarn-over, make sure that the opening of the hook catches the yarn as you wrap it around.

Draw through all three loops on the hook. Drag the yarn-over through all three loops lying below it on your hook. The yarn-over will need to lie in the opening of your hook and the loops will need to pass over the top of the hook completely. You may need to twist the hook so that the opening faces down as you draw it through the loops on your hook. Otherwise, the opening could accidentally latch onto one or more of the loops. This step completes one half double crochet.

Part Two: Working from a Foundation Chain

Create a foundation chain. Attach the yarn to your hook using a slipknot, then work a foundation chain that is one chain stitch longer than the number of half double crochet stitches called for in your first row. For example, if your first row should have 15 half double crochets, your chain must have 16 chain stitches. If you need help making a slipknot on your hook or forming chain stitches, please check the "Tips" section of this article for further instruction.

Skip the first two chain stitches. When preparing to make a half double crochet, count three chain stitches in from your hook. You will skip over the first two chains and work the stitch into the third chain. Note that the two stitches you skip will count as your "turning chain." A turning chain is a small chain made at the start of a row that raises the row height to the height of the stitch. Do not count the loop on your hook as a chain.

Work a half double crochet. Make a half double crochet stitch into this third chain from your hook, following the instructions previously outlined in the HDC section of this article. Yarn over the hook once, working from back to front. Insert the tip of the hook into the third stitch from the hook. Yarn over the hook once, working from back to front. Draw this yarn-over back to the stitch and to the front of the chain. There should be three loops on your hook by this point. Yarn over the hook once more, working from back to front. Draw this final yarn-over through all three loops on your hook. This action completes one half double crochet.

Work another half double crochet. For your next half double crochet, you do not need to skip any chains. Work the half double crochet directly into the next stitch of your foundation chain. Follow the same instructions as before: Yarn over. Insert the hook into the next stitch. Yarn over. Draw the yarn-over to the front of the chain. Yarn over. Draw the yarn-over through all three loops on the hook.

Repeat across the chain. To complete a full row of half double crochets, continue making half double crochets until you reach the last stitch of the chain. Do not skip any stitches; instead, work each half double crochet into the chain directly next to the stitch you just finished. When you finish, there should be one less half double crochet stitch as there were chain stitches. For example, if your foundation chain had 16 stitches in it, you should be able to complete 15 half double crochets. This count includes the "turning chain" (the two skipped stitches) at the beginning of the row. Note that for most crochet pieces, you will need to flip the work over once you reach the end of the row before you begin working on the next row.

Part Three: Working from Another Row[2] X Research source

Create a turning chain. Work two chain stitches from the loop on your hook to complete this turning chain. A turning chain exists for the purpose of building the row height up to the height of the stitch before working any actual stitch. This turning chain will count as one half double crochet stitch when you count your stitches at the end of the row. If you need help making chain stitches, please check the "Tips" section of this article for additional instruction.

Skip a stitch. Skip over the first half double crochet stitch of your previous row. When you work the stitch, you will do so in the second half double crochet from your previous row. Note that the same concept applies if you are working a row of half double crochets off a row built with a different type of stitch. You will still need to make a turning chain and you will still need to skip over the stitch directly below that turning chain.

Work a half double crochet into the next stitch. Make a standard half double crochet into the second stitch of the previous row. When you insert the hook into your stitch, insert it from front to back and make sure that it goes through the top two loops of the previous row's stitch. Yarn over from back to front. Insert the hook into the top two loops of the second stitch from the previous row. Yarn over from back to front. Draw this yarn-over back to the front of your row, creating a total of three loops on your hook. Yarn over from back to front. Draw this yarn-over through all three loops on your hook to complete the half double crochet.

Repeat across the row. To complete a full row of half double crochet, work one half double crochet into the top two loops of each stitch from the previous row. Continue this step until you reach the end of the row. Again, use the steps outlined for a basic half double crochet: Yarn over. Insert the hook into the next stitch. Yarn over. Draw the yarn-over to the front of the row. Yarn over. Draw the yarn-over through all three loops on your hook. Do not skip any other stitches as you work your way across the row. You will usually need to flip the work over if you plan on making another row after this one. Any additional rows of half double crochet should be completed using the same steps outlined here.