Use a swatch as your map
A finished crochet stitch has a top and a body. The top usually looks like a small V; its two strands are called loops. The body underneath is often called the post. These are different places to put a hook. A pattern that says “around the post” is not asking you to use the top V.
Find three places without crocheting
- Lay a short row of UK double crochet (US single crochet) flat. Follow the top edge and point to each V without counting the live loop on the hook.
- Identify the strand nearer you and the one farther away. These are the front and back loops from your current viewing position.
- Look below a V for the stitch body. Put a blunt marker beside it, rather than poking a sharp object through the yarn fibres.
What changes when you turn?
Turning the fabric changes which face you are looking at. “Front loop” still means the nearer strand at the top as you work that row. The right side, however, is the side a pattern intends to face outwards; it does not become the wrong side simply because you turn it away. A removable marker can help you keep track of that intended outside.
Turn the map into a decision
For an ordinary stitch, use both top loops unless the instructions specify another insertion point. For back-loop-only work, use the farther top strand. For a post stitch, follow the separate around-the-body instructions. Before beginning an unfamiliar pattern, point to its named insertion point on a spare sample. That short pause can prevent a whole row of guesswork.
Words in this lesson
Post
The body of a completed stitch below its top loops.
Right side
The face intended to show on the finished piece, not always the face nearest you.
Notes & further reading
Original explanations and practice exercises by Crochet By Micky. UK stitch names are used; check the stitch key in any other pattern you follow.
Reviewed 25 October 2026. Cover artwork is an original illustration, not a third-party pattern or event photograph.