Start here · a little extra help
A taller stitch in two finishing steps
After you pull up the first loop, there are three loops on the hook. Pull through two, then pull through two again. ‘Two at a time’ describes the loops you remove, not two stitches in the fabric. A finished treble still has just one live loop on the hook.
A turning chain lifts the yarn to the height of the next row. In this lesson it counts as the first stitch, so you must not add another stitch at its base. Other patterns may use a different rule: the project’s instructions always decide.
Your small practice goal
Mark the top of the turning chain. On the way back, use the marker to find the final place to work.
Picture it
Select the diagram to open it at full size. Use the written steps for the actual hook movements.
Words you’ll meet
No need to memorise these. Keep them nearby and look up a word whenever you need it. This guide uses UK names, with US equivalents explained.
Open the plain-English word guide · 6 terms
Chain · ch
A small loop pulled through the loop on your hook. A line of chains often forms the starting edge.
UK dc / US sc
UK double crochet is called single crochet in US patterns. They are the same short stitch.
UK tr / US dc
UK treble is US double crochet. Finish by pulling through two loops, then two again.
Yarn over · yo / yoh
Bring the working yarn over the hook so you can catch it and pull it through a loop.
Turning chain
Chains at the start of a row that reach the next stitch’s height. The pattern says whether they count as a stitch.
Skip · sk
Leave the named stitch unworked and move to the next place indicated in the pattern.
Quick note: this guide uses UK crochet names. UK double crochet is US single crochet.
The two-at-a-time rhythm
- Yarn over, insert into the next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. Three loops are on the hook.
- Yarn over and draw through two loops. Two remain.
- Yarn over and draw through those last two loops. One treble is complete.
Practise on stitches you can see
Start with a row of 8 UK dc from the double-crochet lesson. Ch 3 and turn; in this exercise those three chains count as the first tr. Skip the stitch at their base, then make a tr in each remaining stitch: 7 actual trebles plus the chain = 8. On the next row, finish in the top of the previous turning chain.
Do not add a bonus stitch
When the turning chain counts, its base is already spoken for! Mark its top to find the last stitch on the return row. A wider row usually means you worked into that base as well as counting the chain.
Sources & further learning
Checked 24 October 2026. Written in UK terms, with US equivalents where useful. Follow a project's own stitch key if it differs. These are original explanations and practice exercises, not copies of the linked publishers' patterns.