Crochet Symbols Demystified

When creating patterns, some people like to use written instructions. Some prefer a diagram, using different symbols to indicate which stitches are which. The first time I ran across a crochet diagram or graph, I was confused. I had to go look up what the symbols meant and how to interpret them. When you’re used to using them, it’s a very efficient and clear way to convey your pattern’s instructions. For those of you not familiar with this method, I’ve provided a little cheat sheet that you can download and refer to when you need it. These are by no means all of the symbols but these are the most common. Just keep in mind that hashmarks are used throughout crochet to differentiate between half double, double, treble and double treble stitches. If you see a symbol indicating that you should work two stitches together, the hashmark will tell you which exact stitches you are working. Once you know this, it’s a breeze to tell whether you are working a treble crochet cluster or a double crochet puff stitch, for example.