US versus UK Crochet Terminology Explained

The Great Confusion: The Same Words for Different Stitches

Imagine following a pattern that tells you to "dc in every stitch."

If you are following an American pattern, you will work a double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up loop, [yo, pull through 2] twice).

If you are following a British pattern, a "dc" means a double crochet in UK terms—which is identical to an American single crochet!

If you accidentally work American double crochets into a British pattern, your fabric will be twice as tall and twice as open as the designer intended, completely ruining garment proportions and exhausting your yarn supply early.

Why Did This Split Happen?

The divergence stems from two different naming philosophies developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries:

• The British System (UK): Focuses on the number of loops on your hook after inserting the hook and pulling up a loop. When you insert into a stitch and draw up a loop, you have 2 loops on your hook—hence "double crochet."
• The American System (US): Focuses on the number of yarn-overs completed to finish the stitch body. For a single crochet, you yarn over once to pull through both loops—hence "single crochet."

Direct Conversion Reference Table

How to Detect Which System a Pattern Uses

If a pattern does not explicitly state "written in US terms" or "written in UK terms," look for these telltale clues:

1. Look for "Single Crochet" (sc): The British crochet system has no single crochet stitch. If you spot "sc" anywhere in the abbreviations or pattern rows, the pattern is written in US terms (or follows American terminology).
2. Look for "Tension" vs "Gauge": British and Australian patterns almost universally use the heading "Tension", whereas American patterns almost always use the heading "Gauge".
3. Look for "Yarn Over Hook" (yoh): UK patterns frequently abbreviate yarn over as "yoh", while US patterns write "yo".