Where do I insert my hook? – Tutorial March 2020

At the start of a crochet stitch, you have only one loop on your hook, and you can insert the hook wherever you like – that’s the magic of crochet! This allows for thousands of variations, 3D artistry, and endless creativity.

However, this freedom also brings uncertainty. If nothing is explicitly stated in the pattern, exactly where in a stitch are you supposed to insert your hook?

This issue is made even more complex by the fact that crocheted stitches are asymmetrical.

Let’s look at a dc from the right side, as you see it when you’ve just made it.

The vertical bar indicates the body of the stitch.

The arrow shows the top of the same stitch.

The circle indicates the exact place where you should insert your hook.

Seen from the right side and compared to the body of the stitch, the top is slightly offset to the right.

This is how the stitches will present themselves when you work in the round, to make either a tube or a motif.

When you work in rows, however, the work is turned at the end of each row, and things look different.

Here is our dc seen from the back (i.e., the wrong side), after turning the work.

The body of the stitch is here.

This is the top of the same stitch.

The circle shows the exact spot where you should insert your hook.

This time, the top of the stitch is slightly offset to the left.

In order to know exactly where to insert your hook, you must first know if the right side of the stitch is facing you, as when working in the round, or if the wrong side is facing you, as when working back and forth.

Now, take a look at things from the top!

If you pivot the work towards you, you can see the row from above. The top of each stitch looks like a V lying on its side.

The two “legs” of the V are the two loops in the top of the stitch.

Unless instructed otherwise, insert your hook under both loops, as shown in the photo.

So this is the default mechanism. If something is unclear, please feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

It is important to know this in order to understand what happens when you diverge from the “default setting”. And that’s what we’re going to do in upcoming tutorials!

See you soon!