Today we are going to look at not just any half double crochet, but how to half double crochet back loop only.
You may have seen it abbreviated as HDCBLO.
This is a really easy stitch for beginners but it adds a little something extra....and a whole lot of delicious texture.
Oh and did I mention there are two sides to the stitch so you get two projects for the price of one!!
Why Use Half Double Crochet For Garments?
Half double crochet is one of my favourite stitches, I find that if you want to make garments and you work them in a single crochet you get a very dense material. Which is fine for homeware such as cushions and dicshcoths but for garments you want something that moves a bit more easily.
If you then stretch your stitching up to a taller double crochet, I often find that although it drapes better than the single crochet you get quite a big gap between the legs of the stitches.
So half double crochet does what it says on the tin!
It's half the depth of the double crochet, it gives you such a lovely drape but is still thick enough that you get a warm garment and you're not poking your fingers through it.
Plus, more importantly you can't see through it quite so much as you can with the double crochet stitching!
If you're not sure how to do the half double crochet stitch I have a YouTube video talking you through the stitch tutorial here:
How is Half Double Crochet Back Loop Only Different To Half Double Crochet?
This is a slightly different variation as we only work into the back loops and this gives us this lovely striped or ridged effect.
The Half Double Crochet in Back Loop Only stitch has two sides to it.
Working in the back loop pushes the front loop of the stitch forward so you get these lovely ridges on the right side.
If you turn it inside out you can see this lovely chevron effect on the other or 'wrong' side as well, so you get two sides to whichever garment you make, so two for the price of one which no one can complain at!
How To Half Double Crochet Back Loop Only - HDCBLO
So let me show you how we work it.
Start by working your required number of chains plus 2 for your turning chain. Work one row of Half Double Crochet to set your foundation.
Chain 2 and turn your work.
If you look into the top of your stitches from the row below you can see the stitches have a V shape with a front leg that is closest to you and a back leg that is further away from you.
When we work a half double crochet stitch we would yarn over then insert our crochet hook underneath both of those loops like this and that would give us quite a dense fabric
so what we're going to do today is only work into one of those loops and you've probably guessed it's the back one!
So we would yarn over as usual and then rather than insert under both of those loops to do the half double crochet, we're only going to insert our hook into the centre of the V and under this back loop here.
Once you have inserted your hook under the back loop, pull up a loop as usual so you've got your three loops as you would with a normal half double crochet, yarn over and pull it through.
So to recap, to half double crochet back loop only (HDCBLO):
- Yarn over.
- Insert your hook ONLY into the centre of the V and under back loop (the leg of the stitch that is furthest away from you).
- Yarn over and pull up a loop so you have 3 loops on your hook.
- Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on your hook.
If you're more of a visual learner I have a Youtube Video Tutorial for Half Double Crochet Back Loop Only here:
Tips And Tricks For Working Half Double Crochet Back Loop Only
So you can see it's a very very simple stitch with so much potential to impress your friends.
It's exactly the same really as a half double crochet, except what you're doing is you're tipping the first part of the loop forward because you're inserting your hook ONLY under the back part of your stitch.
By inserting your hook between the legs of the stitch it is split so the back loop goes backwards and the front loop comes forwards, this is what gives you this lovely ridge effect.
You might find it helpful to hold your work in a slightly different way and to tip the work towards you so that you can see where to insert your hook more easily.
It's a really quick stitch to work up because obviously it has more height than the single crochet and it's just a really lovely stitch to give you something with a bit of texture but with a bit of depth to it as well .
So give it a go let me know how you feel about whether you'd wear it this way round......
or maybe this way round?
If you liked the Half Double Crochet Back Loop Only Tutorial you may like these patterns using Half Double Crochet
Let me see how you get on on instagram you can find me @kingandeye, I'd love to see it!
I hope you enjoyed the tutorials and learned something new, let me know in the comments below what you'd like to know in your other tutorials and I'll add those here for you