The Ultimate Crochet Glossary: Core Entity Definitions

Structural entities — the fabric

Words that describe the crochet fabric itself and its components.

• Stitch — the fundamental unit of crochet fabric. Every stitch occupies one position in a row.
• Loop — a closed bend of yarn. Each stitch has multiple loops: the working loop on your hook, plus the two loops forming the V at the top of the completed stitch.
• V — the visual pattern formed by the top two loops of every completed stitch. Used for counting and for inserting the hook into the next row.
• Post — the vertical body of a stitch, between the V at the top and the V of the row below. Front-post and back-post stitches are worked around the post rather than into the top V.
• Front loop / back loop — the two strands of the V at the top of each stitch. Standard practice is to work through both; FLO and BLO insertions create texture variations.
• Fabric — the assembled rows or rounds of stitches. Different stitch combinations and tensions create different fabric properties (firm, drapey, lacy, dense).
• Gauge / tension — number of stitches and rows per inch (or per 4 inches) you produce in a specific yarn-hook-stitch combination. The single measurement that determines finished size.
• Drape — how a fabric falls when held. Loose stitches produce more drape; tight stitches produce stiffer fabric.
• Pilling — small balls of fibre forming on a fabric surface due to friction during wear. More common in acrylic than cotton.

Tool entities — the hardware

• Hook — the single tool used in crochet. Made of aluminium, plastic, wood, bamboo, steel, or resin. Sized in millimetres (universal) plus US letter/number or UK number.
• Hook size — the diameter of the hook shaft in millimetres. Modern hooks are standardised on metric (2.0 mm to 19+ mm).
• Throat — the narrow point of the hook just behind the head, where the yarn is caught. Inline and tapered throats are the two main shapes.
• Inline vs tapered hook — inline hooks (Susan Bates) have a throat the same width as the shaft; tapered (Boye) narrow toward the head. Both produce the same gauge at the same mm size.
• Yarn — the fibre material crocheted into fabric. Classified by weight (CYC 0-7), fibre content (acrylic, cotton, wool, blends), and ply (single, two-ply, multi-ply).
• Skein — the unit of yarn sold at retail. A typical worsted skein is 220 yards; lighter weights and bulkier yarns vary.
• Yarn weight — the thickness of the yarn, standardised by the Craft Yarn Council into 8 categories: 0 lace, 1 fingering, 2 sport, 3 DK, 4 worsted, 5 bulky, 6 super bulky, 7 jumbo.
• Fibre content — the material the yarn is made of (acrylic, cotton, wool, silk, alpaca, linen, blends).
• Dye lot — batch identifier on yarn labels. Skeins from the same dye lot match exactly; skeins from different lots can have subtle colour variations.
• Stitch marker — small clip or ring used to mark a specific stitch for counting reference. Essential for crochet in the round.
• Yarn needle / tapestry needle — large-eye needle for sewing parts together and weaving in yarn ends.
• Blocking mats — foam tiles or boards used as a surface for pinning blocked projects.

Technique entities — the actions

• Chain (ch) — the foundational stitch. Yarn over and pull through the loop on the hook. The base for almost everything.
• Slip stitch (sl st) — no-height joining stitch. Insert hook, yarn over, pull straight through everything.
• Yarn over (yo / yoh) — wrap the working yarn around the hook from back to front. The motion that loads each new loop onto the hook.
• Single crochet (sc) — the shortest basic stitch. Insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both.
• Double crochet (dc) — taller stitch. Yarn over before inserting hook, then complete in two yarn-over-pull-through-two steps.
• Increase (inc) — two stitches worked into the same stitch. Adds one to the row count.
• Decrease (dec / tog) — two stitches combined into one. Subtracts one from the row count.
• Magic ring (MR) — adjustable starting loop that closes completely after the first round. Standard for amigurumi.
• Turning chain — the chain stitches at the start of each row that give the row its height. Number depends on stitch height (1 for sc, 2-3 for hdc/dc).
• Frogging — undoing stitches by pulling the working yarn. Named for "rip-it, rip-it" — the sound of unravelling.
• Blocking — wetting or steaming a finished project and pinning it to shape while it dries. Sets the fabric.
• Fasten off (FO) — cut the yarn and pull the tail through the working loop to secure.
• Weaving in ends — using a yarn needle to hide the tail ends inside the fabric.

Definitions alone will not get you through a pattern, because patterns also use punctuation to carry meaning. Once the terms are familiar, how a pattern line is actually structured is the next thing to learn.

Pattern entities — the architecture

• Pattern — written instructions for making a project. Includes materials, gauge, abbreviations, and row-by-row directions.
• Swatch — small piece of fabric crocheted to measure gauge before starting a project.
• Row — one horizontal line of stitches. After completing a row, you turn the work to start the next.
• Round — one revolution when working in circles. Either joined (slip-stitched closed) or continuous (spiral).
• Repeat — instructions performed multiple times. Marked with asterisks, parentheses, or brackets.
• Right side (RS) / wrong side (WS) — the public-facing side vs the back of the fabric. Some stitches look different on each side.
• Motif — a self-contained shape (granny square, hexagon, flower) that combines with others to form a larger piece.
• Border / edging — decorative finishing rows worked around the edges of a completed piece.
• Foundation chain / foundation row — the first chain or chainless foundation that starts the project.
• US terms vs UK terms — two competing terminology systems where the same stitch name describes different heights. Critical to verify before starting any pattern.

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Commonly confused terms

• Stitch vs loop — a stitch is a completed unit; a loop is just a single strand bend. The working loop is the loop currently on your hook — it's not a stitch.
• Frog vs tink — frogging pulls multiple stitches by yarning the working tail; tinking (knit backward) undoes stitch by stitch. Both terms come from knitting; in crochet, frogging is far more common because crochet undoes cleanly with a pull.
• Skein vs ball vs hank — different yarn put-ups. A skein is a centre-pull bundle ready to crochet from. A ball is wound spherical. A hank is a loose twisted loop that must be wound into a ball before use.
• Gauge vs tension — same concept, different name. US uses "gauge"; UK uses "tension."

Advanced and specialty vocabulary

• Tunisian crochet — a hybrid technique using a long hook with a stopper. Stitches are picked up across the row and then worked off, similar to knitting.
• Filet crochet — open and solid stitches arranged in a grid to form pictorial designs. Like cross-stitch but in yarn.
• Hairpin lace — long looped strips made on a U-shaped hairpin loom, joined into wider fabric.
• Broomstick lace — loops created over a large knitting needle ("broomstick"), worked off with single crochet to create lacy fabric.
• Bullion stitch — extra-tall decorative stitch made by wrapping yarn many times around the hook before pulling through all loops at once.
• Bavarian crochet — traditional motif technique with multiple colours and post stitches, often used for heirloom blankets.

Sources & further reading

• Craft Yarn Council — Crochet Abbreviations — the standard abbreviations these definitions expand.
• Crochet Abbreviations Complete List — the full abbreviation tables in one place.

Some entries here are community usage rather than published standard — frogging, WIP and stash have no governing body. Where a term is standardised the Craft Yarn Council spelling is used; where it is not, the definition describes how crocheters actually use the word.