What Does HDC Mean in Crochet

HDC or half-double crochet stitch in crochet is my all-time favorite stitch. It’s one of the basic stitches, but something about it just makes my heart happy. It might be simple, but it creates a beautiful crochet fabric and makes any project look just a tad more sophisticated.

I also love that it’s not as tight (and slow) as crocheting in single crochet (SC) but not as lose and hole-y as double crochet (DC) stitch.

What does HDC mean in crochet

HDC stands for Half Double Crochet. It’s called that cause it fits neatly between SC (single crochet) and DC (double crochet). Where SC can be thought as being 1 loop tall and DC being 3 loops tall, HDC is 2 loops tall.

HDC not as short (and simple) as SC, but it’s not as tall (and complex) as DC. It’s truly like that Goldilocks: not too simple and not too hard. I always think of it as DC’s younger brother (or sister) since it’s worked very similarly in the beginning of it.

Where can you use HDC stitch

I love HDC because it creates a pretty crochet fabric that is really nice to be used for blankets or bags or anywhere you want the fabric to be solid with smaller holes.

SC offers solid fabric as well, but let’s face it – it takes kind of forever to make anything of size with SC. So, if you want to crochet a bag or backpack or clutch and don’t want things like eyeliner or pen or lip gloss falling out of it, while also looking fun, HDC is a good stitch to use.

HDC also has this third loop that is created because of the way the stitch is made and you can create all kinds of neat effects with it, especially when working in the round on projects like cowls or even baskets.

How to crochet HDC stitch

But, before we go all crazy with all the things you can do with HDC, let’s actually see how it’s done.

Here is how to crochet HDC starting with a chain

Once you have a foundation chain of as many stitches as you need, add 2 more. Since HDC can be thought of as being 2 loops tall, your first 2 loops will serve as first HDC in the row. So, let’s say you need 10 chains for the width you need. That means your foundation chain will be 12 chains long.

Once you have 12 chains to start, take the hook, yarn over and insert it into the third loop from the hook, front to back.

Yarn over and pull the loop through. You now have 3 loops on the hook.

Yarn over and pull the loop through all 3 loops.

HDC done! Now to next one.

Yarn over, insert the hook into the next loop in the foundation chain front to back, yarn over and pull the loop through.

You have 3 loops on the chain.

Yarn over, pull the loop through all 3 loops on the hook.

Another one done!

Now, continue doing this 8 more times till the end of the row.

Here is how to crochet HDC on the top another row

To do HDC in the next row, chain 2 (remember, HDC is 2 loops tall and we need 2 chains to get to it’s height).

This chain of 2 also counts as your first HDC (unless specified otherwise).

Now, yarn over, insert the hook into next stitch, under the 2 top loops of that stitch, front to back. Yarn over and pull the loop through.

You have 3 loops on the hook.

Yarn over and pull the loop through all 3 loops at the same time.

HDC done!

For the next stitch, again, yarn over and insert the hook, front to back into the next stitch, under the 2 top loops, yarn over and pull the loop through.

You have 3 loops on the hook.

Yarn over and pull the loop through all 3 loops at the same time.

Another one is done!

Now, continue doing this 8 more times till the end of the row.

Want to see how this stitch is done? The video below shows you close-up how the half-double crochet stitch is made.

Now that you know how to make HDC in a regular row, you can repeat it as many times as you need to get your crochet fabric as long as you need it to be.

What are my favorite projects to use HDC? Well, this post is full of them. I love using half-double crochet in my blankets – using the stitch in its original form or with a Back Loop Only (BLO) version that creates a neat braid effect (as in creme blanket you see above).

I have also used HDC in a summer bag design, coffee cozies, beanies, and other fun projects – there is really no limit on where you can use this classic stitch.

Beachglass Cotton Afghan

Cambria Dream Beach Bag

If you want to learn about other basic crochet stitches like SC (single crochet) and DC (Double Crochet), you can read them on this blog.

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