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Saturday, February 5, 2011

How to work Half Triple (htr) and Half Double Treble (hdtr)

I'm sure you've heard of the half double crochet (hdc), which forms kind of a bridge between a sc and dc. When I was working on Crochet That Fits in 2006, and making garments with my Graduated Stitch Method (trademarked), I didn't want to go straight from a dc to a tr, or go from a tr to a dtr, so I said why not do a htr and a hdtr, as a bridge to the next st? ? I had never heard of those sts like I had heard of hdc, so I asked some older crochet designers (legends in crochet) if they had heard of those sts. One of them was Jean Leinhauser who has numerous books and was conducted into the Crochet Hall of Fame after her death.  Btw, I may have been the last person to talk to her on the phone right before she died. She was publishing one of my shawl designs and we were talking about that. Then later that day I heard she had a heart attack. She was an amazing woman and SO supportive and complementary of my work. She and the other designers I asked about these stitches had been crocheting more than 50 yrs, so they helped me a great deal when they said they'd heard of the sts maybe once but also said you can't find crochet patterns with these sts. (bridge sts I call them) 

Below are instructions on how to work some of the taller sts that are used in Crochet That Fits. You may or may not be familiar with the triple (treble) crochet and the double treble, but even if you are experienced in crochet, you may have never heard of a half triple crochet or a half double treble. These 2 stitches help tremendously in making shaped garments. I'll try to post diagrams of these stitches later. 

Update: (2017) Since I came up with these sts in 2006 and they were published in my book in 2007, I'm sure a lot more people have heard of them and used them in their work. You can't really copyright crochet stitches, but it would be nice if those using them would give me the credit for coming up with them. Its crochet etiquette :)

To work half double crochet (hdc): yo once, insert hook from front to back in stitch or space indicated, yo and pull up a lp, yo and pull through all 3 lps on hook.
To work half triple crochet (htr): yo twice, insert hook from front to back in st or sp indicated, yo and draw yarn through st, (4 lps on hook), yo and draw yarn through 2 lps on hook, (3 lps on hook), yo and draw yarn through all 3 lps on hook.
To work triple crochet (tr): Yo hook (twice), insert hook from front to back in st or sp indicated, yo, draw yarn through st (4 lps on hook), yo, draw yarn through 2 lps on hook (3 lps remain on hook), yo, draw yarn through 2 lps on hook (2 lps remain on hook), yo, draw through 2 lps on hook
To work half double treble (hdtr): yo three times, insert hook from front to back st or sp indicated, yo and pull up a lp (five lps on hook), yo and draw through two lps, (four lps on hook), yo and draw through two lps (three loops on hook.), yo and draw through three lps on hook.
To work double treble (dtr):yo three times, insert hook from front to back in st or sp indicated, yo and pull up a lp (five lps on hook), yo and draw through two lps, (four lps on hook), yo and draw through two lps (three loops on hook.), yo and draw through two lps. (two lps on hook.) , yo and draw through two lps.

26 comments:

  1. This is a terrific idea for a post. I think most crocheters are too familiar with these stitches and yet they seem like they could really add a lot of options to your work.

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    1. I had been crocheting for 38 years before I decided to do the htr and hdtr for my Graduated Stitch Method. I even asked known crochet designers and publishers in their 80's and they told me theyd never seen it before.

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    2. I had been crocheting for 38 years before I decided to do the htr and hdtr for my Graduated Stitch Method. I even asked known crochet designers and publishers in their 80's and they told me theyd never seen it before.

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  2. I definitely agree. Ever since I started using these stitches, I have wondered why nobody else talks about them or uses them in patterns. It just makes sense to me!

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  3. Can you add which chain in the foundation to start in (ie. how many chains from the hook) and how many turning chains to do for the half triple and the half double treble

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    1. Patti,

      I can't believe I'm just now seeing this post! I'll try to post what you asked tomorrow. It's 2:18 am & I need to get to sleep.

      So sorry!

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    2. Patti,

      I can't believe I'm just now seeing this post! I'll try to post what you asked tomorrow. It's 2:18 am & I need to get to sleep.

      So sorry!

      Delete
  4. Thanks for explaining htc . Never heard of it. Please correct error on tc. Should be 4 loops on hook at beginning.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Dafmom, I'm just now seeing your comment too.Do you live in another country? In the U.S. you wrap the yarn around the hook two times (yarn over) when working a triple crochet, which will have 3 loops on the hook at the beginning. Pulling the yarn through 2 loops 3 times is what makes it a triple crochet. With the way you are saying, that would make it a double treble. (In U. S. terms)

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    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. Dafmom, I'm just now seeing your comment too.Do you live in another country? In the U.S. you wrap the yarn around the hook two times (yarn over) when working a triple crochet, which will have 3 loops on the hook at the beginning. Pulling the yarn through 2 loops 3 times is what makes it a triple crochet. With the way you are saying, that would make it a double treble. (In U. S. terms)

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  5. When working a triple crochet, your instruction says:
    "Yo hook (twice), insert hook from front to back in st or sp indicated, yo, draw yarn through st (3 lps on hook)"
    If you started with a loop on your hook and you have YO 3 times, wouldn't there be 4 loops on your hook at this point? After performing the next instruction:
    "yo, draw yarn through 2 lps on hook (3 lps remain on hook)"
    the 3 loops remain on hook is correct.
    My question is: 3 loops wouldn't remain for both instructions? The first () should be 4 loops, correct?

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    1. Hi ChocPieKnitterMom, just want to let you know I've seen your questions and I'm looking at it now. I will get back to you!

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    2. ChocPieKnitterMom, can you make sure this fixed the problem? I want to make sure I understand everything you are saying.

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  6. I checked it out and you are correct! The beginning part of the tripleading crochet should be "4 loops on hook", not 3 loops on hook, so I'm changing it. Thank you!

    For anyone else reading this, please ignore the question, because the stitch has already been corrected.

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  7. Curious if there are standard symbols for these half stitches?

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  8. Hi Carryn, I had never seen a diagram or explanation of the htr or the hdbtr. According to the research I and other legends in Crochet did back in 2007 (& Crochet Guild of America) when I was writhing my book, Crochet That Fits, there were no such symbols on the internet or in books. So that's why I had to come up with them myself. My last 2 books, Crochet That Fits and Colorful Crochet Lace, have the printed symbols in them. Three publisher hired an illustrator. I believe I do have pictures of my own too that were not drawn by the illustrator. If I send them to you, wound you agree to use my name and give me credit for them? I know stitches can't really be copyrighted, but it wound be nice some time for people to give me the credit for coming up with it. Of course it's documented in my books, but everyone doesn't have my books. I was also the first person who came up with the Houndstooth check crochet stitch in 2006 & it is also published in CTF's, where I used it for a scarf, but nobody has any idea that I'm the one who came up with it & had it published. Now you see it everywhere. There were different versions before, but not my version. If I used it now, people would think I was copying :)

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  9. Hello Mary Jane. I am a retired teacher of 70, living on the West Coast of South Africa in a tiny village called Jacobsbaai neat Saldanha Bay. I have just taken up crochet having been a knitter all my life!! I have found these tutorials of yours amazingly helpful! Found by chance, I simply googled 'hald double crochet stitch' and among all the lists, yours jumped out at me!! Many many thanks! I am attempting to crtochet a beanie/cloche type hat!! Wish me luck!!

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  10. I am so happy you found my blog! Glad my post helped :)

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  11. My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was 10. She had learned from her grandmother-in-law in the 1920s. Her favorite stitch was one I've never found listed anywhere - between a double and a treble crochet. She would yarn over once and draw up a loop (3 loops on hook), but then yarn over and draw through just 1 loop the first time, then 2 loops, then the final 2 loops. I've never seen this listed in any guide to basic stitches. Was it just someone's variation? It does make a ice row when you want something slightly bigger than dc, but not necessarily tr.

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    1. So sorry I'm just now seeing this! What did your grandmother call that stitch that was between a dc and a tr? With the half triple I do, you wrap around twice first.
      I just now worked the stitch the way you said your grandmother did and even though it who work as a "bridge" between the dc and tr, it is thicker.

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  12. Laurel.Miller, if you look at the Latin American ladies videos on You Tube you will see them do their Dc in the way you describe. I am self taught (from the Caribbean) and that is how I used to do my treble crochet.

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    1. I just tried working the stitch she's talking about and it is thicker.

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    2. My grandmother didn't call it anything. She just said her husband's grandmother taught it to her and that's the only stitch she knew. She made afghans, hats, tote bags, etc.--all with that one stitch. I do have a shawl that my great-great granmother made--the one who taught my grandmother to crochet. I can't tell if it' that stitch or not, but you're right. It does look "thicker'.

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