Single Crochet vs. Double Crochet: A Beginner's Guide to the Two Stitches You'll Use Most

If you've just picked up a crochet hook for the first time, there's a good chance you've already run into these two terms and felt a little lost: single crochet and double crochet. They sound like they should be simple — one is just "more" than the other, right? Not quite. And once you can tell them apart, a whole lot of patterns (including the one in your Beginner's Crochet Coaster Kit) start to make a lot more sense.

Let's take this slow, the way we do everything here.

The short answer

A single crochet stitch is shorter, denser, and tighter. You insert your hook, pull up a loop, and pull through both loops on your hook in one motion. It creates a tight, sturdy fabric — perfect for coasters, amigurumi, or anything that needs to hold its shape.

A double crochet stitch is taller and a little looser. You start with a yarn-over before you even insert your hook, which adds an extra step and an extra loop to pull through. That one extra motion is what gives double crochet its height and drape — it works up faster and creates a softer, more open fabric.

Why the difference matters

New stitchers often ask which one is "better," but that's a bit like asking whether a whisper or a hum is better — it depends what you're making. Single crochet's tight stitches are why we use it for the base rounds of your coaster kit: it needs to be firm enough to hold a warm mug. Double crochet's height is why patterns turn to it when they want a project to grow quickly, or when they want more drape, like in a blanket or a scarf.

Here's the easiest way to tell them apart at a glance: count the loops on your hook right after you insert it into a stitch, before you've pulled through anything. Single crochet, you'll have two loops. Double crochet, thanks to that starting yarn-over, you'll have three.

A gentle way to practice both

If you've watched any of the lesson videos for your coaster kit, you've already spent time with both of these stitches without necessarily thinking about which was which — that's kind of the point of learning by making something real. If you'd like to see them side by side, slowly, with nothing else going on, I made a short video just for that this week. It's meant to be the kind of thing you can watch once, then set your hook down and try it yourself without feeling rushed.

No perfection required

However your stitches turn out today, they're enough. Crochet has never asked us to be perfect — it's only ever asked us to keep showing up, one loop at a time. If your double crochets come out a little uneven at first, or your single crochets feel too tight, that's not a mistake. That's just what learning looks like with your hands instead of your head.

Ready to put both stitches to work?

The Beginner's Crochet Coaster Kit was built exactly for this moment — it walks you through single crochet and double crochet together, in one small, finishable project, with a full video lesson series alongside you the whole way.

👉 Shop the Beginner's Crochet Coaster Kit