British vs. American Crochet Terms ; Assume you come across a vintage crochet pattern for a fantastic bag. You follow the pattern stitch by stitch, but the finished bag is off in some way. Where did it all go wrong? Surprise! You were following a pattern written in British crochet terminology.

How to know whether the pattern is in British or American Terminology?

Got similar questions? Keep reading…

This is more likely now that the Internet allows access to crochet patterns from all over the world. Understanding how the two patterns writing styles interact can save you a lot of heartache in the future.

Look for single crochets to tell if it’s an American pattern. Because single crochet is not used in British crochet terms, if you see it in a pattern, it’s most likely written in American crochet terms. You can also look for additional wording in the pattern.

The half treble crochet stitch , exists only in British  terminology. You can get the idea from this.

What’s the difference between British vs. American Crochet Terms ?

The starting point is the primary distinction between the two. They are basically mirror images of one another. A notable point is that, it is not only the stitches that have different names. Frequently, you will come across terms that you are unfamiliar with, Crocheters using British terms, for example, may be unfamiliar with the term “gauge,” whereas American crocheters may be perplexed by the term “tension.”

The stitches are a completely different story. Here’s one way to remember the distinction between American and British terms for stitches: British stitches are one level higher than American stitches. The American single crochet, for example, is the same as the British double crochet. The American double crochet and the British treble crochet are the same.

Of course, when faced with an entire pattern, trying to think of the stitches in this way can be very confusing.

You can find more about the fiber content of yarns and patterns from our other blog posts