Before you pick up your chunky crochet hook, I’d love to share with you the basics of reading crochet patterns, and what you’ll come across in this pattern.
I’ve written this crochet pattern so it is easy for you to follow. You’ll find a lot of the elements here (like the terminology and abbreviations) in every good crochet pattern you come across.
Reading crochet patterns is just like eating an elephant – when you take it one bite (or step) at a time, it’s easy to do. The basic elements of crochet patterns are the stitches, and the easiest way to work through a crochet pattern is to go one stitch at a time.
Each type of stitch has a name, and crochet patterns are written in one of two stitch terminologies – UK or US.
This pattern is written in UK and US terminology.
The abbreviations that are used throughout the pattern for the stitch names are summarised in the table below.
| abbreviation | UK terminology | US terminology |
| ch | chain | chain |
| slst | slip stitch | slip stitch |
| slstblo | slip stitch through the back loop only | slip stitch through the back loop only |
| st(s) | stitch(es) | stitch(es) |
Throughout this crochet pattern, you’ll notice curvy brackets at the end of the row – this indicates the number of stitches in the row. For example, {6 sts} means that there are 6 stitches in the row. Counting the number of stitches at the end of each row is a good way to check that you haven’t gained or lost any stitches during the row.