Skip to content

Join a New Yarn with Standing Crochet Stitches

A standing crochet stitch allows you to join a new yarn or a new color invisibly.  The technique is easy as pie, even for beginners. Once you see it, you’ll never go back to “join with slip stitch, chain” again!

Read on for more information and how to work standing single crochet, standing double crochet, and standing half double crochet. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the video tutorials.

Standing Double Crochet
Standing Double Crochet

What is a standing crochet stitch?

A standing crochet stitch is just a term for any stitch that has started “in the air” rather than from a previous stitch. You simply begin with a slip knot on the hook, then make the stitch called for in the pattern.

You can use standing stitches anytime you would otherwise join the yarn with a slip stitch, then do a turning chain or build-up chain to reach the level of the current (or new) row of stitches.

Why “standing”?

While the technique itself has been around for a long time, a lot of crocheters don’t know about it. In patterns, the instructions would be “Join (yarn) with sc in first st,”, or “Join (yarn) with dc in first st.” They were just telling you to do this standing stitch technique.

When I was writing Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs, my research didn’t turn up a a generally accepted term for the technique, so I called them standing stitches because they stand on their own without relying on a turning or build-up chain to connect them to the piece in progress.

I think that, by labeling the technique and having it become commonly used, we can help spread the information to crocheters everywhere.

Standing Single Crochet

Standing single crochet
Standing single crochet

To work a standing single crochet, begin with a slip knot on the hook, then work a single crochet into the stitch or space indicated in the pattern, as follows:

Standing single crochet step 1
Standing single crochet Steps 1 & 2

Step 1: Begin with a slip knot on the hook.

Step 2: Insert hook into first stitch.

Standing single crochet Step 3
Standing single crochet Step 3

Step 3: Yarn over and pull up a loop.

standing single crochet step 4
Standing single crochet Step 4

Step 4: Yarn over and pull through 2 loops on hook to complete the single crochet.

Standing Double Crochet

Standing Double Crochet
Standing Double Crochet

To work a standing double crochet, begin with a slip knot on the hook, then work a double crochet into the stitch or space indicated in the pattern, as follows:

Standing double crochet steps 1 & 2
Standing double crochet Steps 1 & 2

Step 1: Begin with a slip knot on the hook.

Step 2: Yarn over, insert hook into first stitch.

Standing double crochet Step 3
Standing double crochet Step 3

Step 3: Yarn over and pull up a loop.

Standing Double Crochet Step 4
Standing Double Crochet Step 4

Step 4: (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops on hook) 2 times to complete the double crochet.

Standing Half Double Crochet, Standing Treble Crochet & More

You’ve got the idea now, right? To work any type of “standing” stitch, simply start with a slip knot on the hook, then work the stitch. To learn more about standing stitches and other tweaks to improve your crochet, check out The Crochet Answer Book. You’ll find lots of opportunity to use standing stitches in Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs and Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs.

Check out my Crochet: Basics & Beyond page for more helpful information.

2 thoughts on “Join a New Yarn with Standing Crochet Stitches”

  1. Thank you so much for all your tutorials and explanations; they are wonderful and very helpful. I bought your every which way borders book and love it but your explanations here makes it so much easier. I have been knitting and crocheting off and on for over 50 years and these new techniques have really upped my game. I have been really enjoying crocheting more these days and cannot wait to use some of the gorgeous borders in my works in progress.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *