Single Crochet Front Loop

Single crochet front loop stitch is an easy and interesting stitch

You may be aware of what happens if you work into the back loop only when doing single crochet (UK double crochet) - you get rather a neat looking rib stitch, albeit worked sideways.

Have you ever instead, or by accident worked into the front loop only?

To be honest, you don't get a spectacularly different look like you do with the rib stitch, but the subtle difference has some interesting and useful qualities

Apart from the col looking but modest sideways stripe that it gives, there are other qualities that make for a useful fabric in some circumstances.  Crochet is renowned for giving quite a bulky fabric in relation to knitting, but by simply working into the front stitch only this has the effect of thinning out the fabric making a more comfortable fabric to wear as a jumper or sweater - less cumbersome.

What is more, if you work the stitch by inserting the hook from the top, you also ad a bit of a twist which tighten up the hole fabric making it a little more sturdy

Have a go and see.....

How to make a single crochet front loop stitch

make a base row of single crochet (double crochet - UK)

Then for the next row, instert your hook into the front loop only of each stitch

Hook the yarn and pull it through

Hook the yarn again and pull it through both loops

Like this .......

Inserting the hook from the top

When you insert the hook from the top when working a single crochet (double crochet UK) through the front loop only, it gives the stitch a bit of a twist when you pull the yarn through. 

This makes the stich longer and tighter and pulls it in from the edges, making it a tighter as well as a less bulky fabric

See how the stitches are elongated and a little twisted......

In the photo below you can see the difference.  The bottom half of the fabric is looser and wider and is made by inserting the hook as you normally would from underneath.

The top section is made by inserting the hook from the top and as you can see it has pulled the rows shorter, making the fabric longer and narrower.

But you still get that rather nice sideways stripe with both examples

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crochet in front back or both loops