If you’ve mastered your double and treble crochet, the half treble crochet is a fabulous stitch to give variation and dimension to your crochet project!

The half treble crochet (htr), also known in the US as half double crochet, is an easy yet essential stitch for beginners and seasoned crocheters alike. It gets its name because its height falls between a double crochet and treble crochet.

The half treble crochet, ‘htr’, is simply yarn over, hook into next stitch, yarn over again pulling your hook back with your working yarn to produce 3 stitches on your hook. Finally, draw the yarn through the 3 loops, all at the same time, and that’s it! What is different about the htr is that it misses out one step of the treble crochet, and asks you pull the yarn through 3 loops instead of 2.

The half treble crochet is a popular medium height, snug stitch and a crochet staple. It's an especially handy crochet technique when creating height gradient effects and whipping up warm crochet clothing, soft home furnishings and cosy accessories such as the gorgeous Hudson Scarf, by Two of Wands, which you can crochet using our free step-by-step video tutorial.

How to half treble crochet (htr)

1

Starting off. Although this tutorial shows you how to stitch your half treble crochet mid-row, it’s worth remembering that when you stitch your ‘turning chain’ at the beginning of your row you need to skip the first two chain stitches, then insert your hook into the third chain to continue first half treble crochet.

Pro Tip

When you chain your row make sure you include an extra chain, so there is one chain more then the number of half treble crochets you intend to stitch.

2

step 2

Yarn over. When you’re ready to make your first half treble stitch, take your working yarn over your crochet hook.

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step 3

Insert hook. Insert your crochet hook into the next stitch, making sure your hook goes under the two loops of your chain.

4

step 4

Yarn over again. While your hook is inserted in your stitch time for another yarn over. Using your hook pull your yarn back through the stitch. You should now have three loops on your crochet hook.

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step 5

Final step. Yarn over your crochet hook again, and this time pull the working yarn through all three loops to complete your first half treble crochet. You did it!

Patterns featuring the half treble crochet

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