What stitches am i actually doing??

[Crocheted-fool]

I've looked pins for help on a stitch i needed and it's come to light i haven't a clue.  About anything.

I don't know whether my standard stitches I'm doing are UK, us, or made up. 

 

If i described them would someone be able to help? 

 

For what i consider a SC i put the hook through the loop, yarn over, pull through, yarn over again and pull through everything.

 

A HDC in my world is yarn over, hook through loop, yarn over, pull through, yarn over again so i have 3 loops on the hook and pull the yarn through all 3.

A DC is same start as my hdc but instead of the last bit being to pull through all 3, i pull through 2, yarn over then pull through last 2.

What made me wonder about it all is when a pattern called for a treble and i realised i was making it up based on above logic. 

 

I'd love to be able to do more complex things but given i cant do simple stitches (and therefore will have to restart all my ongoing projects) i don't dare!  Help! 

[Granny Square]

Your descriptions sound right to me (US terminology).  For a US treble, it's yarn over 2 times, put the hook into the stitch, pull thru 2, pull thru 2 (same as DC but just an extra yarn over and pull thru 2).  Taller stitches, likewise, just add a yarnover and set of pull thru 2.

This is a handy site; I've linked to the tutorial menu.  Look at the left column, basic crochet stitches - it might help you.

http://www.crochetcabana.com/html/tutorials.html

Another site, not stitch formation so much as other info beyond that (pattern reading, yarn info, etc) - see menu at left

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards.html

[Granny Square]

By the way, it looks like your thread got duplicated somehow...I believe you can delete the other one as long as no one else has replied to it.

[Crocheted-fool]

Thank you.  I did wonder if I'd gone American by accident!  I started off on UK and some sites with UK patterns are where i learnt mine! 

 

[Crocheted-fool]

Thanks. Sorted duplicate out.  

 

[Granny Square]

Ah, glad to help - the sites I linked use US terms as well, hope that doesn't confuse.

 

[redrosesdz]

Here's a simple chart for the basic differences between US and UK terms:

http://www.yarnfwd.com/crochet.html

If the pattern doesn't specify which terminology, look to see where it came from.  If it comes from a UK or Australian site, it's UK terms.  Another way to see which one it uses, is to look at the key at the beginning of the pattern or at the pattern itself.  If it has an SC anywhere, it's US terms.  If it says "skip" for skipping stitches, it's US terms.  If it says "miss" for skipping stitches, it's UK terms.

[Crocheted-fool]

so if (possibly being a bit dense here) the American sc is basically a UK DC, what is the UK sc? Is it literally 'single chain' like a chain stitch? 

[redrosesdz]

There is no such term as "SC" in a UK/Australian crochet pattern.  If you look at a list of British terms, it's not there.  Here's a list of UK crochet terms ...

http://www.enfys.me.uk/english/tutorial/terms-abbreviations.htm

That's why if you see SC in a pattern, you can be sure it's a US (or other country that uses US terms) pattern.  Not all patterns include an SC stitch.  That's why if SC isn't in the pattern, it doesn't mean that it's UK.  Most patterns, but not all, have some skipping/missing stitches.  That's why it's more reliable to look for the words "skip" or "miss".  Skip is US and miss is UK.

While the terminology may be different, the instructions are the same.  So, the instructions for a US SC and the instructions for a UK DC are identical ... insert hook, yarn over, draw through a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops on the hook. 

Think of other things that are different between US English and UK English.  The US calls shoes worn for athletics and relaxation "sneakers", while the UK calls them "trainers."  They are the exact same shoe, just different names.

[Granny Square]

^Agree.  There was another recent thread where someone was asking about what 'miss' meant, as in 'miss 2 stitches'.  UK pattern writers will use that word where US pattern writers will tend to say 'skip'.  Two countries separated by a common language as they say...

To your question about the chain stitch, in modern patterns it's the same thing in both lingos.

Another way to tell US versus UK terms, if at the end of the row it says 'chain 1, DC' it's UK, if it says 'chain 3, DC' it's US, since the # of turning chains is determined by the height of the stitch that follows.