Standing Half Double Crochet – Eliminate the Gap!

Joining new yarn with a standing single crochet, standing half double crochet, or standing double crochet is one of my favorite techniques and you’ll find that I use it in many of my designs. Standing stitches are not special stitches, but rather stitches worked using a different technique. Many of the basic crochet stitches that we all use regularly can be worked as a standing crochet stitch. 

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There are several benefits to working standing crochet stitches instead of joining with the traditional slip stitch and then chaining up. The following are a couple of the most common:

• Your stitches will be more uniform than joining new yarn with a slip stitch and then chaining up.
• Working standing crochet stitches eliminates the unsightly gap at the beginning of a row or round that is created by working the traditional join with a slip stitch and chaining up.
• Instead of slip stitching “X” stitches over to a designated stitch, fasten off your yarn, weave in your ends and then join w/ a standing single crochet / standing half double crochet / standing double crochet in that stitch. This will decrease the amount of bulk created by slip stitching over to the designated stitch.
• When making an earflap hat, some patterns will have you fasten off after working the crochet beanie portion and then join in a specific stitch to work each earflap. Joining with a standing crochet stitch makes your edges so much neater.
• Joining yarn of a new color, at the beginning of a row or round, is smoother when using this technique.

Let’s learn how to work the standing half double crochet!

How to Join New Yarn with a Standing Half Double Crochet 

You may also see this technique referred to as joining with a half double crochet.

Step 1 (photo above left): Begin w/ a slip knot on your hook and yarn over (yo).

Step 2 (photo above right): Insert hook into designated st.

Step 3 (photo above left): YO, pull up a loop.

Step 4 (photo above right): YO, pull through all 3 loops on hook. Your standing half double crochet is complete and you’ve joined new yarn without a slip stitch and chain 1 or 2!

If you love this technique, I also have tutorials on how to work a standing single crochet and standing double crochet.

Are you intimidated by knit-look crochet? Would you love to learn my tips & tricks? Take an Annies Video Class with me and let me ease your fears and help you increase your skills! Click on the photo below to watch a free preview. You can also see the other 4 video classes I have available!

Please share your finished ACS projects with us in the A Crocheted Simplicity Crochet Community Group on Facebook! Use hashtag #ACrochetedSimplicity when sharing on social media so I can find your posts!