Treble crochet (tr)
tr in US patterns. UK: double treble (dtr). German: Doppelstäbchen.
To treble crochet, yarn over twice, insert the hook under both loops of the next stitch and pull up a loop (4 loops on the hook). Then yarn over and pull through 2 loops, three times, until one loop is left.
Step by step
Scroll through the steps and the model follows. Tap a step to jump to it.
- Start with one loop on your hook.
- Yarn over: wrap the yarn over the hook, back to front. 2 loops on the hook.
- Yarn over again. 3 loops on the hook.
- Find the next stitch: the two loops lying on top of it (glowing).
- Insert the hook under both loops, front to back.
- Yarn over: catch the working yarn behind the work.
- Pull up a loop through the stitch. 4 loops on the hook.
- Yarn over.
- Pull through the first 2 loops only…
- …leaving 3 loops on the hook.
- Yarn over.
- Pull through the next 2 loops only…
- …leaving 2 loops on the hook.
- Yarn over.
- Pull through all 2 loops…
- Treble crochet made. One loop stays on the hook, ready for the next stitch.
Four loops, not three
A treble starts with two yarn overs, so after you pull up a loop there are four loops on the hook. If you count three, you wrapped only once and you're making a double crochet.
Names and turning chain
- US
- treble crochet (tr)
- UK
- double treble (dtr)
- German
- Doppelstäbchen (DStb)
- Turning chain
- ch 4
When you use it
Treble crochet (also called triple crochet) is about four chains tall. It builds height fast and leaves open spaces, so you will meet it in lace, shawls, filet-style patterns and tall stitch combinations like clusters.
Each of the two starting yarn overs becomes a bar around the post, so a finished treble shows two diagonal bars. In UK patterns this stitch is the double treble (dtr).
How to count it
Count the posts. The turning chain of 4 usually counts as the first treble.
Practice piece
Treble crochet uses a lot of yarn wraps, so the practice goal is keeping the posts upright and the same height.
- Chain 18. Treble crochet in the 5th chain from the hook and in each chain across. The 4 skipped chains count as the first stitch (15).
- Chain 4, turn, skip the first stitch and treble crochet in each stitch across, ending in the top of the turning chain (15).
- Work 6 rows, then try the shell row from the pattern line below on a new chain of 18.
Each treble should stand straight with its two yarn-over bars visible on the post. If the stitches lean or look uneven, pull each loop through at the same slow pace; rushing the last "pull through 2" makes some stitches shorter than others.
No yarn yet? For your first stitches, use a smooth, light-colored worsted-weight yarn and a 5.5 mm (I-9) hook. What yarn and hook to buy.
How it looks in a pattern
Ch 4 (counts as tr), 2 tr in same st, *skip 2 sts, 3 tr in next st; rep from * across.
This makes groups of three trebles. The four chains count as the first treble, then two more go into the same stitch. The part between * and "rep from *" repeats to the end of the row: skip two stitches, three trebles into the next. In UK terms these are "dtr".
Common mistakes
- Only one yarn over at the startWith one yarn over you make a double crochet. Check for 4 loops on the hook after pulling up the loop.
- Losing count of the pullsSay it as you go: "through 2, through 2, through 2." Three pulls for a treble.
- Loose, loopy postsKeep the wraps snug on the shaft before you insert the hook. They should not slide down into the throat.
Questions
- Is treble crochet the same as triple crochet?
- Yes. Both names mean the same US stitch, abbreviated tr.
- What is treble crochet in UK terms?
- Double treble (dtr). A UK "treble" is the US double crochet.
- How many chains for the turning chain?
- Four, and they usually count as the first stitch.