Front Post Double Crochet: How to Do It Step by Step

Front Post Double Crochet is a crochet stitch that makes raised column on the front; used for ribbing and cables. Makers reach for it for crochet ribbing, cables, basketweave, waffle stitch. It is rated intermediate here, so it helps to be comfortable with the basic stitches first and to practice on a swatch before a project.

1. Yarn over. 2. Insert the hook from front to back to front around the post of the stitch below, not into its top. 3. Yarn over and pull up a loop around the post. There are 3 loops. 4. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops, then yarn over and pull through the last 2. Work slowly for the first few repeats, keep your tension even, and check the result against the steps before continuing across a whole row or motif.

US patterns abbreviate front post double crochet as FPdc. UK patterns write it as FPtr, so always check whether a pattern uses US or UK terms before you start, because the same abbreviation can mean a different stitch. Pattern keys list every abbreviation used, usually near the materials list.

The most common problems are: inserting back to front, which makes a back post stitch; working posts too tight so the fabric puckers. Most are easy to spot if you pause after a few repeats and compare your work with the steps. Good light helps a great deal, especially with dark yarn or thread.

Stitches closely related to front post double crochet include Back Post Double Crochet, Waffle Stitch, Double Crochet. Learning them together makes patterns easier to read, because many designs switch between related stitches to change texture, height or line. Each has its own step-by-step page in the stitch dictionary.