The Half Treble Crochet Stitch

 The half treble crochet stitch produces fairly tight fabric, and is somewhere between a double crochet and a treble crochet. Frequently used for blankets, hats, and projects requiring a dense yet slightly textured fabric.

How to work the  Crochet Stitch.

1. Yarn over your hook and insert it into a stitch.

2. Yarn over your hook and pull it back through the stitch leaving three loops on the hook.

3. Yarn over again and pull it through all the loops on your hook completing the stitch.

Identifying the Stitch in your work

The half treble runs in clearly defined rows, and each stitch is a cluster of 4 strands of interlocking yarns. In the image above you can see one stitch has been highlighted in dark green.

Reading Half Treble Crochet in Patterns

In a written pattern the stitch is abbreviated to 'Htr' 

In a charted pattern its symbol is

Working the Next Row

To start the next row you should do a turning chain of 2 but you can bring that down to 1 with bulky yarns.

Common Mistakes

A stitch looks too tall

This is most likely caused by incorrect stitch technique. to avoid this make sure you are pulling through all three loops on the hook.

Your project becomes a triangle or parallelogram instead of a rectangle
This could mean that you are losing or gaining stitches at the edges. To avoid this you could use stitch markers on the first and last stitch of every row, and make sure to Count your stitches at the end of every row to ensure consistency.

Your work starts to curl
This could mean that you are holding the yarn too tightly, making it difficult to insert the hook and causing the work to curl. Keep your yarn tension relaxed and do not "yank" the yarn when wrapping it around the hook.