English abbreviation · Crochet and knitting
What does st mean in crochet and knitting?
st means stitch.
In French: maille
How to work it
A stitch, written “st” (plural “sts”), is one unit of the fabric: one knot of yarn that you made with the hook. Every pattern counts in stitches, so recognising one on the row is the first skill to learn.
In crochet, look at the top edge of the row you have just finished. Each stitch shows a small “V” lying on its side, made of two strands. When a pattern says “in next st”, it means the next “V” along the row, and you push the hook under both strands of it.
The loop that is currently on your hook is not a stitch yet. It becomes one only when you have finished the movement and started the next stitch. Never count it.
A pattern may also name a chain as a stitch: in “ch 3 (counts as dc)” the three chains stand in for one stitch. Unless the pattern says so, a turning chain is not counted, and the number in brackets at the end of the row is the total of stitches you should have.
In a pattern
Rnd 5: sc in each st around (24)
Take the row “Rnd 5: sc in each st around (24)”. “Rnd 5” is the fifth round. “sc in each st around” means one single crochet in every stitch of the previous round, all the way round. Here “st” refers to the stitches of the round below, not to the ones you are making. The bracket says 24: the previous round had 24 stitches, you made one new stitch in each of them, so you end with 24. No increase and no decrease in this round, so the number does not change.
US or UK?
Identical. “St” means stitch in American and British patterns alike, and so does “sts” for the plural. The names of individual stitches shift between conventions, sc becoming dc and dc becoming tr, but the word stitch itself does not.
Common mistakes
- Working into the wrong part of the previous row. If the fabric looks gapped, or the edge grows wider, check that the hook goes under both strands of the “V” and not into the space between two stitches.
- Missing the last stitch of a row. The last stitch is often the top of the turning chain from the row below, which is easy to overlook. If your total is one short each time, look at the end of the row.
- Counting the loop on the hook, or the turning chain. Both change the total by one. Compare your count with the bracket after every row, not only at the end of the section.
A tip
A stitch count is only useful if it is done at the same moment each time. Count once the row is finished, before you turn, and write the number in the margin of your pattern. When a mistake shows up ten rows later, you will know exactly which row to go back to.
Try it with a row from your pattern
Here is a row that uses it. Replace it with a row from your pattern: every abbreviation the reader knows is underlined, and its meaning shows on hover.
Rnd 5: sc in each st around (24)
Other ways to write it
sts— English abbreviation