How to Slip Stitch (sl st)

What is slip stitch in crochet?

The slip stitch is the shortest stitch in crochet. It adds almost no height, so it is used to join, move, and finish rather than to build fabric.

In US patterns it is abbreviated sl st. The slip stitch keeps the same name in US and UK terms, though UK patterns often abbreviate it ss.

How do you work slip stitch step by step?

Here is the full sequence in US terms. Take it slowly the first few times, then it becomes muscle memory.

1. Insert your hook into the next stitch, under both loops.
2. Yarn over.
3. Pull the yarn through both the stitch and the loop already on your hook in one motion. One slip stitch is complete.

When do you use slip stitch?

Slip Stitch turns up in a lot of patterns. Here is where it earns its place:

1. Joining a round into a ring at the end of a round.
2. Moving your yarn across a row or round without adding height.
3. A neat edging or a surface-crochet line.
4. Seaming two finished pieces together.

What are the most common slip stitch mistakes?

A few snags catch almost everyone at first. Watch for these:

1. Working slip stitches so tightly you cannot get your hook back in on the next round.
2. Losing count, because slip stitches are so short they are easy to miss.
3. Confusing the joining slip stitch with the first real stitch of the next round.

How do you keep count while you work slip stitch?

Counting is where clean crochet is won or lost. Patterns tell you how many stitches per row and how many rows or rounds to work, and a miscount is the usual reason a piece ends up crooked. Mark the first stitch of each round, and count your stitches at the end of every row.

Some crocheters keep a paper tally, and some use an app like Worsted to count rows, hold their place in a pattern PDF, and note the yarn they used, so a project is easy to pick back up after a break. However you track it, staying on count is what turns a good pattern into a finished piece.