Crochet Stitch Anatomy: Loops, Posts and Spaces

Every stitch leaves clues about where it was made and where the next hook can go. Learning those landmarks improves pattern reading and repairs.

The top V

Most completed stitches show two loops across the top: the front loop, nearest you, and the back loop, farther away. Unless a pattern specifies otherwise, “work into the stitch” commonly means working under both top loops.

The post

The vertical body below the top loops is the post. Taller stitches have longer, more visible posts. Front-post and back-post techniques place the hook around this body instead of through the top V.

Spaces

A chain space is an opening created by one or more chains in an earlier row. Instructions such as “work into the ch-1 space” direct the hook into the opening, not into an individual chain loop.

The working loop

The loop currently on the hook is not counted as a completed stitch. It becomes part of the next movement and should stay large enough to move along the shaft.

Use a smooth, light-coloured swatch and trace each top V down to its post. That small exercise makes counting and stitch placement much clearer.

See related crochet hooks