Crochet Journal
How to Recognize the Top of a Crochet Stitch
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The top of a stitch can disappear into texture, especially at an edge. Tracing the stitch from its body to its two upper loops is more reliable than guessing from the nearest opening.
Find the V above the post
Spread the fabric gently and identify one complete stitch body. Follow that post upward. The two strands lying across its top form the V used for most ordinary insertion. The strand nearest you is the front loop; the farther strand is the back loop.
Do not count the live loop
The loop currently on the hook belongs to the next action and is not a finished stitch. Turning chains may count, but only when the pattern says they do.
Use the edge as a learning tool
At the beginning of each row, place a marker through the top of the first true stitch. When the row returns to that edge, the marker shows the final insertion point. After several rows, remove one marker at a time and test whether you can still recognize the structure.
In heavily textured fabric, inspect a simple swatch in the same stitch first. Once the top V is familiar there, it becomes easier to find inside the project.
Keep this in mind
Trace a stitch body upward to its V, exclude the live loop and mark edge stitches until their shape becomes familiar.
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