Here Comes... Treble? A Cheeky Guide to UK vs US Crochet

Yes, it's true, Whymsi Row is based in the UK! In a little town in the north called Sheffield, to be precise. But did you know that I used to live in the US? For twelve years, in fact. So I like to think I well and truly straddle the pond when it comes to my crochet loyalties.

That means I'm the perfect person to explain a few of the common ways the UK vs US crochet discrepancies usually trip us crafters up!

Let's start with the basics...

 

The Stitches

I'm afraid I'm with the Americans on this one... Let me explain! 

All of my patterns use US standard crochet terms for a few reasons. Firstly and most importantly, US stitch terms are both more intuitive and more logical.

• How many times do you yarn over for single crochet? Once.
• How many times do you yarn over for double crochet? Twice.
• How many times do you yarn over for triple crochet... you get the idea.

I believe US crochet terms, being more intuitive, make crochet more accessible to new crafters. Although I do love a bit of idiosyncrasy (see the measurements section below) and upholding harmless tradition for the sake of preserving the history of art & culture, I also like standardization in cases where it makes things more practical and accessible. It is a rare thing for something to be both intuitive and logical at the same time, and the US stitch terms are just that!

Secondly, when visually depicted, the more logical US naming of crochet stitches corresponds more appropriately with their most common symbols, too. In the chart below, you can see the abbreviations and symbols I use across all of my patterns for the basic crochet stitches. 

Note how the symbol for double crochet has two horizontal lines, the symbol for triple crochet has three horizontal lines, and so forth. This ease of quick reading makes deciphering a crochet diagram, in conjunction with a diagram key, more accessible to newer crafters.

 

The Hooks

When it comes to hook size, I am thoroughly on Team Millimetre! 

The millimetre-based system of measuring crochet hooks uses the actual diametre of each hook's shaft to indicate it's size. This is great because hooks can be purchased according to this system in a vast range of sizes in small, regular increments of as low as 0.15mm - 0.25mm in difference! The globally recognized standard of the metric system means standardization of hook sizes is easily achieved according to this system, too.

... In theory! Of course the quality of the manufacturer of your hooks can still leave you less than satisfied in this area. Problems may occur with hooks being labelled with one measurement but, owing to the cheapness of their manufacture, actually being lesser or greater in diametre. As always, aim for the best quality hooks your budget will allow to avoid this pitfall- and check out my other blog posts for recommendations.

The US letter-based crochet hook system generally ranges from B to S, with B being the smallest and S being the largest. The most common sizes range from a B hook to a K hook, but many letters are skipped entirely, unassigned to any hook size, and the increments between letter sizes are not uniform.

Thankfully it seems like the US is largely moving away from it's letter-based hook size system, anyway, or in the least most of it's patterns and hooks now come labelled with corresponding millimetre measurements. But did you know the UK used to have it's own less than logical hook size system, too? 

The old UK crochet hook system was a numbering-based system ranging from 14 to 0, with Size 14 being the smallest and Size 0 being the largest... I know, I know! And to make it even worse, there was very little standardization between crochet hook manufacturers.

Let's just all stick with millimetres from now on, shall we?

 

The Yarns

There are a lot of differences to be found in access to yarn brands and fibre types when it comes to our geographic location. (I mean, I know even the way I spelled 'fibre' just now will have thrown some of you for a loop!) But here are a couple of the most common differences I come across when it comes to our raw materials.

 

Skein vs. Ball:

In the US, it's more common to see an amount (*gestures to a bundle on the table-top*) of yarn described as a skein. (It's /skayn/ btw.) You'll see that in patterns, product descriptions and conversations alike, and it can be used whether the yarn in question comes wound in a ball, an actual skein, a hank or a cake.

However, in the UK it's far more common to see the word "ball" used. Again, whether the yarn in question is ball-shaped, skein-shaped, hank-shaped or... is it really even that cake-shaped?? 

Basically, most of us are rarely using the correct word for the actual winding method and at this point I'm thoroughly confused, as torn between the two cultures as I usually am by my trans-Atlantic upbringing. So I usually refer to a ball/skein when I mean anything other than a yarn which was specifically branded as a "cake" (think your Lion Brand Mandala's and Hobbii Sultan Cotton Kings)!

 

Aran vs. Worsted

Ah, the eternal question... Is aran the same thing as worsted? 

The short answer? No... but roughly yes.

Basically, within each country's own yarn categories there is already so much variation in yarn thickness and weight, isn't there? We all know this. We've all held up two supposedly DK yarns next to each other and gone "... huh?" 

For this reason, it is by far more important to look beyond the yarn weight name on the label, namely to the recommended hook size and meterage/yardage of the yarn. Take a look at the chart below.

Source: Craft Yarn Council

Note how even when referring to the Standard Sizes, as set by the Craft Yarn Council, there is a huge variation in recommended hook size for each country's relevant yarn category. For more information on how to use recommended hook size and meterage/yardage of your yarn to find yarn substitutes across the pond in either direction (or in any other location) see my other blog posts for some invaluable online resources!

For the purposes of my patterns, where they require an aran weight yarn, I am often specifically asking you to look for a thick aran yarn with as much stiffness and rigidity as possible to aid in creating structural crochet projects. For these three-dimensional projects (think hats and corsets), a thinner US worsted weight yarn isn't going to be ideal. Instead look for thicker Category 4 yarns which normally require a bigger hook size- 6mm and up.

 

The Measurements

The Imperial vs. metric debate feels a bit played out at this point, doesn't it? 

While Imperial measurement users are clearly long in the minority, Imperial measurements still hold convention in certain arenas and I've always been a big fan of idiosyncrasy for whimsy's sake. (Yes, I frequently drive my engineer partner batty!) 

So you do you! And whether you prefer feet and inches or centimetres, I highly recommend this online calculator.

At times my patterns use either inches or centimetres depending on context. For some things, like head circumference, convention makes inches feel appropriate. However, for others which demand more accuracy, I will defer to centimetres.

Ultimately, any crafter who frequently makes wearables for themselves or others should own a good quality flexible measuring tape marked in both Imperial and metric, the likes of which can be accessed very affordably and easily. 

 

Not so... Trebling After All

While the UK and the US have their differences when it comes to the fibre arts, I think it's important to remember how generally privileged those of us who consider ourselves one or the other (or both) all are- on both sides of the pond.

There's no doubt about it, the digital and print crochet pattern space is dominated by patterns written in English. Whether you like your half doubles or your triple trebles: if English is your first language, you are an extremely lucky hooker. 

While the majority of my pattern-buying customers to date have been fluent English speakers, I am well aware that I have had several customers purchase my patterns and subsequently needed to employ free online translation tools to translate them into other languages for their own personal use.

That's an additional hurdle to deciphering another crafter's work that I personally have a lot of respect for and I think puts into perspective the relative ease of my own moving between British and American colloquialisms, both within and beyond the fibre arts community.