The Front Post Double Crochet is a common stitch that you’ll see in crochet patterns, but have you heard of its smaller stitch sibling the Front Post Half Double Crochet?
FPHDC in Patterns
The Front Post Half Double Crochet (abbreviated as fphdc in written crochet patterns) can be useful in patterns to add texture, just like other post stitches.
I especially like to use this on shawls that have ridges. With the half double crochet instead of the double crochet used as a post stitch it makes the stitches come together more and looks gorgeous.
Where Is The Post Of A Half Double Crochet?
The post of the half double crochet stitch is the part that is under the part of the stitch you normally work in, shown below with the red lines:
How Do You Do a FPDHDC?
When you work a front post half double crochet (fphdc) you will be working a half double crochet stitch almost like you normally do, but instead of working the hdc into the top of the stitch you will use your hook to work around the post of the stitch in the row below.
Starting and Ending Rows of Front Post Half Double Crochet Stitches
If you are doing an entire row of fphdc stitches there are multiple ways that are taught on how to start and end the rows of these stitches. Some people say to start with a regular half double crochet and others start with the first 2 stitches of half double crochet stitches.
But what I like to do and what I teach is to actually begin and end each row with a single crochet stitch.
I do this because when you are making any front post stitch it is bringing down the starting point of the stitch so the stitches are actually lower than what you would have for the same stitch worked normally. By doing a single crochet instead of a half double crochet at the start and end of the row you are bringing the end stitches down to the same level as the fphdc stitches of the row.
Below you can find a written tutorial for the front post half double crochet stitch with pictures along with a video tutorial to help you out.
Video Tutorial on the FPHDC
How to do the Front Post Half Double Crochet Stitch
Instructions
- Start with a row of stitches such as regular half double crochet stitches.
- To start your 1st row of front post half double crochet stitches, ch 1 and turn your work.
- In the 1st stitch of the row do a single crochet stitch.
- For the front post half double crochet stitch, yarn over, coming from the front side of your work place your hook between the posts of the current stitch you are working and the post of the stitch before that stitch.
- Take your hook and continue around the back of the post and bring it back out to the front of your work between the posts of the current stitch you are working on in the row below and the next stitch in the row below.
- Yarn over and pull up a loop, you will have 3 loops on your hook.
- Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on your hook to complete the FPHDC stitch.
- Repeat steps 4 through 7 for each stitch down the row, stop when you have 1 stitch left in the row.
- In the last stitch of the row, work a regular single crochet stitch into the last stitch.
