If you’re a crochet designer, it’s crucial to provide a clear and accurate pattern for your customers so they can crochet your design without any issues. One common mistake I see when I’m editing a crochet pattern is the designer’s misuse or incorrect placement of asterisks. If your pattern involves using asterisks, are you confident that you are using them accurately and precisely? In this article, I will explain the proper use of asterisks in crochet patterns and provide tips for avoiding common errors to help you write more precise crochet patterns.

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The single asterisk (*) is the simplest of all repeat punctuations, and you would think its use is pretty straightforward, right? No, ma’am. It’s not. If a designer is unfamiliar with how to incorporate this tiny star into their written pattern properly, it could throw off the entire design.

At its core, the asterisk serves as a warning flag, signaling the beginning of a repeat in one line of instruction. It’s sort of like shorthand, helping you to condense instructions and reduce the clutter in your pattern. When the asterisk is used effectively, it can enhance the readability and comprehension of your pattern AND help your customers navigate your repeats easily!

For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to all instructions as rows, but the same rules apply when you write your pattern in rounds.

How to Type the Asterisk on a Keyboard

Did you know the word asterisk in Greek means “little star.” It’s often used as a multiplication symbol in calculators and spreadsheets. Keeping that in mind, using it for repeat sequences in a crochet pattern is fitting. We place that little star anywhere we want our stitches to multiply across our row! 🤯 To use this little star repeat punctuation into your crochet pattern, you will hold the shift key on your keyboard and press the number 8. If your laptop or desktop keyboard has a numeric pad, you could also find that the little star has its button right above the number 9.

When to Use One Asterisk (*)

You should use one asterisk (*) in your line of instruction to indicate the beginning of your repeat sequence. Make sure you’re using a limited number of stitches that repeat only once. For example:

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first sc, *ch 2, sk next st, sc in next st; repeat from * across, turn.

This means your reader will chain one, single crochet in the first stitch, *chain 2, skip the next stitch, single crochet in the next stitch, then repeat the sequence after the asterisk until they reach the end of the row. Notice that the repeats are very simple, and the sequence of stitches is repeated once across the row.

When your repeat sequence is repeated to the end of your row, you can list your ending instructions in several ways. Here are a few examples:

Repeat from * to end
Repeat from * across
Repeat from * around

If your repeat sequence is interrupted at the end of a row, you can still use a single asterisk (*) for your instructions. The only thing that would change is how you word your ending instructions. Let me show you:

Row 2: Ch 1, sc 3, *ch 2, sk next st, sc in next st; repeat from * to the last 3 sts, sc 3, turn.

In this instance, your reader will chain one, single crochet in the next 3 stitches, *chain two, skip the next stitch, single crochet in the next stitch. They will repeat the sequence after the asterisk until three stitches are left in the row. Then, they will place one single crochet into each of those last 3 stitches.



When your repeat sequence is interrupted and NOT repeated to the end of your row, you can list your ending instructions in several ways. Here are a few examples:

Repeat from * until X sts remain
Repeat from * until the last X sts
Repeat from * X more times

Don’t Forget to Use the Semicolon

The semicolon is like the superhero of sentence structure. It saves your writing from looking and sounding choppy and masks transitions. This superhero connects two independent clauses that are closely related to each other. For example, “I love crochet; it’s my favorite craft.” The two clauses could be separate sentences, but the sentence flow would get interrupted. The semicolon shows a break in what’s being said but makes the transition flow smoothly.

The semicolon works the same way when writing crochet repeats. It indicates a break or interruption in the flow of instructions but makes the transition flawless. For example:



When you read the line of instruction above, did you notice the semicolon(;)? Probably not. You probably automatically paused at it because your brain deciphered that something looked different, but you kept reading without stumbling over what was written. That’s the semicolon’s (;) superpower in action! Look at it again:

Row 2: Ch 1, sc 3, *ch 2, sk next st, sc in next st; repeat from * to the last 3 sts, sc 3, turn.

Using the semicolon at the end of your repeat sequence will indicate that a shift is about to happen, and it will help the structure of your sentence transition smoothly. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use the power of the semicolon at the end of your repeats.

When to Use Two Asterisks (**)

Double asterisks (**) are often used when a pretty long repeat occurs in your line of instruction. However, the last sequence repeated won’t be a complete repeat. The double asterisks (**) indicate that the repeat sequence will stop. Was that confusing? Let’s walk this out step by step.

Row 6: Ch 3 (counts as a dc), dc in next 3 sts, * ch 1, sk next st, 2 dc in next st, ** ch 2, sk next 2 sts, 3 dc in next st; rep from * across, ending last rep at **.



The first thing your reader will do is chain 3. It will count as a double crochet. Then, they will begin the repeat sequence (we know that from using one asterisk (*)). They will chain one, skip the next stitch, then place 2 double crochets in the next stitch…..uh oh! There’s a double asterisk (**), what would they do? They would ignore it for now and continue with their repeat sequence.

Why? Because you haven’t told them to do anything with the double asterisks YET. So they would chain 2, skip the next 2 sts, and place 3 double crochets in the next stitch. Here’s your superhero semicolon (;) flying in, making your reader’s brain pause for a second before it transitions your sentence. The reader will repeat the sequence from the single asterisk (*) across the row…..BUT the last repeat will end at the double asterisk (**).

What that means is that the reader will repeat the sequence: ch 1, sk next st, 2 dc in next st, ch 2, sk next 2 sts, 3 dc in next st….all the way across the row and at the last repeat the reader will only ch 1, sk next st, 2 dc in next st.

When Not to Use Asterisks

Do not use asterisks if no groups of stitches repeat in your line of instruction. That seems obvious, doesn’t it? However, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Sometimes, designers can confuse their line of instructions for repeats. Let’s look at the following instructions for an amigurumi doll:



Round 10: *inc* repeat from * to * around.

Yes, they are repeating increases all the way around, but this is NOT a stitch repeat that requires an asterisk. It would be better to write it out:

Round 10: inc in each st around.

Also, if your line of instruction is simple enough to be written out without repeat punctuation. For example, if you want to work a row of double crochet stitches, you can simply write:

Row 12: dc in each st across.

Key Takeaways:

• You should use one asterisk (*) in your line of instruction to indicate the beginning of your repeat sequence. Make sure you’re using a limited number of stitches that repeat only once.
• Double asterisks (**) are often used when a pretty long repeat occurs in your line of instruction. However, the last sequence repeated won’t be a complete repeat. The double asterisks (**) indicate that the repeat sequence will stop.
• Using the semicolon at the end of your repeat sequence will indicate that a shift is about to happen, and it will help the structure of your sentence transition smoothly.

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Other Helpful Articles:

INTRO INTO WRITING CROCHET REPEATS
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY PATTERN NOTES SECTION?
HOW MANY PICTURES SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY CROCHET PATTERN?