When I’m editing a crochet pattern, one of the things I always like to check is how the designer has written their repeats. It’s so important to make sure that your repeats make sense and are easy to follow. One question that often comes up when designers SUBMIT A PATTERN for editing is how to write the repeats for certain rows of their pattern. Honestly, writing repeats in a crochet pattern can be super confusing. This is the first article in a series aimed at helping you write crochet patterns with proper use of repeats.
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Why We Use Repeats
When writing crochet patterns, using repeats simplifies instructions and makes them easier to read and follow. Could you imagine if you wrote out the entire line of instruction that used a single and double crochet repeat? It would look something like this:
Row 3: sc in first st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st.
It would be incredibly hard to follow, and most of your readers would give up on the pattern before they even started crocheting!
Two Types of Repeats
Crochet patterns have two primary types of repeats: stitch repeats and row repeats. Stitch repeats take place within a single line of instructions, while row repeats involve repeating one or several rows for a specific number of rows.
Row/Round Repeats
Row or Round repeats literally means to repeat the entire row/round of crochet instructions again. Depending on the pattern, this row/round repeat may mean to repeat the same row/round multiple times, or it might mean to repeat several rows/rounds over and over again.
Stitch Repeats
Stitch repeats are when a certain number of stitches are repeated within one line of instruction. How you use repeats in your pattern will all depend on the complexity of your repeats. Some repeats can be super simple, while others will look like complex math equations!
When writing stitch repeats, you may need to use different ‘repeat punctuations’ to show the beginning and end of each repeat. The punctuation you use will vary depending on the type of repeat you want to write.
What Are Repeat Punctuations
Repeat Punctuations are punctuations you use in place of the repeated line of instruction. These punctuations can be accessed on any keyboard. There are 5 different punctuations you can use to indicate stitch repeats. The asterisk *; the double asterisk **; curly brackets { }; square bracket [ ]; and parenthesis ( ).
In the upcoming article, I will discuss the proper usage of asterisks when writing repeats.
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Other Helpful Articles:
HOW TO *PROPERLY** USE ASTERISKS WHEN WRITING REPEATS
WHAT SHOULD I NAME MY CROCHET PATTERN?
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY PATTERN NOTES SECTION?
2 thoughts on “Writing Repeats in Your Crochet Pattern: Intro”
Thank you. I hope some pattern writers see ur article. I had a pattern that mentioned when to repeat at the end of the paragraph, but had like notes before that. So confusing. I had to rewrite it before I could go on, smh
That would be so frustrating! My mission is educate designers on how to write great patterns! Thank you for commenting and letting me know your experience! Please share this article! 💛