The use of individual loops can be a fantastic means to give your creations clearer contours, to define areas, or to subsequently crochet additional elements on finished crochet pieces.
How to Spot the Front and Back Loop
First of all, you should be able to recognize the different loops, this is particularly important if you are crocheting according to a pattern and this prompts you to crochet into the front or the back loop.
It does not matter whether you crochet in rounds, rows or spirals, your finished crocheted stitches show two loops that form a small “V”. The loop marked in red is the back loop, the yellow loop is the front loop.
Remember as a rule of thumb: The loop closest to you is the front loop. It usually lies on the outside when you crochet three-dimensional bodies in spiral rounds.
The loop further back, away from you, is the back loop. It lies usually on the inside when you crochet three-dimensional bodies in spiral rounds.
ATTENTION: If you are crocheting on the “wrong” side, errors can occur when crocheting after a pattern. Take a look here to find out about the “right” side when crocheting amigurumi.
How to Crochet into a Loop
Normally you push with your crochet hook through both loops, i.e. under the complete “V”. If you now want to crochet in a particular loop, you simply push the crochet hook ONLY under the respective loop and crochet your crochet stitches then as usual.
Crochet into the Back Loop
Crochet into the Front Loop
Applications
But what exactly is the point of crocheting in one of the two loops?
If you only crochet in one of the two loops, you will be able, depending on the loop, to fold crocheted parts inwards or outwards more easily, for example in order to be able to separate body parts much more concisely.
If you crochet in the back loop, the crocheted piece can be folded backward / inward, if you crochet in the front loop, the crocheted piece can be folded forward / outward.
Here are some Supergurumi examples of how to use the front loop and back loop:
The loops created by crocheting in one or the other loop can also be used as a purely decorative element. The circle on the left was crocheted through both loops, while the right circle was crocheted only into the back loop.
You can also use the visible, unused loops to crochet other elements into these by simply pulling a thread through one of the loops and then continue crocheting along those loops as normal.
