The half double crochet symbol in crochet charts
A plain T. The in-between stitch, and the one exception to the "count the slashes" rule.
- US name
- Half double crochet
- UK name
- Half treble
- In the editor
- Half double crochet
What it looks like in a chart
A vertical post with a bar across the top and no diagonal slash on the post. Its height sits between the single crochet cross and the double crochet post.
Here is the rule people memorize, and the exception nobody explains: from double crochet upward, the diagonal slashes count the yarn overs — dc has one yarn over and one slash, treble has two and two, double treble has three and three. Half double crochet also takes one yarn over, but it is drawn as a plain T. The reason is that it is not really a shortened double crochet: all three loops come off the hook in a single pull rather than in two steps, and the finished stitch lands at roughly half the height. The plain T marks it as its own thing.
How it is used
- Fabric with more drape than single crochet but less openness than double crochet — hats, blankets, garment bodies.
- Transition rounds, where a motif needs to grow in height gradually rather than jumping from sc to dc.
Worth knowing
UK patterns call this a half treble (htr). The word "half" survives the translation, which makes this the easiest of the US/UK pairs to remember.
Common questions
What is the T symbol without a slash in a crochet chart?
A half double crochet (US) or half treble (UK). It is a post with a top bar and no diagonal slash, drawn shorter than a double crochet.
Why does half double crochet have no slash when it uses a yarn over?
Because the slashes distinguish the taller posts from each other, and half double crochet is not simply a short double crochet — its three loops come off the hook in one pull instead of two. The plain T marks it as a distinct stitch about half the height of a dc.