The slip stitch symbol in crochet charts
A filled dot. Adds no height, joins everything, and is the reason a round chart closes into a circle instead of spiraling.
- US name
- Slip stitch
- UK name
- Slip stitch — same stitch
- In the editor
- Slip stitch
What it looks like in a chart
A small solid dot — the smallest mark in the whole symbol set, which is exactly right, because a slip stitch adds essentially no height to the fabric.
On a chart worked in the round you will nearly always find a dot at the end of each round, sitting on top of the round’s first stitch. That is the join: it closes the ring so the next round starts from a known point rather than spiraling onward.
How it is used
- Joining a round to its own first stitch so the round closes.
- Traveling sideways across a few stitches without adding height — common at the start of a round to move the yarn into position.
- Joining a new motif to a finished one at a chain space.
- Fastening off at the end of a piece.
Worth knowing
Both US and UK patterns call it a slip stitch. UK patterns often abbreviate it ss where US patterns write sl st; it is the same stitch.
The dot is easy to lose on a busy lace chart. If a round seems one stitch short when you count it, look for a dot tucked against the first stitch — joins are frequently drawn overlapping.
Common questions
What is the small filled dot on a crochet chart?
A slip stitch. It has almost no height, so it is drawn as a dot rather than a post. At the end of a round it marks the join back into the first stitch of that round.