Post Haste! How to Crochet Front and Back Post Stitches

Front and back post crochet stitches can be slightly intimidating. I know it actually took me a long time to really appreciate them and honestly it was because I was using the wrong size hook so they ended up looking all bunched and gross. I'd rather you love them so let's get right to it! For this tutorial it is important to have already completed a row of Double Crochet stitches.

Front Post Double Crochet (fpdc)

To create a Front Post Double Crochet or fpdc stitch, we start like a normal Double Crochet by yarn over the hook. The big difference is we will now insert our hook from right to left, from front to back, then back to front behind the "post" of the stitch in the row below.

After this we yarn over like normal and bring that loop out from behind the stitch below, and complete like a regular Double Crochet stitch. Easy!

When you look at the top of the row, the loops above the post you just worked around will still appear unworked. Do not work into those loops because the fpdc counts as working that stitch. Continue with the following stitch unless the pattern tells you otherwise.

Back Post Double Crochet (bpdc)

The Back Post Double Crochet is similar to the Front Post Double Crochet except that, you guessed it, we go around the back of the post stitch instead of the front. This one can be a little tricky with your wrist work to get the hook inserted properly but once you practice, it will get easier.

Again we start with the yarn over. Then we insert the hook from right to left, from back to front, then front to back around the back of the post from the stitch below. The post should sit behind your hook.

Once again, we yarn over, pull up a loop and complete like a normal Double Crochet stitch. This time it is also a lot easier to see the "unworked" stitch and where to go for the next stitch.

Other Post Stitches

The most common post stitches are the Front Post and Back Post Double Crochet stitches but you can also have Front Post and Back Post Single Crochet stitches as well as Half Double Crochet stitches. No need to fear. The technique is the same, but shorter stitches have shorter posts and can be slightly more difficult to work around. Insert your hook around as much of the post as you can and complete the stitch as usual.

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