Glossary / Slip stitch
sl stSlip stitch
The shortest crochet stitch, used to join and to move across.
Also written: ss
How to work it
Insert your hook into the next stitch, yarn over, and pull the yarn through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. Slip stitches join rounds, travel across a row without adding height, and make tidy edges. Written ss in UK patterns.
US and UK
This stitch is also called ss. Always check which term set a pattern uses before you start, since the same name can mean a different stitch across the two.
Common confusions
What does sl st mean?
In crochet patterns, sl st means Slip stitch. The shortest crochet stitch, used to join and to move across.
Is this the same as a knitting slip stitch?
No. A crochet slip stitch is a real stitch that joins rounds and travels across fabric. A knitting slip stitch simply moves a stitch from one needle to the other without working it. The abbreviation sl st appears in both crafts and means something entirely different in each.
Why can I not get my hook back into my slip stitches?
They were worked too tightly. Slip stitches have almost no height, so any extra tension locks them shut. Work them noticeably looser than feels right, or go up a hook size for a slip-stitch round, especially when joining.
In other languages
| Language | Term | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| English | Slip stitch | sl st |
| Español | Punto enano | pe |
| Deutsch | Kettmasche | Km |
| Français | Maille coulée | mc |
| Italiano | Maglia bassissima | no standard code |
| 日本語 | 引き抜き編み | no standard code |
Guides that use this stitch
Related stitches
Keep your place while you work this stitch. Worsted counts your rows and rounds and remembers your spot in the pattern, for crochet and knitting.
Get Worsted