How to: Back Post Double Crochet (BPDC)

Back Post Double Crochet (BPDC) was a bit complicated for me to pick up at first, but now that I’ve got it down, it’s just as easy as FPDC.  The trick is inserting your hook the right way into the stitch below.

For demonstration purposes I’m using a contrasting color so you can see what’s going on.

You always begin fpdc or bpdc with a foundation row of dc first.

Step 1: The white arrows are pointing to the ‘stitch below’ that into which we will be inserting our hook.  The red arrow shows the top stitches that you would normally dc into (yes, I’m technically skipping a stitch, it’s just easier to demonstrate).

This photo is from the FPDC tutorial.  Do you see how your hook goes through the stitch below, right to left?

Step 2: For BPDC, your hook goes through the back of the stitch below, right to left.

I have flipped my piece over so you can see how the hook goes through the back.

Step 3: From here it’s just like dc or FPDC: yo…

Step 4: Draw loop through the stitch below (3 loops on hook)

Step 5: Yo again…

Step 6: Draw through 2 loops, then yo and draw through remaining loops

Flipping the piece back over to the right side, you can see the finished BPDC.  It’s about half the height of a regular dc and you can see where the yarn wraps around the stitch below.

If you were to crochet an entire row of BPDC, it would look something like this.  However, it’s almost always used in conjunction with FPDC.

This is how a FPDC, BPDC row of ‘ribs’ looks.  I usually repeat it for total of three or four rows for a nice ribbed edge.

Again, the trickiest part is getting step 2 down.  Once you get that, the rest is easy.  Here’s a great video I found online if you want to see it in action.  The lovely narrator has an Australian accent – always a bonus when learning things online.  🙂  Enjoy!