What Does BLO Mean in Crochet? Back Loop Only Explained
When you are following a crochet pattern and see the letters BLO, you might wonder what they mean. BLO stands for back loop only, and it is a simple but powerful technique that changes the texture and stretch of your fabric. Understanding it opens up ribbing, knit like textures, and neat folds in your crochet. This guide explains what BLO means, how to do it, and when patterns use it. It is part of the crochet basics.
What BLO Stands For
BLO is the abbreviation for back loop only. It is an instruction telling you where to insert your hook when you make a stitch. Normally, you work under both of the two loops at the top of a stitch, but for back loop only you work under just one of them, the back loop. This small change has a big effect on the fabric, which is why patterns call for it. You will also see it alongside other abbreviations in our crochet abbreviations guide.
Understanding the Two Top Loops
To understand BLO, look at the top of any crochet stitch, where you will see two loops sitting side by side and forming a small V shape. The loop closer to you is the front loop, and the loop farther from you is the back loop. Usually your hook goes under both loops to make the next stitch. For back loop only, your hook goes under just the back loop, the one farther away. Learning to see these two loops clearly, a skill that also helps with counting stitches, makes BLO easy to work.
How to Crochet Back Loop Only
Working back loop only is simple once you can spot the loops. When you come to make a stitch, instead of inserting your hook under both top loops, insert it under only the back loop, the one farther from you, and then complete the stitch as normal. The front loop is left unworked. Do this across a whole row or round wherever the pattern says BLO. It feels slightly different at first because you are catching only one loop, but it quickly becomes natural.
What BLO Does to the Fabric
Working in the back loop only changes the fabric in two ways. First, the unused front loops are left on the surface as raised horizontal ridges, giving a lined, textured look. Second, the fabric becomes stretchier and more flexible than fabric worked under both loops. These two effects together are what make back loop only so useful, especially for creating ribbing, which is why the rib stitch is often made by working single or half double crochet in the back loop only.
BLO vs FLO
You may also come across FLO, which stands for front loop only. It is the mirror image of BLO: instead of working under the back loop, you work under the front loop, the one closer to you. Both leave the unused loop as a ridge, but on opposite sides of the fabric, so the ridges from BLO and FLO appear on different faces. Patterns use whichever gives the effect they want. Knowing both terms, listed in the crochet terms every beginner should know, lets you follow any pattern confidently.
When Patterns Use BLO
Patterns use back loop only for several purposes. The most common is creating stretchy ribbing for hat brims, cuffs, and waistbands, where the stretch and ridges are exactly what you want. It is also used to give a knit like texture to a whole fabric, to add decorative ridge lines, and in amigurumi to make a crisp fold where a shape changes direction, such as where a base meets the sides. Whenever you see BLO, the designer wants that particular ridged, flexible effect. Now that you know what it means, you can work it with confidence and explore more terms in the crochet basics.