Double crocheting is simply a way to make your stitch taller than a single or a half-double crochet. There's also a triple crochet, but I digress... The double crochet goes like this:

the double crochet

1. Looking at your stitches, you'll see that they look like Vs. Turn your chain over so that you see the back of your stitch. You'll see little bumps that are called the "butt". This is where you're going to insert your hook. Who knew crocheting could be so scandalous?
2. Count to the fourth butt in. Hook your yarn around your needle like you did with the chain and insert your hook through that butt.
   
3. Hook your needle around the yarn again and pull it through the butt. You should have three loops on your needle.
   
4. Hook the yarn again and pull that through two of your loops. You should have two loops on your needle now.
   
5. Hook for the last time and pull through the remaining two loops.
   

Continue to double crochet across the chain until you come to the end. Turn the piece so that the start is in your dominant hand.

You may be wondering why you had to count in to the fourth butt at the beginning. This is because a double crochet is about three chains high. Going into the fourth butt makes the edge of the garment high enough for the stitch. This first stitch will be the edge, or "wall", of the crotch. Isn't that odd? The butts are what make up the crotch...

Since this is row one and you are crocheting into a chain here, that step was necessary. In the rest of the rows (about ten more for the crotch) you won't have to insert into the fourth butt. However, there is still a step to take to begin the height of the stitch.

• For rows two through ten you'll want to begin each row by chaining three chains.
• After chaining three, hook your yarn, insert your hook into the first butt and start double crocheting! You know what to do! GO! GO! GO!

Continue with this for about ten rows. This number isn't set in stone. You can hold the piece up to yourself or to your favorite bikini bottom to check the size.