Stitch Swatch Sampler Swatch 15: Solid Shell Stitch

SWATCH 15:  SOLID SHELL STITCH

The Shell Stitch is a staple stitch in crochet.  It creates a unique pattern and texture in the fabric.

Ch 15 (multiple of 6, plus 3)

Row 1:  Sc in 3^rd st from hook and in each st across.  Turn.  13 sts.

Row 2:  Ch 1, sc in first st, [sk 2 sts, 5 dc (=shell) in next st, sk 2 sts, sc in next st] 2 times.  Turn.

Row 3:  Ch 3, 2 dc in same st as ch, sk 2 sts, sc in next st, sk 2 sts, shell in next st, end sk 2 sts, sc in next st, sk 2 sts, 3 dc in last st.  Turn.

Rep Rows 2-3 twice more.

Last Row:  Ch 1, sc in first st, (hdc in next st, dc in next 3 sts,  hdc in next st, sc in next st) 2 times.  Break off.

Abbreviations:  Ch  Chain  sc  single crochet  st(s)  stitch(es)  sk  skip  dc  double crochet  

                           Rep  repeat  hdc  half double crochet

Solid Shell Stitch Pro Tips:

• I have added an "evening" row at the top to counter the wavy nature of this stitch.  If you choose to use this stitch for another project where a straight edge is not essential, you may want to omit the last row.

Stitch Swatch Sampler Swatch 14: Crunch Stitch

SWATCH 14:  CRUNCH STITCH

This stitch has a pleasing overall “mountain-peak”  texture, and a reversible nature.  It uses a combination of half double crochet and slip stitch, alternating across each row.

Crunch Stitch

Ch 16 (multiple of 2, plus 2 turning chains)

Row 1 (Border Row):  Sc in 3rd ch and in each st across row.  Turn work.  14 sts.

Row 2:  Ch 2 (counts as hdc), sl st in second st, *hdc in next st, sl st in next st. Rep from * across                       row.  Turn work.

Rep Row 2 until piece measures 3 3/4 inches.

Last Row (Border Row):  Ch 1, sc in each st across.

Abbreviations:  Ch  Chain  sc  single crochet  st(s)  stitch(es)  hdc half double crochet  sl st  slip stitch               Rep  repeat

Crunch Stitch Pro Tips:

• ·         Note that, starting with Row 2, each row has a peaked look (See photo, below).  Between the peaks, there are valleys that look like a little “V”.  The tops of the stitches form the sides of the “V”.  When you work this stitch, except for the border rows, you will always be working s sl st into the right side of the “V”, where the stitch slants down to the left (red arrow in second photo), and a hdc into the left side, where the stitch slants up to the left (blue arrow).  See photo, below.
• ·         You will be working into the tops of the stitches of the last row, which form a chain going from left to right, slightly to the back of the fabric
• ·         As for some of the other stitches we have explored, turn the work to the back, not like you would the page of a book.
• ·         You can work this swatch without the border rows if you prefer…but the top and bottom edges may be wavy.  If you like this effect, go for it!

Crunch Stitch in progress

Where to work the sl st (red arrow) and the hdc (blue arrow)

Stitch Swatch Sampler Swatch 13: Herringbone Half Double Crochet

SWATCH 13:  HERRINGBONE HALF DOUBLE CROCHET

Herringbone Half Double Crochet

 This stitch will add an interesting texture to your finished project.  You may find it a bit fiddly to do, but the texture it creates just may be worth it.  Give it a try and see!  It is created similarly to the half double crochet, but instead of working a yarn over, drawing a loop through the stitch, and then drawing a new loop through the remaining stitches on the hook, the loop that has been drawn up in the stitch is drawn through the first loop on the stitch, then a new loop is drawn through the remaining 2 loops.  See instructions below.

Ch 14 (multiple of 1, plus 2 turning chains)

Row 1:  HBhdc in 4^th ch  and in each st across row.  Turn work.  12 sts.

Row 2:  Ch 2 (counts as st), HBhdc in next st and in each st across row.  Turn work.

Rep Row 2 until piece measures 4 inches.

To work the Herringbone Half  Double Crochet:  Yo, draw up loop in st, immediately draw loop through first loop on hook, yo and draw through last 2 loops on hook.

Abbreviations:  Ch  chain  HBhdc  Herringbone half double crochet  st  stitch  Rep  repeat  

                           yo  yarn over

Herringbone Half  Double Crochet Pro Tips:

·              When turning the work, turn the right edge of the swatch to the back, then to the left.  This seems to create a smoother edge on almost every stitch I have tried.

·                Note that, unlike most other stitches we have done, you do not yo after drawing the loop through the stitch of the previous row.  Just draw that same loop through the first of the two loops on the hook, then yo and draw through the two remaining loops.

·                 Experiment with the position of your hook as you draw it through the stitch and the first loop on the hook.  It may be possible to find just the right position to do this in one fluid swoop; otherwise, draw through the stitch and the loop on the hook in separate motions.  I find that turning the hook so the opening faces the previous stitch is the most advantageous position.

s

Stitch Swatch Sampler Swatch 12: Half Double Crochet

SWATCH 12:  HALF DOUBLE CROCHET

Swatch 12:  Half Double Crochet

Half double crochet can be a little trickier to work than the other stitches, because you are drawing your loop through more loops on the hook as you work it.  But if this stitch is new to you, you will find that you will develop a “feel” for it, and it will become comfortable with practice.

To work a half double crochet:  Yo hook, insert hook into next st, draw up loop in st, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook.

Ch 15 (multiple of 1, plus 2 turning chains)

Row 1:  Hdc in 4^th ch  and in each st across row.  Turn work.

Row 2:  Ch 2 (counts as st), hdc in next st and in each st across row.  13 sts.  Turn work.

Rep Row 2 until piece measures 4 inches (My swatch has 10 rows).  Break off; weave in ends.

Abbreviations:  ch  chain  dc   st(s)  stitch(es)   hdc  half double crochet  Rep  repeat   yo  yarn over hook

Half Double Crochet Pro Tips:

• ·         When drawing the hook through 3 loops, make sure the open part of the hook is facing down (toward the starting chain), not toward you.  This will allow the hook to slide through all 3 loops more easily, without catching on them.
• ·         When turning work, bring the right side of the work to the back, then to the left instead of turning the work as though you were turning a page in a book.  This just makes a nicer edge in my opinion…try it and see which you like better.
• ·         Be sure to work your last stitch of the row into the turning chain, not into the top of a stitch.  This will create a smoother selvedge edge.

Stitch Swatch Sampler Swatch 11: Step Stitch

SWATCH 11:  STEP STITCH

This stitch uses front and back post dc’s to create a diagonal step design in the fabric.

Ch 16 (Multiple of 6 plus 2, plus 2 turning chains)

Row 1:  Dc in 4^th ch from hook and in each ch across.  Turn.

Row 2:  Ch 2, (fpdc in next 3 sts, bpdc in next 3 sts) twice, hdc in top of turning ch.

Row 3:  Ch 2, (fpdc in next 2 sts, bpdc in next 3 sts, fpdc in next st) twice, hdc in top of turning ch.  Turn.

Row 4:  Ch 2, (bpdc in next 2 sts, fpdc in next 3 sts, bpdc in next st) twice, hdc in top of turning ch.  Turn.

Row 5:  Ch 2, (bpdc in  next 3 sts, fpdc in next 3 sts) twice, hdc in top of turning ch.  Turn.

Row 6:  Ch 2, (fpdc in next st, bpdc in next 3 sts, fpdc in next 2 sts) twice, hdc in top of turning ch.  Turn.

Row 7:  Ch 2, (bpdc in next st, fpdc in next 3 sts, bpdc in next 2 sts) twice, hdc in top of turning ch.  Turn.

Row 8:  Rep Row 2.

Row 9:  Rep Row 3.  Break off; weave in ends.

Abbreviations:  ch  chain  dc  double crochet  fpdc  front post double crochet  bpdc  back post double crochet  st(s)  stitch(es)  pdc  post double crochet  hdc  half double crochet  Rep  repeat  yo  yarn over hook

To work a hdc:  Yo hook, insert into st, yo and draw loop through st, yo and draw through all 3 loops.

Step Stitch Pro Tips:

• ·       Note that the stitch pattern has groups of 3 fpdc’s and 3 bpdc’s for the body of the fabric.  The only place this is different is at the edges, where the diagonal lines come up against the straight selvedge edge.  So after you have worked any partial groups (1 or 2 pdc’s) at the right edge, you can happily work along in groups of 3 until you get close to the left edge.  My instructions were written to make the swatch easy to work; but if you are working a larger fabric, it may be easier to think in terms of the 3 pdc groups.
• ·       These instructions could be alternatively written using asterisks, instead of the repeated parentheses sections.  If they were written that way, Row 3 might have been written as follows: 

          Ch 2, fpdc in next 2 sts, *bpdc in next 3 sts, fpdc in next 3 sts.  Rep from * across, ending 

          bpdc in next 3 sts, fpdc in next st, hdc in last st.  This way of writing the instructions shows the 

          3-pdc repeat really well, but would have been awkward, as there would only have been one

          repeat.

• ·         See Swatch 10 instructions for how to work fpdc and bpdc sts.

Stitch Swatch Sampler Swatch 10: Basket Weave Stitch

SWATCH 10:  BASKET WEAVE STITCH

This stitch pattern uses post stitches (which are worked around the shaft of the stitch of the row below, instead of into its “head”) to create a ribbed effect.  The fabric is very textural, and creates a woven look.  See Pro Tips for instructions on how to do the fpdc and bpdc.

Basket Weave Stitch

Chain 16 (multiple of 4 plus 2, plus 2 turning chains).

Row 1:  Dc in 4^th ch from hook and in each ch across.  14 sts.

Row 2:  Ch 2 (counts as 1 st), fpdc around post of next st of row below, (bpdc over next 2 sts, fpdc over next 2 sts) 3 times.   Turn work.

Row 3:  Rep Row 2.

Row 4:  Ch 2, bpdc over next st, (fpdc over next 2 sts,  bpdc over next 2 sts) 3 times.  Turn work.

Row 5:  Rep Row 4.

Row 6:  Rep Row 2.

Row 7:  Rep Row 2.

Row 8:  Rep Row 4.

Row 9:  Rep Row 4.

At end of Row 9, break off.  Weave in ends.

Basket Weave Stitch Pro Tips:

• ·         To work a fpdc:  Yo hook; insert the hook from the front, behind the shaft or post of the stitch from right to left and out at the front.  Yo and draw a loop behind the post and back to the front again; this takes the place of drawing up a loop in the stitch of the row below.  (Yo and draw through 2 loops) twice.

Insert hook under shaft of st from front

Yo hook, draw loop around shaft of st

(Yo and draw through 2 loops) twice...the completed fpdc 

• ·         To work a bpdc:  Yo hook; starting from back of work, insert hook around the shaft or post of the st of the previous row from back, to front, and to the back again; yo and draw this loop back to the back of the work, (yo and draw through 2 loops) twice.

Insert hook around shaft of st from back

Yo hook, draw loop around shaft of st

(Yo, draw through 2 loops) twice...the completed bpdc

•  ·         This stitch can be a little confusing to work.  Keep in mind that each time you work a row a second time ( in our swatch, this would be rows 3, 5, 7 and 9), you will be working your post stitches opposite to the way they were worked on the row below.  This is because you are working on the opposite side of the fabric.  So on these rows, you will work a fpdc over each bpdc, and a bpdc over each fpdc.  In other words, you will work one row (rows 2, 4, 6 and 8) working fpdc’s over fpdc’s, and bpdc’s over bpdc’s, and the next row working fpdc’s over bpdc’s, and bpdc’s over fpdc’s.

Abbreviations:  ch  chain  dc  double crochet  st(s)  stitch(es)  fpdc  front post double crochet
                           bpdc  back post dc  rep  repeat  yo  yarn over

Ornaments of Christmas Past

As she was unpacking some of our Christmas decorations this year, my daughter was asking about some of the handmade ornaments in our collection.  In the early years of our marriage, we didn’t have a lot of ornaments for our tree, and I decided to make some crocheted and knitted ones.

I made some of them from a Leisure Arts flyer, and maybe some from an article in McCall’s Needlework & Crafts magazine.  But then I started making some little motifs from crochet pattern books that looked festive to me.  My sister-in-law gave me a pattern for some knitted bells that I liked on her tree, and I made a bunch of those as well.  I liked the fact that I could put little jingle bells in them to make them ring. 

An assortment of handmade Christmas ornaments

I think my hands-down favorite of the ornaments I made early in our marriage was one that I designed myself.  Using the idea of the knitted bells with the little jingle bells inside, I designed a crocheted Christmas bell pattern using some metallic yarn that was popular at the time.  As a special Christmas gift to my readers, and crocheters everywhere, I have written up the pattern for this crocheted Christmas bell, and it will be available for free on Ravelry and Craftsy.  Here are the links to the pattern download:
Ravelry:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/christmas-bell-ornament-6  Craftsy:  https://www.craftsy.com/crocheting/patterns/christmas-bell-ornament/667346    Enjoy!!  

Worsted Weight Bell

Sport Weight Bell from Vanna's Glamour

Thread Bell

This pattern can be made in several sizes, depending on what size of yarn you choose to use.  The worsted weight bell measures 3” tall by 3 ½” in diameter at widest point, the sport weight bell measures 1 ¼” by 2 ½”, and the thread bell measures 1 ½” by 1 ½”.  So choose your yarn weight and desired size!

Three sizes of bells

Several of these little bells would make a great wreath decoration, or use them on a garland.  They look great in a metallic yarn, as I originally used.  Use your imagination, and have fun with them.

Christmas Bell made with metallic yarn