^ Learn Crochet index page – Previous: Ami Elements
What next? Of course, the previous page is about amigurumi, and there is more on granny squares elsewhere on the site. However, if you have mastered everything through page 6: working in the round, you have a lot of options. Here is a non-exhaustive list, with links to learn more.
- Additional crochet stitches
There are a lot of crochet stitches and stitch patterns. Three that should be useful and quite accessible are triple crochet, spike stitch, and crab stitch, also called reverse single crochet (Mooglyblog has video tutorials for triple crochet and crab stitch). Triple crochet is the step after double crochet in increasing stitch height: add another yarn over before inserting the hook. Spike stitch is a decorative stitch where the height increases in a way, by reaching down to a lower row to insert the hook. Crab stitch is an edging stitch, made toward your hook hand instead of the usual direction, but otherwise essentially similar to single crochet.
For more, stitch dictionaries are useful and plentiful; you may be able to find a good one at a local secondhand book store. Online stitch dictionaries are in short supply, but I found a few. About.com has one split out into several pages. Crochet N More has one without any pictures, in one long page. Finally, New Stitch a Day has one blog archive style: it’s not in any particular order, but it has photos.
- Aran crochet and crocheted cables
By “cables” in crochet I mean the ones that mimic knit cables; you will see “crochet cable stitch” used to refer to what is also called the cross-over long dc, which, while crossed, is more of a spike stitch and does not have the knit cable look at all. This kind of cable in crochet is created with front post stitches; overlay crochet is a close relative. You can see a variety of cable patterns, including the ever popular owls, in the blocks of a Cable Crochetalong (note for each block’s pattern you have to click through to a different Ravelry pattern page). As in knitting, you get crossed cables by skipping stitches and coming back to them later. The Unraveled Mitten has a beginner crochet cable tutorial with tips – it is in US terms despite the use of “treble” instead of “triple” – which will teach you a pattern she calls a left twisting 4 strand rope cable.Aran crochet could be thought of as a broadening of cable crochet; the name comes from traditional fishing sweaters in the west of Ireland. Aran crochet is heavily textured. That includes cables, but also other designs with post stitches such as basketweave, as well as bobbles and popcorn. You can see some of these patterns in the blocks of a Aran Sampler Crochetalong; that designer also has a collection of Aran stitch pattern tutorial videos (also available for lefties).
- Beaded crochet
You can sew beads onto crochet work upon completion, of course, but beaded crochet here indicates the beads are on strands of the crochet stitches. You slide the beads up against the hook and make your stitch with the yarn behind them. There are essentially two keys that I can see: you want to string all the beads you’ll need onto your yarn or thread ahead of time, and you should be aware that in general the beads will hang on the back side of the row you stitch them into. Here’s a thorough tutorial on beaded single crochet from Crochet Spot, and another about beaded double crochet. The latter technique puts the beads on the front of the work.Futuregirl has a beaded bracelet tutorial with many photos, using single crochet; if you want to start very simply, Knot-Cha-Cha has an equally detailed tutorial for a beaded necklace, using just beaded chain stitches.
- Crocheting clothing – coming eventually
- Crocheting in nonstandard locations (one loop, post, etc)
This topic could be considered a subtopic of “additional crochet stitches,” but there are a number of stitches that differ from the standard batch only in where the hook is inserted to draw up the first loop.
Crocheting in the front loop or back loop only gives a lighter connection between the rows or rounds, along with a horizontal bar that gives a bit of a ribbed effect. The stitch is made into only one strand of the teardrop of the previous stitch instead of both. Stitch Diva has close-up photos.
Post stitches are stitches made around the vertical portion of a lower stitch (the post of the stitch), typically just one row down, instead of the top teardrop. They are typically double crochet or taller. To make a front post double crochet (FPdc), you yarn over, insert the hook from front to back through the work just to the right of the post, wrap it around the back of the post, and come out on the front of the work again just to the left of the post (left and right here are reversed if you are a left-handed stitcher). For back post double crochet (BPdc), after yarning over insert your hook from the back of the work to the front just right of the post, wrap around the front of the post, and come back out to the back of the work just to the left of the post. The insertion is clearly shown on Mon Petit Violon. Pull up a loop and complete the stitch as usual for a double crochet. The front post/back post terms refer to where the post is relative to the new stitch: in front of it or in back of it. However, they are also a helpful mnemonic because to make a front post stitch your hook stays mostly on the front of the work and to make a back post stitch it is mostly on the back. Post stitches are used for overlay crochet and crocheted cables and ribbing, as well as for general texture (e.g., basketweave stitch).
A couple of odd stitches out: JennOzkan shows a form of crochet ribbing made with rows of half double crochet in the bottom loop of its back side faux teardrop, rather than in the legitimate teardrop. Miss Abigail’s Hope Chest shows an interesting technique to make extra thick fabric by crocheting in one loop of the previous row and one loop of the row below that, essentially accordion-folding the fabric as you go.
- Crochet symbols and international terminology
Crochet is an international hobby, and is quite popular in Japan (where you will find a plethora of adorable toys and accessories) and Russia (with astonishingly intricate stitch patterns, often done in thread). Crocheted hats and baskets are found all over South and Central America. I’ve also looked at Danish crochet blogs, German crochet blogs, and of course many crochet blogs from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. While the act is the same (or similar) internationally, the language is not. Even within English the terminology is different. On the Crochet Reference page I have US versus UK terms listed (UK is also called Australian, though many Australians use US terms; I would guess Canadians are also split, perhaps with a bias toward US terms). I also link to a very complete list of crochet terms and abbreviations, for US, UK, Danish, and German patterns, from By Number 19.
That’s not much fun, though, to go through and manually translate the pattern (and Google Translate has some hilarious ideas of how to translate crochet instructions). Fortunately, there is a truly international way to convey crochet patterns: symbol diagrams. They are well-designed to remind you of the stitch in appearance, making them easier to learn, and they are laid out in rows or rounds as the stitching will happen. This is how I was able to make the kappa from a Japanese amigurumi book, though I learned with my ostrich that sometimes the pattern symbols aren’t enough! [In researching this entry I found a Japanese pattern translation guide from my little mochi with common crochet, sewing, and embroidery terms. We Love Amigurumi has a boiled down version. Definitely could have used one of those.]
Anyway. Perhaps the best introduction to symbol crochet is CraftyMinx’s Crochet School Lesson 21. Granny’s Garret walks you through a more complicated design. There’s a quick reference on the For Dummies site, and fewer stitches but with photos and instructions at Hass Design.
I am not as familiar with Russian crochet, given my taste toward amigurumi, but they appear to use slightly different crochet symbols. See Crochet Knit Unlimited for an explanation.
Once you can read symbols here is a free e-book of 300 stitch patterns, with photo of finished work and symbol diagram only.
- Crochet with wire
Wire is tricky because it resists your attempts to reshape it, and can be difficult to keep a grip on. The fact that it resists shape changing also makes it hard to undo mistakes. On the bright side, you can “block” it quite thoroughly and probably fix or hide most mistakes. You’ll want a much larger hook than you would use for thread (I used a size 1 steel hook for my first adventures in wire crochet but I think it would have been better with a larger one), and it should be metal – not for the wire’s sake, but for the hook’s. Plastic, wood, and bamboo hooks could be gouged by the wire.Stitch Diva Studios has a general tutorial on knitting and crocheting with wire, and Crochet Kitten has a page of wire crochet advice. Some people start wire crochet with a standard slip knot and some by twisting the ends of the wire together to secure the loop, but Diane at CraftyPod has a nice slip-knot-ish start for wire.
At Crochet Me you’ll find a pattern for a “coffeepot doily” including wire crochet advice. Two bracelet patterns with photo-heavy tutorials are at …from glitter to gumdrops and Lovely Little Life. Another nice pattern is one for daisy earrings from Thread-Bear with shaping technique and advice. Petals to Picots has an archive of lovely wire jewelry patterns.
See also Beaded crochet.
- Designing crochet patterns – coming eventually
- Foundation and extended stitches
Extended stitches are not actually that hard; they basically each add a chain underneath the stitch: after yarning over as required for the stitch and pulling up a loop thorough the previous row’s stitch, you yarn over and pull through one loop only. That leaves the same number of loops on the hook as usual, and you complete the stitch as you would had you not added the chain. Here is a very explicit set of instructions for extended single crochet (esc or exsc) from Crochet Spot and one where you can really see what the stitch looks like from Mimi Alelis. Mooglyblog has a video for extended hdc, which she says is also called alternative double crochet (alt-dc). And finally, extended double crochet instructions may be found at Ambassador Crochet. Extended stitches are a bit taller and a lot drapier than standard stitches, and so can be used to correct gauge and drape.
Foundation stitches are related but a bit more difficult. They take the place of both the starting chain and first row of a piece, or may be used to extend a row past its previous end. Futuregirl has a detailed tutorial of foundation single crochet (fsc). It is the same sequence of moves as extended single crochet, except each foundation sc is made into the previous one, by inserting the hook into the “chain” part of the stitch. I used the same method (including ch-2 to start) for foundation half double crochet making a hat. Futuregirl also has a post specific to making fsc bridges in the midst of a row, and I wrote a post about using fsc to start tube-shaped objects. There is another pictorial fsc tutorial at snuffykin’s journal followed by verbal directions for fhdc and fdc. Mooglyblog has many video and pictoral tutorials of foundation stitches, which you can get to from the one I want to highlight: increasing and decreasing in foundation stitches, which can help you with the shaped beginning of, say, ripple stitch. Playin’ Hooky has a tutorial on joining foundation single crochet to work in the round in such a way that you don’t have to go back later and sew the edge together.
Foundation stitches have a lot of room for modification, as shown by futuregirl’s comparison of different hook insertions done in preparation for making her tutorial, linked above. Foundation single crochet and two other alternatives to the starting chain are explored at Vashti’s Crochet Pattern Companion.
- Freeform crochet
Freeform is a crochet style that dispenses not only with patterns, but with most standard crochet approaches. The stitches are the same, though there may be heavier use of dimensional and textural stitches, but they may be made anywhere the crocheter pleases, with multiple yarns, unusual yarn/hook combinations, and with or without repetition or symmetry, as the stitcher pleases. Switch back and forth between working in the round and in rows, join new yarns willy-nilly, leave loops unworked and come back to them later – or not, stitch across the surface of your fabric, twist a piece before continuing your stitching, whatever you please. Renate Kirkpatrick shows an example in the form of a quick freeform tutorial. Freeform crochet can be done all in one piece or by creating motifs (or “scrumbles”) and joining them together after, a method that makes it an extension of Irish crochet. Gwen Blakley Kinsler has a discussion of freeform and its history that highlights the connection to Irish crochet. Susan Lombardo has a lovely reflection on the act of freeform stitching.
Carla Barrett has a freeform scarf tutorial where she discusses choosing yarn for color and texture, as well as the approach to stitching. Renate Kirkpatrick has tutorials for dimensional ways to begin crochet (scroll down) and a variety of surface embellishments good for freeform crochet. Snovej has tutorials for spirals (simpler spirals are linked from that page) and a nautilus shell. Dimensional and textural crochet stitches include bullion, cluster stitches (bobble, puff, pineapple, popcorn), crocodile and its vertical version, post stitches and spike stitches.
See also Additional crochet stitches.
- Irish crochet
Irish crochet is a form of lace-making where individual thread crochet motifs are joined together with a netting. The crochet stitches for motifs are typically made around a padding cord to give them more dimension, and may also have loose, layered parts such as petals. The netting may be simply chains and slip stitches, or embellished with picots or a stitch known as the Clones knot. Irish Crochet Together has a description of the art with some history.
The blog Crochet Thread has an introduction and tutorial for Irish crochet, with links to patterns and suggested resources. She particularly recommends the Antique Pattern Library for both instruction and patterns. Vintage instructions for the Clones knot may be found on Walnut Baby and French-Knots. Tutorials for both motifs and techniques are available from Irish Crochet Lace. Knitting and Crocheting Smart has a page on making a skirt with Irish crochet.
- Novelty yarn
Novelty yarn is essentially anything that’s not a smooth strand. Each one is tricky in its own way: some tangle, some split or snag the hook, some make it extremely difficult to see what you’ve done. Be warned that the hairy ones can present a choking hazard for pets and young children as they tend to shed, at least for a while.
Novelty yarns tend to be used with larger hooks than a like-sized smooth yarn would be. Fluffy or hairy yarns are hard to stitch tightly, and don’t need to be, since the fuzz fills the gaps; yarn with gaps in it is typically used to make items that are open and lacy. Here are some links with more specific advice. Yahoo Voices has a post on novelty yarn generally. Hairy (eyelash) yarn is common for amigurumi; I have some advice there, as well as advice from Crochet Spot and PlanetJune. Boucle yarn is nubby and/or loopy; I didn’t find so many pieces of advice but I did find discussion of its use at Go Crochet and Wind Rose Fiber Studio. Finally, some comments on ribbon yarn from the Mad Crocheter. Necklaces made from chains of a particular kind of ribbon yarn, called trellis or ladder yarn, seem popular, but I’ve found no advice on working with that hole-full yarn.
See also Thread and ribbon crochet.
- Overlay crochet
Overlay crochet is a technique that produces flat but multi-layered motifs in the round, originally developed, named, and popularized by Melody MacDuffee. The finished products can look like mandalas, hex signs, and stained glass. In its fullest version the “background” is stitched in back loops only and the front loops are used to stitch outer-round colors into the inner rounds either by chains connecting them or by very long stitches. Those stitches need not be only in the unused front loops; they may be front post stitches. When a long stitch is made around the post of another long stitch of the same color, they merge visually and seem to become one long braid. Overlay projects are often done on a small scale to make jewelry.
I posted a number of links to overlay crochet patterns and the result of my first overlay project, which also included advice and a pattern review.
- Slip stitch crochet (Bosnian crochet)
This is crochet made entirely with slip stitches. It is difficult mostly because there are four basic stitches: slip stitch as usual in front loop or back loop only, and inverse stitches which are begun by inserting your hook back to front through the back loop or front loop only before completing the stitch as usual. The difficulty over standard crochet is getting used to that and keeping track, as well as keeping your stitch from being overly tight. When worked with typical crochet hook/yarn pairings, it seems it is a very dense, stiff fabric, suitable for mittens to work outside in. When worked with larger hooks than would be typical for crochet, though, the result is finer and drapier than most crochet, much more like knitted fabric. The best single page I’ve found for slip stitch crochet is on Mmatildas virkstad; the author has several patterns available both for free and cost. Hillevis Tradar has a discussion of the art with some examples. A Yarnified Life has several pages of stitch patterns and tutorials, though it does not appear to be maintained any longer. Mrs. Micawber has some clear patterns for slip stitch crochet: Squiggledy dishcloth (introductory level), Ribbonberry cowl (more advanced) and ways to use that stitch pattern for mitts and leg warmers. More slip stitch crochet links may be found on a Pinterest board by Astrid Johanne.
- Tapestry crochet
Tapestry crochet is the name Carol Ventura has given to the advanced color work she studies and designs. It is frequently done in thread so as to get more detail in a given amount of space. While she is certainly not the only person to do intense color work in crochet, her website is the best resource I have found on the topic. Note particularly the tutorial category on her blog, specifically posts about eliminating wrong sides of stitches, with their messy color transitions, and dealing with yarn strands twisting around each other. The main page has free patterns and special graph paper better suited to crochet color design than the standard squares.
- Teaching crochet
You’ll find my explanations of crochet in the Learn Crochet series here. My approach (especially in the single crochet section) was strongly influenced by the thoughts of ARNie at Crochet Coalition. She also has her syllabus posted.
Class, of course, is much abridged from the materials online. I cover basic vocabulary and tell them about the two most common shapes of yarn hooks and two hook holds, I show them how I hold my yarn but tell them not to stress about that yet, and then we dive in with slip knot and chain stitch. I don’t spend time on patterns that can be made just with slip stitch and chain stitch, because with limited time I want to get right into single crochet. We start with single crochet into a chain ring and then around in the spiral, which teaches them the creation of the stitch and how to make it into a previous sc before we begin working in rows with a starting chain. Besides the advice not to be particular about yarn hold, I have two others for crochet teaching: let them make stitches badly as long as they’re not made wrongly, and if a student really isn’t getting it, try moving on. I had a student struggle with chain but click with single crochet, after which she could make chains easily. On the first note, if you try to mandate every stitch be made well, not just correctly, your class will move far too slowly for student happiness. There are a number of pages online with crochet teaching advice, though many of them are pretty superficial. The best of the bunch, in my opinion, is at Crochet Spot.
To prepare yourself for teaching, pay close attention to what you do when you stitch – every last motion. If you’re not completely hopeless with your non-dominant hand, teach yourself to crochet with it. This will help you remember the difficulties of learning as well as be useful should you have students who want to use that hand.
On a more general level, I’ve written posts about what in-person craft classes offer over self-guided online materials and books and about more specific craft teaching advice.
- Thread and ribbon crochet
Thread, embroidery floss, and ribbon share the trait of being completely inelastic. With yarn you can squeeze your hook into small spaces because the yarn will stretch a bit, but not with these materials. Thread off a spool and ribbon also both want to coil up as you work. You can alleviate that a bit by unwinding them in advance; with thread you can re-wind it into a ball (of sorts) by holding the end you will be working with between your thumb and palm and then winding the thread around your first two fingers. I do this with embroidery floss and find I always want to wrap in circles that are vertical when my fingers are horizontal, even though my fingers may not be totally perpendicular to the circles. This means it ends with a double-finger-sized hole all the way through the ball. For ribbon you can concoct an unspooling device (with a dowel or knitting needle as an axle, stuck through the sides of a small box) or resign yourself to smoothing it every couple of stitches. Thread is so thin that strong light is vital. I found it was very easy to make unintentional increases when working with thread because each stitch took up so little room on the previous round’s stitch. Finally, with embroidery floss, the main danger is splitting the floss with your hook.
I wrote a lot of advice for working with embroidery floss into the first, third, and fourth posts of a tutorial series on making miniature yarn trees decorated with embroidery floss ornaments.
For thread crochet I have used a size 10 steel hook (1.3 mm), and for embroidery floss crochet I started with a size 1 (2.75mm) hook and later moved down to a size 4 (2mm). I’ve done only a little bit of ribbon crochet, but the general sense I get is to use a hook that’s a bit larger than you might think you want. You’ll find my thread and ribbon crochet posts sharing a category. I was unable to find any site about ribbon crochet, but there is a wonderful one on all aspects of thread crochet. If you want to see the extremes thread crochet can be taken to, visit Su Ami’s shop. Tiny animals!
- Tunisian crochet (Afghan crochet) – coming eventually