I recently came across this free blanket pattern on Raji's Craft Hobby, and I wanted to try the pattern stitch. It looks a lot like crazy stitch, but with a stronger vertical line, thanks to the clusters in every other row. So I grabbed some leftover Red Heart from Ye Olde Huge Blanket that I made last year, and started swatching! While I like the look of the stitch as photographed in the pattern, I did not like how open it was when I worked it up. Still, I played around with it a bit, came up with a variation I liked, and started making a scarf.
Here's what I did:
Ch an odd multiple of 2. This pattern stitch is worked over a multiple of 4 plus 1, but you need an additional stitch for the turning chain on the first row.
Row 1: sc1 in 2nd ch from hook, *ch2, dc3 in same st as sc, sk 3, sc1 in next st, rep from * across. Turn
Row 2: ch2, 1 dc last sc of prev row, *ch1, 1 sc in next ch2 space, ch1, 3dc cluster in next sc, rep from * across, ending with 1 dc in final sc. Turn
Row 3: ch1, 1 sc in final dc of prev row, ch2, dc3 in ch1 sp, *sk the next 3 sts (skip the sc, ch1, and cluster), (sc1, ch2, dc3) in the next ch1 sp, rep from * across, ending with sc1 in the last dc of previous row. Ignore the Row 2 turning ch.
Rep rows 2 and 3 as desired.
Because this stitch involves clusters and double crochets that are a bit squished, I think it works best using a hook slightly larger than I would normally choose for a given yarn. In this case, I'm using a J when I would normally use an I.
The interesting thing is that the resulting fabric slants a bit, rather than forming a neat rectangle. I think that's fine on a scarf, but I would not choose this stitch for a blanket or a sweater that's worked flat. I might experiment with working this stitch in the round in the future.
This post has been linked to Your Moment, Busy Monday, Wonderful Wednesday, The Stitchin' Mommy, and Thursday Favorite Things.
Comments