Stitch Sampler Tips & Tricks

Choose the required blanket size you would like to make, if you are a beginner crocheter start with a smaller blanket size first, you can always attempt a bigger blanket afterward. The number is the stitch count per row will be the width of your blanket. 

 

 

 

1. Start with chaining the number of chains required for your blanket size according to the required stitches mentioned on the blanket, or starting chain stitches determined by your premade size swatch.
2. Chain 2 more, work 1hdc stitch in the 3rd chain from the hook, this counts as your first hdc st of your foundation row.
3. Work 1 hdc stitch into each of the chain stitches,
4. work 1 hdc into the last stitch, do not finish off the color,
5. chain 3, will count as the first stitch of the next row and the first row of your pattern, follow pattern instructions from here onwards.

Working the first row of the pattern

1. Chain 3, counts as the first dc of row 1, as mentioned in the section above,
2. Work 1 dc into each stitch of the row,
3. work 1 dc in the last stitch of the row and finish of yarn color, turn work after completing the row

Working your next row

Always start a new row on top of the last leg worked,

1. Join the new color with sl, and 1sc over tails of the previous row, 
2. follow the starting chain stitch indicated in the pattern, at the start of each row, eg, (ch3) chain 3 for the first leg of row 2, counts as first dc st,
3. follow the pattern and and take note of the pattern repeat, always remember to work one stitch into the last stitch of each row, (in row 2 the last stitch in the ch3 from row 1. ).

Working away your ends as you go along

To make life easier you can work in your tail ends as you go.

1. Fold the tail behind your work, and work stitches over your tail, like in the example above.

What do I need to know when creating a starting chain for a crochet blanket project?

I won't dive too deep into starting chain counts as all of this is available in the printable pattern available for purchase in any of my online store platforms. Here are some basics steps to take note of when creating your starting chain for your blankets :

Always check your desired pattern total stitch count and row count to ensure your blanket works to the required size.

Different row counts are required for each blanket pattern size.

See pattern information to determine row counts for your blanket size.

Note some of my patterns include resizing information based on creating a size swatch, other patterns only include one size for blanket, take note of this in pattern information and notes as I do mention which patterns include resizing information and which don't.

If you choose to use the foundation row technique you can skip the first row of written instructions and stitch diagram.

See table below for a size guide on standard crochet blanket sizes

Place the hook under the slip knot, and hook the tail to form a small loop, insert the hook back into the formed loop, pull the tail through the small loop, and tighten the tail.

It is always important to keep track of stitch counts when switching stitch patterns between rows.

Working a stitch sampler or any pattern where you have different stitches the best practice is always to know what your base row stitch is.

Example 1: 

• You need  to use 230  sts for the base row of your blanket ( pattern eg: 1 hdc st into each st of row )

1. ( (1 st = Starting chain of row (ch2)) + ( 228 x 1hdc sts is the stitches your pattern repeats within ) + (1 st for the last stitch of your row ) = 230 sts

Example 2: 

• You need  to use 230  sts for the base row of your blanket ( pattern eg: sk1, *1 x 3dc, sk2 - rep until second last st, sk1 )

1. ( (1 st = Starting chain of row (ch2)) + ( 76 x 3dc st repeats) + (1 st for the last stitch of your row ) = 230 sts

Example 3: 

• You need  to use 230  sts for the base row of your blanket ( pattern eg: sk1, *1 x 2dc, sk1 - rep until second last st, sk1 )

1. ( (1 st = Starting chain of row (ch2)) + ( 144 x 2dc st repeats ) + (1 st for the last stitch of your row ) = 230 sts

Take note of skipped stitches in the pattern diagram and in the written instructions, For this example, we will reference rows:  11,12,13 of one of my patterns as shown in the image,

• Row 11, requires  working 2 dc sts into 3dc sts of the previous row. which means row 11, requires 1 skipped stitch between 2 dc sts, 
• In row 12, a 2dc stitch is worked in the space between each of the two(2) dc stitches of the row before,  
• Always remember to chain 1 at the start of the row,  and the 1 dc into the last stitch of the row.
• Example rows 11, 12 & 13 should have the same number of 2 dc stitches in every row.

Take note of pattern instructions in the beginning and end of each row

Follow the pattern repeat, as per the written instructions, and as indicated in the diagram, Some rows starts and ends differently.

For some rows an 1 hdc is indicated for the first two stitches of the row. You will skip the 2 last stitches of the pattern and repeat, at the end of the row, be sure you work the last hdc stitch of the row.

My Mixed Crochet Stitches Sampler - Include Multiple Blanket Sizes in one Pattern, as well as a full row by row photo tutorial included in the downloadable pattern.

The tulip stitch in crochet is a beautiful, textured stitch pattern that resembles tulip petals. It's often used for making floral motifs, borders, or just adding a touch of whimsy to your projects. Here's a basic guide to crocheting the tulip stitch in a crochet stitch sampler blanket.

The tulip stitch is indicated above in the stitch diagram, alongside the written instructions for the pattern. The stitch is made over two rows, in the first you create the 'stem" of the flower, and in the second row you work the flower inside the chain spaces from the stem.

Take note to skip the first stitch after the start chain,  as indicated in the pattern:  “ skip 1 st,  * 1V-st(1dc,ch1,1dc), into next st, skip 2 sts, rep from * skip second last st, “ and show in the stitch diagram example as above.

• Take note of skipped stitches in the pattern diagram and the written instructions,
• ** Always check the first and last stitches in the written pattern and diagrams for skipped stitches, or you might have work that ends up askew.
• Stitches written in italics are stitches that are required before or after the pattern is repeated.

1. In the first row of the tulip stitch, a stitch is skipped before the pattern repeats.
2. Then, within the pattern repeat, 2 more stitches are skipped, between Vsts (1dc,ch1,1dc),     
3. **Note that the second last stitch is also skipped, before the last dc stitch of the row,

The second row of the tulip stitch is made up of 5DC popcorn stitches,

1. Start the row with ch3, then chain 1 before the pattern repeats, note the ch2 after popcorn stitch in the repeat

5dc Popcorn stitch :

1. Work 5 dc stitches in ch-sp, remove hook from work,
2. push the hook from the front into the first dc stitch, then back into the loop of the 5th dc stitch, pull the yarn,
3. secure with sc stitch, then ch2, after popcorn stitch is complete.     

Be sure to work the last ch1 after the last popcorn stitch, and the last 1dc into the last stitch, then turn the work.

Working the next row after the tulip stitch of the row 

1. Join color like before around the first leg of the row, and work the 3dc into the back loop of the popcorn stitch, The stitch pattern repeats with 3 dc into each popcorn stitch of the row, work one dc into the last stitch of the row. 
2. Take note of skipped stitches in the pattern diagram and the written instructions, this tutorial is a quick help to understand the stitches, stitches and rows that can differ between patterns and projects.

Always take note of the pattern instructions, for your project,

• sometimes the pattern requires the next row of stitches to be joined into the top of the tulip/flower/ cluster,
• sometimes other patterns can indicate working a stitch into the space between two flowers/ clusters.

6dc Shell Stitch Pattern

This pattern is worked in two rows, the first is a row of V-stitches , the second is a row of 6dc (double crochet) row.

Take note of the direction in which you are working the 6dc-shell and also take note of the skipped stitches in the pattern diagram and the written instructions, of your project.

The first row of V- Stitches

Take note of skipped stitches in the pattern diagram and the written instructions, of your project.

1. Join a new color with a slip stitch, ch3, count as the first 1dc st,
2. skip the first stitch,
3. 1 x V-Stitch, (1dc, ch1, 1dc), into next stitch,
4. * skip 2st(s), V-Stitch, (1dc, ch1, 1dc), into next stitch,
5. repeat from * until the last stitch of the row, skip the second last stitch, and work 1 dc into the last stitch.

Second row of dc-shells

1. Join a new color with a slip stitch, ch3, count as the first 1dc st,
2. *1sc into first 1ch-sp of first V-stitch from the row before,
3. 6dc-shell into next 1ch-space ,
4. repeat from * until the last 1chain-space of the V-stitch of the row before, working 1dc into the last stitch.

Take note of the direction in which you are working the 6dc-shell, sometimes 1 sc is worked into the 1ch-sp, then followed by the 6 dc-shell in the next ch-sp,  other times the 6 dc shell is worked first then followed by the 1sc into another next chain space. If you wish to work on a pattern that has shell stitches be sure to stick to uneven tows, to keep your work straight, also take note of the skipped stitches in the pattern diagram and the written instructions, of your project.

Crochet Wave Stitch Pattern

This crochet example stitch tutorial is based on working the wave stitch within a stitch sampler project, but the basics can be applied if you wish to create a blanket with only wave stitches. Wave Stitch Pattern, is made up of repeating a sequence of stitches normally from short to tall. The wave pattern normally has 3 or more rows, as the sequence of stitches alternates per row, as shown in the image and stitch diagram to the left.

In this pattern example, it is an example of ; 

• 1tr, 1dc, 1hdc, 1sc, 1hdc, 1dc, repeated into 6 sts of the previous 6 dc shell st, skipping over the sc st, from the  previous row,
• then in the next it is a repeat of 1hdc, 1dc, 1tr, 1dc, 1hdc, 1sc for the next 6 sts of the second row,
• and 1tr, 1dc, 1hdc, 1sc, 1hdc, 1dc, into next 6 sts in the 3rd row

Crochet Wave stitch Pattern example

1.  Join color, ch3, * 1dc, 1hdc, 1sc, 1hdc, 1dc,1tr, into next 6 sts, rep from * 1dc, finish off color.
2.  Join color , ch2, * 1sc, 1hdc, 1dc, 1tr, 1dc, 1hdc, into next 6 sts, rep from * 1sc , finish off color.
3. Join color, ch3, * 1dc, 1hdc, 1sc, 1hdc, 1dc,1tr, into next 6 sts, rep from * 1dc, finish off color.
4. Join color, ch2, * 1sc, 1hdc, 1dc, 1tr, 1dc, 1hdc, into next 6 sts, rep from * 1sc, finish off color.

There are many flower stitch variations available, here is a quick breakdown of the variations.

The typical pattern or the first row of the stitch pattern stays the same.

• Row 1 :  ch3, skip 1 stitch,* 1V-st, into next st, skip 2 sts, rep from *, skip last stitch, 1dc , 

• Row 2 :  ch3,ch1, * 5dc-popcorn into 1ch-sp, rep from * ,ch1 after the last popcorn stitch 1dc, 3 dc into the top of the popcorn stitch, 1dc.

Row 2 can have many variations including 6dc-cluster, Popcorn, 5 dc-cluster, and 6 or 5 dc shells, this is normally determined by the requirement of the pattern, so always take note of the pattern instructions.

Add some flower power to your pattern by using a row of V-Stitches followed by a row of 5dc-clusters.