Crochet Tutorials
Ready for a new crochet stitch, technique, or pattern? You’re in the right place! Browse all the crochet tutorials, or select a category from the dropdown menu. What will you learn today?
Wrap-Around Single Crochet Edging
Add a lovely finish to your crochet projects with a wrap-around single crochet edging! It all starts with a normal single crochet. Then a backward slip stitch twists the single crochet back over the edge and locks it in place, creating a decorative, wrapped edge that looks good on both sides!
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Pattern Coming Soon!
I’m working on a new cowl pattern that uses this edging. Check back here next week for the link!
Wrap-Around Single Crochet
Join your edging yarn and chain 1 as you normally would to start working in single crochet.
Single Crochet – Make a single crochet as normal: Insert your hook as desired, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops on your hook.
Backward Slip Stitch – Next, insert your hook from back to front through exactly the same place as for the single crochet.
Yarn over and pull that yarn through the fabric and through the loop on your hook, as for a slip stitch.
Chain 1 – Finish the stitch and return everything to the correct height and position by working a chain.
Continue in this manner across your work!
A Note About Gauge
The wrap-around single crochet stitch is wider than a normal/basic stitch. If you work your stitches too close together, they will ruffle.
When working into the tops or bottoms of stitches, you can skip a stitch every so often to spread things out more. I find that working 2 stitches and then skipping 1 works well for me. You may find a different ratio that works better for you.
You can also use a smaller hook and/or thinner yarn to tighten the gauge without skipping stitches.
Wrap-Around Single Crochet Edging Video Tutorial
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Eastern Cottonwood Leaf Crochet Tutorial
Crochet a lovely autumn leaf with this Eastern Cottonwood Leaf crochet tutorial! Follow along, step by step, with the free written pattern and chart.
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Eastern Cottonwood Leaf Pattern
This video tutorial is designed to be used along with the written pattern. You will find all the stitch counts, notes, and other pattern details in the written version.
Eastern Cottonwood Leaf Video Tutorial
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Sugar Maple Leaf Crochet Tutorial
Crochet a lovely autumn leaf with this Sugar Maple Leaf crochet tutorial! Follow along, step by step, with the free written pattern and chart.
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Sugar Maple Leaf Pattern
This video tutorial is designed to be used along with the written pattern. You will find all the stitch counts, notes, and other pattern details in the written version.
Sugar Maple Leaf Video Tutorial
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Elm Leaf Crochet Tutorial
Crochet a quick and easy autumn leaf with this Elm Leaf crochet tutorial! Follow along, step by step, with the free written pattern and chart.
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Elm Leaf Pattern
This video tutorial is designed to be used along with the written pattern. You will find all the stitch counts, notes, and other pattern details in the written version.
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Primrose Stitch Square Tutorial
Grow a garden ringed with delicate crochet blossoms! The Primrose Garden Square pattern is equally delightful in one color or many. Get the free written pattern and follow along with this Primrose Stitch Square tutorial.
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Primrose Garden Square pattern
This video tutorial is designed to be used along with the written pattern. You will find all the stitch counts, notes, and other pattern details in the written version.
Primrose Stitch Square video tutorial
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Halloween Cauldron Crochet Tutorial
Add this mini crochet cauldron to your Halloween, Mabon, or Samhain decorations! Get the free written pattern and follow along with this Halloween Cauldron crochet tutorial.
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Halloween Cauldron pattern
This video tutorial is designed to be used along with the written pattern. You will find all the stitch counts, notes, and other pattern details in the written version.
Halloween Cauldron video tutorial
Want to jump to a specific section? Click on the timestamp below to go directly to that spot in the video! These links open on YouTube, in a new window or tab.
- 00:00 Intro
- 00:33 Materials
- 00:57 Round 1
- 02:01 Round 2
- 03:31 Round 3
- 04:04 Round 4
- 07:43 Round 5
- 08:43 Round 6
- 09:59 Rounds 7-9
- 10:27 Rounds 10 & 11
- 12:18 Round 12
- 16:45 Round 13
- 17:27 Round 14
- 18:13 Round 15
- 20:44 Stuffing
- 21:31 Options
- 22:17 Alternative Handles
- 23:15 Optional Cover
- 27:44 Top Handle
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Holiday Sparkle Dog Bandana Crochet Tutorial
Crochet a sparkly, striped bandana to slide over your dog’s collar! Get the free written pattern in 6 sizes, and follow along with this Holiday Sparkle Dog Bandana crochet tutorial.
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Holiday Sparkle Dog Bandana pattern
This video tutorial is designed to be used along with the written pattern. You will find stitch counts for each size, as well as notes and other pattern details in the written version.
Holiday Sparkle Dog Bandana video tutorial
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Shapeshifter Square Crochet Tutorial
A triangle, a circle, and then a square. Crochet a fun and exciting square of constantly shifting shapes! Get the free written pattern, and follow along with this Shapeshifter Square crochet tutorial.
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Shapeshifter Square pattern
This video tutorial is designed to be used along with the written pattern. You will find stitch counts for each round, as well as notes and other pattern details in the written version.
Featured in this video – Caron One Pound Yarn
Yarnspirations provided the Caron One Pound Yarn for this design. The colors I chose are 10546 Midnight Blue, 10611 Ocean, 10523 Azure, and 10616 Soft Gray Mix.
Shapeshifter Square video tutorial
Want to jump to a specific section? Click on the timestamp below to be taken to that spot in the video! These links open on YouTube, in a new window or tab.
- 00:45 Triangle – Round 1
- 03:45 Triangle – Round 2
- 07:28 Circle – Round 3
- 11:34 Circle – Round 4
- 17:24 Circle – Round 5
- 20:56 Circle – Round 6
- 27:39 Square – Round 7
- 29:55 Square – Round 8
- 36:40 Square – Round 9
- 40:27 Square – Round 10
- 46:58 Border – Round 11
- 48:32 Border – Round 12
- 52:00 Sizing Options
- 52:33 Border – Round 13
- 53:55 Border – Round 14
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Crochet Spike Stitch Tutorial
Dip down into previous rows and draw up a crochet spike stitch! You can work almost any crochet stitch as a spike stitch. Learn how in this tutorial.
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What is a Spike Stitch?
What defines a stitch as a spike stitch is where you put your hook. A crochet spike stitch is placed below where you would normally make a stitch. It can be one row below or several.
Where to Put Your Hook
This is the part that gets confusing sometimes, because it can be worded in different ways. Pay attention to the syntax of the instructions.
“Next stitch x rows below”
If the instructions say “below” without anything after it, you can add the words “where your hook is” to the end. So “next stitch 2 rows below” becomes “next stitch 2 rows below where your hook is”.
This means the next stitch you would normally work into is actually the “next stitch 1 row below”.
“X rows below the next stitch”
Sometimes instructions will say something like “below the next stitch” or “below the next chain space”. In this case, you don’t have to add any words. The instructions are telling you where to start counting from. Instead of counting from the hook, you start counting from the indicated stitch, space, or whatever the instructions state.
So “2 rows below the next stitch” is the same thing as “3 rows below (where your hook is).” Note that in the illustration I used a random stitch and not actually the next stitch, just to make it easier to see.
How to Crochet a Spike Stitch
Once you’ve determined where your hook goes, you’re ready to crochet your spike stitch! Almost any stitch can be worked as a spike stitch. The “spike” part refers to the drawing up of the loop from below, and the rest of the stitch name tells you what stitch to make. So a spike dc is a double crochet drawn up from below.
Draw up the loop
First, do anything you would normally do before drawing up a loop. For a spike double crochet, do a yarn over first, just like you would for a normal double crochet. For a spike single crochet, there’s nothing to do first, just insert your hook.
Then insert your hook in the indicated stitch or space. It should go exactly where you would normally work into that stitch or space, for example under the top 2 loops for a regular stitch. You’ll probably see the legs of a previous stitch already coming out of that same spot.
Stick your hook all the way through to the back of the work, then yarn over and pull up a loop. This will make the yarn wrap around your fabric, encasing any stitches above the spike stitch.
Pull that loop up nice and big to the top of the fabric. It should be at the height it would normally be at for a regular stitch. This loop is what makes the stitch a spike stitch.
Finish the stitch
Now finish the stitch as you normally would. For a double crochet this means [yarn over and pull through 2 loops on your hook] twice.
If you’re working a more complex stitch, like a puff stitch or cluster, you may need to pull up more loops. Every time you need to pull up a loop, do it in the indicated stitch below and make sure to pull it up nice and big like you did the first time.
Skip a stitch
The instructions should specify whether or not to skip the stitch above your spike stitch, i.e. the stitch that is encapsulated inside your spike stitch. If it doesn’t specifically say, assume that you are to skip that stitch, and continue your pattern from the next stitch.
Try it out!
Now that you know how to crochet a spike stitch, try out your new skills on this Patio Chair Caddy pattern! It uses spike half double crochets for an all-over texture.
Crochet Spike Stitch Video Tutorial
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Jacob’s Ladders in Knitting and Crochet
Jacob’s Ladders add bold texture to any project. See a few different ways of making the necessary loops in both crochet and knitting, then learn how to chain those loops together to form the ladder.
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What is a Jacob’s Ladder?
A Jacob’s ladder starts with a series of loops. These loops are then chained together to form a thick braid on the surface of your fabric.
Making the loops
Almost any method of making loops will work for Jacob’s ladders.
Crochet loops
In crochet, you can make several chains between two stitches. Making a chain loop on every row or every alternate row is a common way of forming a vertical ladder.
Very tall stitches also work well. A row of tall stitches make a horizontal ladder across the row. You can make every stitch tall, or separate your tall stitches with shorter ones in between.
Knit loops
The simplest way to make knit loops is to knit the same stitch multiple times in a row. The effect is the same as making a crochet chain.
Knit the stitch as normal, then put your other needle into the stitch and knit it again. Repeat until you have the length you want.
Binding off and casting on stitches every few rows is another option. Try I-cord loops to create even chunkier Jacob’s Ladders.
Arranging the Loops
Jacob’s ladders require a little advance planning. Where you place the loops, how big the loops are, and how much space there is between them all make a difference in the final look.
Separate loops with plain rows or stitches to make each section of the ladder longer. Longer loops make a chunkier, puffier ladder. For a super wide ladder, add extra stitches behind each loop so that it spans a wider distance.
The loops don’t have to be placed in straight rows. Make diagonal lines, zig zags, or even curves by shifting where you place each successive loop. You can even make multiple lines of loops and cross them over each other to make cables, like I did in this Jacob’s Ladder Cabled Throw.
Forming Jacob’s Ladders
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Once you have the loops arranged as you like them, forming a Jacob’s ladder is easy. Simply pull each successive loop through the one before it as though making a chain.
For a neat, closed bottom, give the first loop a 1/2 twist. You can twist in either direction, but probably want to be consistent across a project.
Then pull the 2nd loop through the first one.
Continue pulling each loop through the one before it. Each loop will secure the one before it, just like links in a chain.
Hold the final loop in place with a stitch marker until you are ready to secure it.
Securing Jacob’s Ladders
After forming a Jacob’s ladder, the final loop needs to be secured in some way. If it is not, then the whole chain can unravel. One common way of securing Jacob’s ladders is to slip stitch into the top loop on the next row.
You can also simply sew the loop in place with a bit of yarn.
Try it out!
Now that you know how to form Jacob’s Ladders, try out your new skills on this Tropical Stripes Market Bag pattern! It uses a Jacob’s ladder to reinforce each corner of the bag.
I also used Jacob’s Ladders in:
- Dreaming of Pinwheels Blanket
- Jacob and Julia Bracelet
- Accidental Beanie
- Jacob’s Ladder Edging Tutorial
Jacob’s Ladders Video Tutorial
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