Tutorial - Diagonal Puff Stitch

Earlier, I showed you how to do the diagonal box stitch. Now here is a fun variation! The diagonal puff stitch is worked exactly in the same way as the diagonal box stitch, except that the 2nd dc of each box is replaced with a puff! With this one simple substitution, you get puffs that line up in opposite directions, creating a thick, soft fabric with great texture. Caution – this stitch is a serious yarn hog, so probably best kept for smaller projects.

First, let’s define a puff stitch (puff) as follows: YO, insert hook into specified stitch or space, and draw up a loop to the same height as your current row. Repeat this 5 more times in the same stitch or space, for a total of 13 loops. YO and draw through all 13 loops. Finish with a slip stitch to close.

Ok, now that we have that down, we’re going to work the same 3 x 5 square of diagonal box stitch that we worked in the previous tutorial, but replace “3 dc” with “dc, puff, dc” in each box.

Note: This tutorial is based on the diagonal box stitch tutorial posted earlier. For a more detailed look at the overall construction and how each row is created, please check out that tutorial first.

Row 1 creates the first box:

Row 1: Ch 6, dc in 4th ch from hook, puff in next ch, dc in next ch.

Rows 2 & 3 increase to 2 boxes and then 3 boxes:

Row 2: Ch 6, turn, dc in 4th ch from hook, puff in next ch, dc in next ch, sl st in ch 3 sp of first box, ch 3, (dc, puff, dc) in same sp.

Row 3: Ch 6, turn, dc in 4th ch from hook, puff in next ch, dc in next ch, {sl st in ch 3 sp of next box, ch 3, (dc, puff, dc) in same sp} twice.

Rows 4 & 5 stay at 3 boxes per row, neither increasing nor decreasing. This is what makes it a rectangle instead of a square:

Row 4: Ch 3, turn, {sl st in ch 3 sp of next box, ch 3, (dc, puff, dc) in same sp} three times.

Row 5: Ch 6, turn, dc in 4th ch from hook, puff in next ch, dc in next ch, {sl st in ch 3 sp of next box, ch 3, (dc, puff, dc) in same sp} twice, sl st in ch 3 sp of last box.