Crochet guide
Crocheting over rope
To crochet over rope, lay the rope along the top of the round below and work each stitch round it, so that the stitches close over the rope and hide it. The piece grows as a coil from the center, each round as thick as the rope. It makes bowls, baskets, mats and rugs.
On this page 8 parts
How it works
Stitch names on this page are United States terms, with the United Kingdom name in brackets.
The stitch is single crochet (UK double crochet). The only change is where the rope lies. Hold the rope along the top edge of the round below, and work each stitch into that round as usual. The stitch closes over the rope, and the rope is now inside it.
It is the move of tapestry crochet, where a yarn that is not in use is carried inside the stitches. Here a rope is carried in place of a yarn, and it is never brought out. Working over a ring pictures stitches closing round a core.
What you need
- Inside: a clothesline, or a thick cord.
- Outside: yarn. Cotton is a common choice.
Starting the coil
The piece starts at the center and is worked in rounds. There are two ways to begin:
- Make a small ring of single crochet in yarn alone, then lay the rope in and work the next round over it.
- Work the first stitches round the rope itself, and coil them into a ring.
Either way, the first full round over the rope has two stitches in every stitch.
Keeping it flat
A coil is a flat circle, and it follows the same rule: it needs increases to lie flat. If the coil starts to curl up at the edge, increase more often. How to crochet a flat circle gives the counts.
Turning up the sides
For a bowl or a basket, stop increasing when the base is big enough. Go on round and round over the rope with one stitch in every stitch, and the sides rise. A base of another shape follows its own rule, with the rope inside: Bag and basket bases gives the rules.
Ending
Cut the yarn and the rope. Fasten the end of the rope down so that it does not show. Weave in the yarn.
Rope as the yarn
Rope can also be crocheted on its own, like a very thick yarn, with a very large hook. That is a different thing from crocheting over it. Crochet rugs covers thick materials.
Where to go next
- Bag and basket bases, for round, oval and rectangle bases.
- Crochet rugs, for mats and rugs.
- Tapestry crochet, for the same move with yarn.