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Changing color · Easy

Brick stitch

Brick stitch is rows of single crochet (UK double crochet) in two colors, two rows of each. One color is the mortar and the other makes the bricks. On the first row of each band of mortar, every fourth stitch is a long stitch that reaches down across the two rows of brick color into the mortar below, and cuts that band into bricks. The long stitches move over by two from one band to the next, so the bricks sit like a wall.

How to work it

  1. Two rows of each color

    Work two rows of single crochet in color A, the mortar. Change to color B and work two more rows. These two rows of B are the first band of bricks.

  2. Begin a row of mortar

    Change back to A. Work a single crochet into each of the first two stitches. The next stitch is where the first long stitch goes.

  3. Make the long stitch

    Two loops on the hook: a long loop, in the accent color, drawn up from a stitch of the green row below the two brown rows, across the front of both of them, and the loop that was already there.

    Put the hook into the stitch straight below, in the last row of color A: the row under the two rows of B. Yarn over and pull up a loop, and draw it up until it is level with the row you are working. Yarn over and pull through both loops. The long stitch takes the place of the next stitch of the row, so do not work into that stitch as well.

  4. Three plain stitches, then another

    Work a single crochet into each of the next three stitches, then another long stitch. Repeat across the row and end with two single crochets. Work one more row of A, all single crochet.

  5. Move the long stitches over

    Work two rows of B again. On the next row of A the long stitches go halfway between the ones below: begin with a long stitch in the first stitch, then three single crochets, and repeat, ending with a long stitch in the last stitch.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain a multiple of 4 plus 2 (14 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 14, which is 3 times the multiple of 4, plus 2.
  • The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
  • Yarn A is the mortar and yarn B the bricks. Change yarn in the last yarn over of the last stitch of the row before.
  • Do not cut a yarn that rests: with two rows to a color it waits at the edge where its next row begins, and is carried loosely up that edge.
  • A long stitch is worked into the stitch straight below the next stitch, in the last row of A: the row under the two rows of B. Many patterns call that place three rows below. The stitch behind a long stitch is left unworked.
  1. Foundation. With A, ch 14.
  2. Row 1. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (13 sc).
  3. Row 2. Ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (13 sc).
  4. Row 3. With B, ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (13 sc).
  5. Row 4. Ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (13 sc).
  6. Row 5. With A, ch 1, turn; sc in first 2 sts, [long sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts] 2 times, long sc in next st, sc in last 2 sts (10 sc, 3 long sc).
  7. Row 6. Ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (13 sc).
  8. Row 7. With B, ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (13 sc).
  9. Row 8. Ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (13 sc).
  10. Row 9. With A, ch 1, turn; [long sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts] 3 times, long sc in last st (9 sc, 4 long sc).
  11. Row 10. Ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (13 sc).

Repeat rows 3 to 10 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of brick stitch: ten rows of thirteen stitches on the foundation chain, each row numbered at the side it starts from, with the one chain that turns the row standing upright at that side. A cross is a single crochet. Rows 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 10 are drawn dark and rows 3, 4, 7 and 8 in the accent color. In rows 5 and 9 every fourth stitch is a long stitch: a line that reaches down across the two colored rows below it.

What each symbol meansHow to read a chart

Abbreviations in these rows

ch
chain stitch
sc
single crochet (UK double crochet)
st
stitch
yo
yarn over
long sc
long single crochet: insert hook in the st straight below the next st, in the last row of A (under the 2 rows of B), yo, pull up a loop to the height of the row being worked, yo, pull through 2 loops; the st behind it is left unworked.

At a glance

Used for
blankets and throws; pillow covers and other pieces for the home; anything that suits a wall of bricks in two colors
In UK terms
brick stitch, the same name, worked in UK double crochet
Multiple
The chain is a multiple of 4 plus 2 (14 or more).
Row repeat
Rows 3 to 10.
Colors
Two: one for the mortar, one for the bricks.

The long stitch is a spike stitch, and the usual care applies: draw its loop up loosely, to the full height of the row, so that it lies flat over the two rows it crosses. Pulled tight, it squeezes the bricks together.

Patterns differ in what the long stitch is. In the rows on this page it is a long single crochet. Others work a double crochet (UK treble) into the same place. Either way the stitch goes into the mortar row under the bricks, and patterns call that place three rows below.

Each brick is three stitches wide and two rows tall, with one stitch of mortar at each side. Because the long stitches of one band stand halfway between those of the band below, every brick sits across the join of two bricks under it.

The name is also used for other fabrics. Some patterns build their bricks from taller stitches or from small blocks of stitches. If a pattern says brick stitch, read its own rows before you start.

When it goes wrong

My fabric puckers at the long stitches.
The long loops are too short. Draw each one up until it is level with the top of the row you are working, then finish the stitch.
My row has gained stitches.
The stitch behind a long stitch was worked as well. A long stitch takes the place of that stitch: skip it and go on to the next.
My bricks line up in columns.
The long stitches were put in the same places on every mortar row. They take turns: one mortar row begins with two single crochets, the next begins with a long stitch.

Left-handed

The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.

Questions

What is the multiple for brick stitch?
A starting chain that is a multiple of 4 plus 2. The starting chain calculator works out the number for the width you want.
How far down does the long stitch go?
Into the last row of the mortar color below, with the two rows of brick color between. Patterns call it three rows below, counting the row being worked.
Do I cut the yarn at every color change?
No. With two rows to a color, the yarn you are not using is waiting at the edge where you next need it. Carry it up the side.
Is there more than one brick stitch?
Yes. Several different fabrics are published under the name. The brick stitch on this page is single crochet in two colors with long stitches. If your pattern looks different, follow its own rows.

Where to go next

Stitches

Guides

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