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Bullion stitch
A bullion stitch is a coil of yarn. Wrap the yarn round the hook several times, put the hook into the stitch and pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull that yarn through every wrap. The wraps come off the hook and stand round the stitch like a spring. It takes practice, because the wraps must be loose and even enough for the hook to pass through all of them.
How to work it
Wrap the yarn round the hook
Wrap the yarn round the shaft of the hook as many times as the pattern says. The pictures show seven. Lay the wraps side by side, loose and all the same size.
Pull the yarn through every wrap
Yarn over again. Draw the hook back along its own length, so that the yarn it has caught passes through the loop and through all of the wraps. Some patterns leave out this yarn over and pull the loop from the stitch straight on through the wraps.
Finish the stitch
Makers end it in different ways. Some pull through everything on the hook in that one move. Others pull through the wraps, then yarn over once more and pull through what is left on the hook, to close the stitch. Follow your pattern. The wraps now stand round the stitch in a coil.
At a glance
- Also called
- roll stitch
- Used for
- flowers and round motifs; raised decoration on a plain fabric
- In UK terms
- bullion stitch, the same name
- Wraps
- Set by the pattern: often 7 to 10. Any number can be made.
It is built like a half double crochet (UK half treble) with many yarn overs in place of one: wraps, a loop from the stitch, and one pull through the lot. A treble crochet (UK double treble) also begins with more than one yarn over, but its loops come off the hook two at a time. In a bullion stitch they come off together, which is what leaves the wraps as a coil.
Everything depends on getting the head of the hook through the wraps. If they are tight, or some are tighter than others, the hook catches on them. Wrap loosely and evenly, and expect the first tries to stick.
Makers have their own ways to get the hook through. One is to hold a knitting needle, or a second hook, against the hook and wrap round both, so that the wraps have more room. Another is to hold the coil with the other hand and lift the wraps over the head of the hook one at a time. A long hook with a straight shaft helps. While you are learning, practice with fewer wraps.
Embroidery has a bullion stitch as well: a knot made by wrapping the thread round the needle and pulling the needle through the wraps. The crochet stitch is the same idea, worked with a hook.
When it goes wrong
- The hook will not go through the wraps.
- The wraps are too tight or uneven. Take them off and wrap again, loosely, with every wrap the same size. Try fewer wraps until the move feels familiar.
- The wraps slide about when I put the hook into the stitch.
- Hold them in place on the shaft with a finger while the hook goes in and the loop comes up.
- My coil is lumpy.
- Some wraps were looser than others. An even coil comes from even wraps, laid side by side and not on top of one another.
Left-handed
The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.
Questions
- How many times do I wrap the yarn?
- As many as the pattern says. Seven to ten is usual, and any number can be made. More wraps make a taller coil, and fewer wraps are easier to pull through.
- Is bullion stitch the same as roll stitch?
- Yes. Roll stitch is another name for the crochet bullion stitch.
- Is bullion stitch hard?
- It is one of the harder stitches to get right, and it takes practice. The moves are simple. Getting the hook through all the wraps is the hard part.