Floss Field.
SearchSaved
All crafts

Shells, fans and V-stitches · Easy

Crazy stitch

Crazy stitch is one group worked over and over: a single crochet (UK double crochet), three chains and three stitches of double crochet (UK treble), all into the same place. After the first row, that place is the loop of three chains of a group in the row below. The small blocks lean one way in one row and the other way in the next.

How to work it

  1. Set up the first row

    Chain a multiple of 4. Work three double crochets into the fourth chain from the hook: the three skipped chains stand for one more. Then skip three chains and work a whole group into the next chain: a single crochet, chain 3, and three double crochets, all in that one chain. Repeat to the last four chains, skip three, and end with a single crochet in the last chain.

  2. Work every group into a loop of chains

    A group of crazy stitch: a single crochet, three chains and three double crochets, all worked into the loop of three chains of a group of the row below. A ring marks the loop the next group goes into.

    Turn, chain 3, and work three double crochets into the first stitch. Now find the loop of three chains in the nearest group of the row below. Put the hook under that loop and work a whole group there: a single crochet, chain 3, three double crochets. Do the same in every loop of chains across the row. Nothing is worked into the tops of the double crochets. End with a single crochet in the top of the turning chain.

  3. Repeat that row

    Every row from now on is the same as the second. Because each row is worked back the other way, its blocks lean the other way.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain a multiple of 4 (16 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 20, which is 5 times the multiple of 4.
A swatch of crazy stitch.
  • The ch 3 at the start of a row counts as a dc. The last stitch of the next row is worked into the top of it.
  • Row 1 is the right side.
  • A stitch worked into a chain space passes over any stitches that lie before the space; they are left unworked.
  • Stitches in parentheses, or several of one stitch, are all worked into the one place named after them.
  1. Foundation. Ch 20.
  2. Row 1 (RS). 3 dc in 4th ch from hook (skipped chs count as dc), [sk next 3 chs, (sc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch] 3 times, sk next 3 chs, sc in next ch (13 dc, 4 sc, 3 ch-3 sps).
  3. Row 2. Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn; 3 dc in same st, [(sc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch-3 sp] 3 times, sk next 4 sts, sc in top of turning ch (13 dc, 4 sc, 3 ch-3 sps).

Repeat row 2 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of crazy stitch: 3 rows on the foundation chain, each row numbered at the side it starts from. Odd rows are drawn dark and even rows green, so that neighbors can be told apart.

What each symbol meansHow to read a chart

Abbreviations in these rows

ch
chain stitch
sc
single crochet (UK double crochet)
dc
double crochet (UK treble)
RS
right side
sk
skip
sp
space
st
stitch

At a glance

Used for
scarves; baby blankets
Multiple
The chain is a multiple of 4 (16 or more).
Row repeat
Row 2.
Edges
The side edges are straight: where a row begins with a chain that counts, that chain is the edge stitch and the last stitch of the next row goes into its top. Inside the edges the stitches lean one way and then the other.
One group
Single crochet, chain 3, three double crochets, all in one place.

The stitch is easy to keep going because there is only one place to look for: the loop of three chains. Each group of the row below has one, standing beside its three double crochets, and each takes one new group.

Each group uses four chains of the starting chain: the chain it stands in and the three skipped before it. That is why the chain is a multiple of 4.

The loops of chains leave slanting gaps in the fabric, and the blocks between them tilt. Seen from a little way off the rows seem to shift to one side and then to the other.

Tips

  • The row begins with a block that has no single crochet and ends with a single crochet that has no block. Together they keep the two edges level.

When it goes wrong

My rows are getting shorter.
The last single crochet has been left out. After the group in the last loop of chains, work one single crochet into the top of the three chains that began the row below.
My rows are getting longer.
A group has been worked into a stitch as well as into the loops. Only the loops of three chains take a group; at the start of the row the first stitch takes three double crochets and nothing more.

Left-handed

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

Patterns that use it

Questions

What is the multiple for crazy stitch?
A multiple of 4 for the starting chain. The starting chain calculator works out the number for a width of your own.
Is crazy stitch the same as corner to corner?
No, though the blocks look alike. Corner to corner is worked on the diagonal, beginning with one block at a corner. Crazy stitch is worked in straight rows from a starting chain.
How many rows are there to learn?
Two: the first row into the chain, and one row that repeats.

Where to go next

Stitches

Tools