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Post stitches and cables · Intermediate

Crinkle stitch

Crinkle stitch has two kinds of row. One is plain half double crochet (UK half treble). The other is single crochet (UK double crochet) worked round the posts of those stitches, from the front and from the back in turn. Each time a post row comes round, front and back change places, so the small bumps fall like a checker. Four rows repeat.

How to work it

  1. A row of half double crochet

    Work a row of half double crochet. In the rows here the first row is a wrong-side row, so the post rows are all worked with the right side facing.

  2. Front post, back post, in turn

    A row of post single crochets begun on a row of half double crochet. From the right the four new stitches take turns: one reaches down in front of the row below and covers the top of the stitch under it, and the next goes down behind that top, which stays in view. The newest pair is in the accent color. One loop is on the hook.

    Chain 1 and turn. Work a front post single crochet round the first stitch and a back post single crochet round the next, and go on in turn to the end. Each post stitch takes the place of the stitch it goes round: the top of that stitch is left unworked.

  3. Half double crochet again

    Chain 2, turn, and work a half double crochet into the top of every stitch.

  4. Back post, front post: the other way round

    A diagram of the right side of crinkle stitch: two rows of half double crochet, each with a row of post single crochets on it. In each post row every second stitch stands forward as a V that covers the top below it. In the upper post row the Vs stand over the gaps of the lower one. One V of each row is in the accent color.

    On the next post row begin with a back post single crochet and follow it with a front post one. Each stitch that stands forward now sits over one that sat back in the post row before. Then work a row of half double crochet, and begin again from the first post row.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain a multiple of 2 (6 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 24, which is 12 times the multiple of 2.
  • The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
  • The ch 2 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
  • Row 1 is the wrong side.
  • The post single crochets are worked around the half double crochets of the row below, on right-side rows only. Front and back change places from one post row to the next.
  1. Foundation. Ch 24.
  2. Row 1 (WS). Hdc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across (22 hdc).
  3. Row 2. Ch 1, turn; [FPsc around next st, BPsc around next st] 11 times (11 FPsc, 11 BPsc).
  4. Row 3. Ch 2, turn; hdc in each st across (22 hdc).
  5. Row 4. Ch 1, turn; [BPsc around next st, FPsc around next st] 11 times (11 BPsc, 11 FPsc).
  6. Row 5. Ch 2, turn; hdc in each st across (22 hdc).

Repeat rows 2 to 5 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of crinkle stitch: 9 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
hdc
half double crochet (UK half treble)
FPsc
front post single crochet (UK front post double crochet)
BPsc
back post single crochet (UK back post double crochet)
WS
wrong side
st
stitch

At a glance

Used for
a small all-over texture in a close fabric
Multiple
The chain is a multiple of 2 (6 or more).
Row repeat
Rows 2 to 5.
The post rows
Front post and back post single crochet in turn, worked with the right side facing
Between them
One row of half double crochet
Right side
The side that faces you on the post rows

A front post stitch stands forward and a back post stitch sits back, so a row of the two in turn is a row of small bumps and hollows. Starting the next post row the other way round sets its bumps over the hollows of the one before.

The two post stitches are taught on their own pages: where the hook goes, and how the stitch is finished. This page gives the rows they are used in.

Published rows differ at the edges. Some work a plain single crochet in the first and last stitch of each post row and count the turning chain as a stitch. The rows here work post stitches from edge to edge and do not count the turning chain.

The other side of the fabric is textured too, and published sources also use it as the right side. The name crinkle stitch is given to other stitch patterns as well, so read the rows of the pattern you are following.

When it goes wrong

My post row has too many stitches.
A post stitch takes the place of the stitch it goes round. Do not work into the top of that stitch as well.
The bumps line up in columns.
Every second post row begins with a back post stitch, not a front post stitch. Look at the post row below: where a stitch stands forward there, work a back post stitch above it.

Left-handed

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

Variations

Questions

What is the multiple for crinkle stitch?
An even number of chains, 6 or more. The rows here are written for 24 chains, which gives 22 stitches.
Which side is the right side?
The side that faces you when you work the post rows. In the rows here the first row of half double crochet is a wrong-side row.
What do FPsc and BPsc mean?
Front post and back post single crochet: a single crochet worked round the post of the stitch below, from the front or from the back, and not into its top.

Where to go next

Stitches

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