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Increasing and decreasing · Easy

Curlicues

To crochet a curlicue, make a chain and then work three stitches into every chain of it. The row has three times as many stitches as the chain has room for, so it cannot lie flat: it winds round itself into a corkscrew. A longer chain makes a longer curl.

How to work it

  1. Make a chain

    Make a chain. Its length sets the length of the curl. Add the chains the first stitch needs.

  2. Start in the usual chain

    Begin where a row of that stitch always begins: in the second chain from the hook for single crochet (UK double crochet), in the fourth for double crochet (UK treble). Work the first group of stitches into that one chain.

  3. Three stitches in every chain

    A starting chain along the bottom. Each of its first two chains holds three double crochet, whose posts fan out from the one chain to three tops side by side; the newest three are marked. The rest of the chain is not worked yet. One loop is on the hook.

    Work three stitches into the next chain, and three into every chain after it, to the end. Every stitch of the row is an increase, and that is what makes the strip spiral.

  4. Fasten off

    A finished curlicue seen from the side: one strip of crochet wound round and round like a corkscrew, with the tail of yarn at one end. The turns that pass behind are drawn paler.

    At the end of the chain, cut the yarn and fasten off. The strip is a corkscrew.

At a glance

Also called
corkscrew, spiral
Used for
a curly fringe along the end of a scarf; curls on toys and dolls; long spirals worn as a scarf
Stitches in each chain
Three, in every chain of the starting chain
Which stitch
Patterns write curlicues in single crochet, in half double crochet (UK half treble) and in double crochet. The strip is one row deep, so a taller stitch makes a broader curl.
Length
Set by the starting chain: more chains, a longer curl
Rows
One. The curl is finished at the end of the first row.

A curlicue is an increase carried as far as it will go. Two stitches in one place make a flat piece wider; three in every place, all along a row, give the top of the row three times the length of its base, and the fabric takes up the extra by winding round.

Patterns call the same thing a curlicue, a corkscrew or a spiral. A row of them worked along an edge is a corkscrew fringe.

When it goes wrong

My curl came out too short.
Its length comes from the starting chain. Start again with a longer chain.

Variations

  • Corkscrew fringe. Curlicues worked one after another along the edge of a piece, in place of a fringe of cut strands.

Questions

How many chains do I need for a curlicue?
There is no one number. A longer chain makes a longer curl, so the chain is made to suit the piece. Add the chains the first stitch needs: one for single crochet, three for double crochet.
Why does it curl?
Because every chain holds three stitches. The row is three times as long along its top as along its chain, and it winds round to fit.
Is a corkscrew the same as a curlicue?
Yes. Curlicue, corkscrew and spiral are names for the same strip: a chain with three stitches in every chain.

Where to go next

Stitches

Patterns