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Shells, fans and V-stitches · Easy

Granny stitch

Granny stitch is groups of three stitches of double crochet (UK treble), worked in straight rows. Each group goes into the gap between two groups of the row below, not into a stitch. It is the fabric of a granny square made flat. It is also called granny stripe, and it is often worked with a new color every row or two.

How to work it

  1. Make a group of three

    A group is three double crochets worked into one place. In the first row that place is a chain: work three double crochets into it, skip two chains, and work three more into the next. At each end of the row stands one double crochet by itself.

  2. In the next row, work into the gaps

    A group of three double crochets worked into the gap between two groups of the row below, under their tops and not into a stitch. A ring marks the gap the next group goes into.

    Turn, and chain 3. Look along the row below: between each group of three and the next there is a gap. Put the hook into that gap, under the tops of the stitches and between their posts, and work three double crochets there. Do not work into the top of any stitch. Go on from gap to gap to the end of the row.

  3. Keep the edges by turns

    The groups of one row sit over the gaps of the row below, so the two ends of the rows cannot all be alike. One row begins with chain 3 and one double crochet in the edge stitch and ends with two double crochets in the top of the turning chain: half a group at each end. The next row begins with chain 3 alone and ends with one double crochet in the top of the turning chain. Work the two rows by turns.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain a multiple of 3 plus 1 (13 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 22, which is 7 times the multiple of 3, plus 1.
  • 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.
  • Stitches in parentheses, or several of one stitch, are all worked into the one place named after them.
  • The sp before next st is the gap between two stitches, under all the loops, not the top of a stitch.
  1. Foundation. Ch 22.
  2. Row 1 (RS). 3 dc in 5th ch from hook (skipped chs count as dc), [sk next 2 chs, 3 dc in next ch] 5 times, sk next ch, dc in next ch (20 dc).
  3. Row 2. Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn; dc in same st, [sk next 3 sts, 3 dc in sp before next st] 5 times, sk next 3 sts, 2 dc in top of turning ch (19 dc).
  4. Row 3. Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn; sk next st, 3 dc in sp before next st, [sk next 3 sts, 3 dc in sp before next st] 5 times, sk next st, dc in top of turning ch (20 dc).

Repeat rows 2 and 3 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of granny stripe: 5 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
dc
double crochet (UK treble)
RS
right side
sk
skip
sp
space
st
stitch

At a glance

Also called
granny stripe
Used for
striped blankets and throws; scarves and shawls; cardigans and other simple garments
Multiple
The chain is a multiple of 3 plus 1 (13 or more).
Row repeat
Rows 2 and 3.
Sides
Looks much the same on both sides.
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.
A group
Three double crochets in one place. Some patterns call it a cluster.

Working into the gaps is what gives the fabric its look: the groups of each row sit between the groups of the row below, like bricks in a wall.

Many patterns begin with one row of single crochet (UK double crochet) into the chain and work the first row of groups into that. The chain for those patterns is a multiple of 3 plus 2. The rows written here work the groups straight into the chain.

For stripes, change color at the end of a row: work the last stitch until two loops are left on the hook, and pull the new color through them. A new color in every row leaves two ends to weave in for each row, so weave them in as you go.

The granny groups patterns on this site are the same stitch with one chain between each group and the next, which opens the fabric a little more.

Tips

  • Count the groups, not the stitches. A row with half a group at each end has one whole group fewer than the row before it.

When it goes wrong

One side of my work is slanting.
The two edge rows have been mixed up. After a row that ended with one double crochet, begin with chain 3 and a double crochet in the same stitch. After a row that ended with two, begin with chain 3 alone and put the first group into the first gap.
I cannot tell where the gap is.
Look at the bottom of the stitches, not the top. The three posts of a group come out of one place and lean apart; the gap is the open space between the last post of one group and the first post of the next.

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

Is granny stripe the same as granny stitch?
Yes. Granny stripe and granny stitch are two names for the same rows of three-stitch groups worked into the gaps. It is often worked in stripes, with a new color every row or every few rows.
What is the multiple for granny stitch?
Each group and its gap take three chains. Worked straight into the chain, as here, the starting chain is a multiple of 3 plus 1. With a first row of single crochet it is a multiple of 3 plus 2. The starting chain calculator works out the number for a width of your own.
How is it different from a granny square?
A granny square is worked in rounds. Granny stitch uses the same groups of three, worked into the gaps, but in straight rows that are turned at each end.

Where to go next

Stitches

Tools