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Shells, fans and V-stitches · Easy

Iris stitch

Iris stitch is rows of small open shells. Each shell is worked in double crochet (UK treble): two stitches, one chain and two more stitches, all into one place. On every row after the first, each shell goes into the chain space at the middle of the shell below it, so the shells stand in straight columns. One row repeats.

How to work it

  1. Two, a chain and two in one place

    Two shells stand on the foundation chain with three chains skipped between the places they rise from. Each shell is four double crochets that fan out from one chain, two on each side of one chain at the middle of their tops. The newer shell is in the accent color. One loop is on the hook.

    Work two double crochets into one chain, chain 1, and work two more double crochets into the same chain. That is one shell. On the first row, skip three chains of the foundation chain and work the next shell into the chain after them.

  2. Into the chain space of the shell below

    A new row of shells on a row of shells. Each new shell rises from the chain space at the middle of the shell below it. The newest shell is in the accent color, and a ring marks the next chain space, where the next shell goes. One loop is on the hook.

    On every later row, work a shell into the chain space at the middle of each shell below: two double crochets, chain 1 and two double crochets, all under the one chain. The four stitches of the shell below are passed over.

  3. A double crochet at each end

    Begin each row with 3 chains, which count as a double crochet. End it with a double crochet in the top of the 3 chains that began the row below.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain a multiple of 4 plus 3 (15 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 23, which is 5 times the multiple of 4, plus 3.
A swatch of iris 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 23.
  2. Row 1 (RS). Sh in 5th ch from hook (skipped chs count as dc), [sk next 3 chs, sh in next ch] 4 times, sk next ch, dc in next ch (2 dc, 5 sh).
  3. Row 2. Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn; [sh in next ch-1 sp] 5 times, sk next 2 sts, dc in top of turning ch (2 dc, 5 sh).

Repeat row 2 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of iris 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
dc
double crochet (UK treble)
RS
right side
sk
skip
sp
space
st
stitch
sh
shell: (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in the same st or sp.

At a glance

Used for
shawls
Multiple
The chain is a multiple of 4 plus 3 (15 or more).
Row repeat
Row 2.
One shell
Two double crochets, chain 1 and two double crochets, all in one place
Where a shell goes
Into the chain space of the shell below
Start and end of a row
Three chains that count as a double crochet begin a row, and a double crochet in the top of the turning chain ends it.

The shell is a V-stitch doubled. A V-stitch has one double crochet on each side of its chain; this shell has two. That makes the fabric fuller than V-stitch, with the same small hole at the middle of every group.

It differs from the usual shell stitch in two ways. The usual shell is a solid group, most often five double crochets, with no chain in it. And its rows are set half a step apart, with a single crochet (UK double crochet) between the shells, where the shells of iris stitch stand one straight above another.

Patterns give this group more than one name: an open shell, a fan, a double V-stitch. The rows on this page are also the rows printed on the Fan stitch page, as an example of a fan with a chain space in it.

When it goes wrong

I cannot tell where the next shell goes.
Look for the single chain at the middle of the shell below, with two stitches on each side of it, and put the hook into the gap under it.
My rows get shorter.
The last stitch of a row is the double crochet in the top of the 3 chains that began the row below. Count the shells in each row: the number does not change.

Left-handed

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

Variations

  • V-stitch. One double crochet on each side of the chain in place of two.
  • Fan stitch. What patterns mean by a fan and a shell, with these same rows.

Patterns that use it

Questions

What is the multiple for iris stitch?
A chain that is a multiple of 4 plus 3. Each shell takes 4 chains of the foundation: 3 skipped and 1 worked into.
What is the difference between iris stitch and V-stitch?
The number of stitches in the group. A V-stitch is a double crochet, a chain and a double crochet; an iris stitch shell has two double crochets on each side of the chain.
Is iris stitch good for beginners?
It uses only the chain and the double crochet, and one row repeats. The one new thing is working a whole shell into a chain space.
What is iris stitch used for?
Shawls.

Where to go next

Stitches

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