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Texture · Easy

Ridge stitch

A ridge in crochet is a line of loops that a row leaves unworked. Work a row of single crochet (UK double crochet) into one loop only of each stitch, and the other loops lie across the fabric as a raised line. In the rows here every second row is worked into the front loop, which puts a ridge on the right side every two rows.

How to work it

  1. Work a plain row

    With the right side facing you, work one single crochet into each stitch, under both loops, as usual.

  2. Work the next row in the front loop only

    Chain 1 and turn. On this wrong-side row, put the hook under the front loop only of each stitch, the strand nearer to you, and work a single crochet there. The back loop of every stitch is left free.

  3. Find the ridge on the other side

    A diagram of the right side of ridge stitch: rows of single crochet, drawn faded, with a line of small loops lying across the fabric at every second row. Each line is the loops that one row left unworked. One ridge is in the accent color.

    Turn the work again. The loops you left free lie in a line across the right side of the fabric: that line is the ridge. Repeat the two rows, and a new ridge forms every second row.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain any number (3 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 21.
  • The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
  • Row 1 is the right side.
  • On the wrong-side rows the front loop is the one nearer to you; the loop left free shows as a ridge on the right side.
  1. Foundation. Ch 21.
  2. Row 1 (RS). Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (20 sc).
  3. Row 2. Ch 1, turn; sc in FLO of each st across (20 sc).
  4. Row 3. Ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (20 sc).

Repeat rows 2 and 3 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of single crochet ridge stitch: 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
sc
single crochet (UK double crochet)
FLO
front loop, or front loop only
RS
right side
st
stitch

At a glance

Used for
lines of texture across plain single crochet; pieces that should stretch a little, such as ear warmers and cuffs, when every row is worked into one loop
Loop worked on ridge rows
The front loop only, written FLO, on wrong-side rows
Where the ridges show
On the right side, one at every second row
Multiple
Any number of chains (3 or more).
Row repeat
Rows 2 and 3.
Sides
Has a right side: row 1 and every second row after it are worked with it facing.
Edges
The side edges are straight: a row that begins with a chain that does not count begins and ends in a stitch, and that chain is not worked into.

Every stitch has two loops at its top. A row worked into one of them leaves the other standing free, and the free loops lie side by side as a line in the work. That line is all a ridge is.

Which side the ridge shows on depends on the loop you choose. Work into the front loop, the one nearer to you, and the free back loops show on the far side of the work. Work into the back loop, and the free front loops show on the side facing you. The rows here use the front loop on wrong-side rows, so every ridge lands on the right side.

For ridges on both sides, work every row into the back loop only. Each row then leaves its free loops on the side that faces you, and since the work is turned after each row, the ridges fall on one side and then the other. That is how crochet ribbing is made.

The word ridge is also in the names of other stitches, such as royal ridge stitch and mountain ridge stitch. Those are different fabrics. This page is about the plain way a ridge is made.

When it goes wrong

My ridges are on the wrong side.
The other loop was worked. On a wrong-side row, working the front loop sends the ridge to the right side; working the back loop keeps it on the wrong side.
I cannot tell the front loop from the back loop.
Hold the work with the side you are working on facing you and look at the V on top of the next stitch. The strand nearer to you is the front loop. When you turn the work, the names swap.

Left-handed

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

Variations

  • Ridges in taller stitches. Ridges form the same way in half double crochet (UK half treble) and double crochet (UK treble): a row worked into one loop leaves a line of free loops.
  • Back loop and front loop. Which loop is which, with the hook under each.
  • Ribbing. Every row in the back loop, for ridges on both sides.

Questions

How do I crochet a ridge?
Work one row into the front loop or the back loop only of every stitch. The loops left unworked make a line across the fabric.
Which loop makes a ridge on the right side?
On a right-side row, the back loop: the free front loops face you. On a wrong-side row, the front loop: the free back loops show on the right side once you turn the work.
How do I get ridges on both sides?
Work every row into the back loop only. The ridges then fall on one side and the other in turn.
How many chains do I start with?
Any number: one more than the stitches you want. The rows work for any stitch count.

Where to go next

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