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Shells, fans and V-stitches · Easy

Shell stitch

A shell is a group of stitches worked into one stitch so that their tops fan out. The usual shell is five stitches of double crochet (UK treble), with a single crochet (UK double crochet) two stitches away at each side to hold it down. In the next row the shells stand on those single crochets, so the rows interlock.

How to work it

  1. Single crochet, then skip two stitches

    A row of shells is a single crochet, a shell, a single crochet, a shell, and so on. Begin with the single crochet. Then skip the next two stitches (in the first row, two chains): the shell needs their room.

  2. Five double crochets in one stitch

    Three double crochets worked into one stitch, fanning out from it. A ring marks that stitch: the last two double crochets of the shell go into it too.

    Work a double crochet into the third stitch. Then work four more double crochets into the very same stitch. Each one starts in the same place, so the five lean apart as they go in.

  3. Skip two more and hold the shell down

    A finished shell: five double crochets in one stitch. A single crochet holds it down at each side, two stitches away from the stitch the shell stands in.

    Skip the next two stitches and work a single crochet into the one after them. That single crochet pulls the last side of the shell down flat. One shell is made. Repeat from the skipped stitches of step 1 to the end of the row, and finish with a single crochet.

  4. Start the next row with a half shell

    The start of the second row. Three chains and two double crochets stand in the edge stitch: a half shell. The single crochet after it is worked into the middle double crochet of the shell below.

    Turn. The second row puts a shell on every single crochet and a single crochet on the middle stitch of every shell. At the edge there is room for only half a shell: chain 3, which stands for the first double crochet, and work two more double crochets into the edge stitch. Then skip two stitches and work a single crochet into the third double crochet of the shell below, its middle one. The row ends with three double crochets in the last stitch, the other half shell.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain a multiple of 6 plus 2 (20 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 20, which is 3 times the multiple of 6, plus 2.
A swatch of shell 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.
  • The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
  • Row 1 is the right side.
  • Stitches in parentheses, or several of one stitch, are all worked into the one place named after them.
  1. Foundation. Ch 20.
  2. Row 1 (RS). Sc in 2nd ch from hook, [sk next 2 chs, 5 dc in next ch, sk next 2 chs, sc in next ch] 3 times (4 sc, 15 dc).
  3. Row 2. Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn; 2 dc in same st, [sk next 2 sts, sc in next st, sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st] 2 times, sk next 2 sts, sc in next st, sk next 2 sts, 3 dc in last st (16 dc, 3 sc).
  4. Row 3. Ch 1, turn; sc in first st, [sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st, sk next 2 sts, sc in next st] 2 times, sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st, sk next 2 sts, sc in top of turning ch (4 sc, 15 dc).

Repeat rows 2 and 3 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of shell 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)
dc
double crochet (UK treble)
RS
right side
sk
skip
st
stitch

At a glance

Also called
solid shell stitch
Used for
baby blankets, throws and shawls; scarves and cowls; a scalloped edging round a piece worked in another stitch
Multiple
The chain is a multiple of 6 plus 2 (20 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 row that begins with a chain that does not count begins and ends in a stitch, and that chain is not worked into.
In a pattern
Written out, as 5 dc in next st, or named once as a shell (sh) with the pattern saying what its shell is.
Stitches in a shell
Five here. Other patterns use three to seven.

The half shells are what keep the sides straight. A shell takes up more room than the one stitch it stands in, which is why two stitches are left unworked on each side of it. At the edge of the work there is nothing to leave unworked on the outer side, so every second row begins and ends with half a shell.

Count a row by its shells and its single crochets. A row that starts with a single crochet ends with one, and has a whole shell between each pair. A row that starts with a half shell ends with a half shell, and has one whole shell fewer.

The same shell makes an edging. Work one row or round of shells into the edge of a finished piece, a single crochet between each, and stop there.

Tips

  • When a row ends in a single crochet, the last stitch goes into the top of the three chains that began the row below. It is easy to pass over.

When it goes wrong

My sides slope in or out.
Check the ends of the rows. A row that starts with chain 3 needs two more double crochets in the first stitch and three in the last. A row that starts with chain 1 needs a single crochet in the first stitch and one in the top of the turning chain.
My shells do not sit between the shells below.
Each shell goes into a single crochet, and each single crochet goes into the middle double crochet of a shell, the third of its five. If a shell has landed on a shell, count the two skipped stitches at each side of it again.
I have stitches left over, or too few, at the end of a row.
Count back along the row: five double crochets in every shell, and two skipped stitches at each side of every shell. One shell of four or six, or one stitch skipped where there should be two, moves everything after 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

  • Open shell. Put one chain in the middle of the shell: two double crochets, chain 1, two double crochets, all in one stitch. In the next row the single crochet goes into that chain space, not into a stitch. The fabric is lighter and has a small hole at the heart of each shell.
  • Stacked shells. Shells with a chain space can also be set one straight above the other: each new shell is worked into the chain space of the shell below, with no row of single crochets between. Some patterns call a group like this a fan.
  • Bigger and smaller shells. A shell can have three stitches or seven, and can be made of half double crochet (UK half treble) or of treble crochet (UK double treble). A wider shell needs more skipped stitches at each side, so the multiple changes with it.

Patterns that use it

Questions

What is the multiple for shell stitch?
For this five-stitch shell the starting chain is a multiple of 6 plus 2: six chains for each shell and its single crochet, and two more for the last single crochet and the turn. The starting chain calculator works out the number for a width of your own.
Does shell stitch look the same on both sides?
Yes. The two sides look alike, so it suits scarves and blankets that are seen from both.
Is a shell the same as a fan?
Often, yes. Many patterns use the two words for the same group of stitches. Some keep fan for a group that has chain spaces in it. The page on fan stitch sets out what different sources mean.
How do I change color in shell stitch?
Change 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. Changing every row gives stripes that follow the scallops.

Where to go next

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