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Mesh and lace · Easy

Trellis stitch

Trellis stitch is an open net of chain arches. Work 5 chains, then a single crochet (UK double crochet) into the arch below, and repeat. Each arch is held at both ends in two arches of the row before, so the holes come out as diamonds. On the first row the single crochets go into the foundation chain, with 3 chains skipped under each arch.

How to work it

  1. Arches on the foundation chain

    The first row on the foundation chain: arches of five chains, each held down at both ends by a single crochet, with three chains of the foundation skipped under every arch. The newest arch and the single crochet that ends it are in the accent color. One loop is on the hook.

    Work a single crochet into the second chain from the hook. Then chain 5, skip 3 chains and work a single crochet into the next chain. Repeat to the end of the chain. Each arch of 5 chains stands over 3 skipped chains.

  2. A single crochet in each arch below

    Three rows of the net. Every arch of five chains ends in a single crochet that is worked round the middle of an arch of the row below, so the holes are diamonds. The newest arch and its single crochet are in the accent color, and a ring marks the next arch below, where the next single crochet goes. One loop is on the hook.

    On the next row, chain 5 and work a single crochet into the next arch of the row below. Put the hook under the arch, into the space, not into one of its chains. Repeat across. Each new arch reaches from the middle of one arch to the middle of the next.

  3. Half an arch at each edge

    The arches of one row sit half an arch to the side of the arches below, so every second row has half an arch at each end. In the rows here that row begins with 5 chains, which count as a double crochet (UK treble) and 2 chains, and ends with 2 chains and a double crochet in the last stitch. The row after it begins and ends with a single crochet.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain a multiple of 4 plus 2 (14 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 22, which is 5 times the multiple of 4, plus 2.
A swatch of chain arch net.
  • The ch 5 at the start of a row counts as a dc and a ch-2 sp. The last stitch of the next row is worked into its 3rd ch.
  • The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
  • 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.
  1. Foundation. Ch 22.
  2. Row 1 (RS). Sc in 2nd ch from hook, [ch 5, sk next 3 chs, sc in next ch] 5 times (6 sc, 5 ch-5 sps).
  3. Row 2. Ch 5 (counts as dc and ch-2 sp), turn; [sc in next ch-5 sp, ch 5] 4 times, sc in next ch-5 sp, ch 2, dc in last st (2 dc, 5 sc, 2 ch-2 sps, 4 ch-5 sps).
  4. Row 3. Ch 1, turn; sc in first st, ch 5, sk next ch-2 sp, [sc in next ch-5 sp, ch 5] 4 times, sk next st, sk next ch-2 sp, sc in 3rd ch of turning ch (6 sc, 5 ch-5 sps).

Repeat rows 2 and 3 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of chain arch net: 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
sp
space
st
stitch

At a glance

Also called
plain trellis stitch
Used for
shawls; market bags
Multiple
The chain is a multiple of 4 plus 2 (14 or more).
Row repeat
Rows 2 and 3.
One arch
5 chains, held by a single crochet at each end
Where the single crochet goes
Under the arch below, into the space

Between the side edges the rows are nothing but chains and single crochets, yet the fabric is very open.

Published rows of this name differ at the edges. Some begin every row with 5 chains and work only into arches, which leaves a loop of chains at each side. The rows here keep the side edges straight with a double crochet and 2 chains at the ends of every second row.

A net of the same arches is also printed under the name diamond mesh. Trellis is the name given in printed stitch collections, where the plain net is the first of a family: the same arches with a picot where they meet, or with shells and fans set into them.

When it goes wrong

My rows get narrower.
An arch was missed at the end of a row. Count the arches in every row. In the rows here a row of whole arches has one more arch than the row with a half arch at each end, and the count goes back and forth between the two.
I am not sure where the single crochet goes.
Under the next arch of 5 chains, so that the stitch closes round the whole chain. It does not go into a chain or into the single crochet below.
My edges go in and out.
Keep to the edge stitches of the rows you are following: here, 5 chains at the start and 2 chains and a double crochet at the end of every second row.

Left-handed

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

Variations

  • Picot trellis. The same net with a picot, a small ring of chains, where the arches are held.
  • Shell and fan trellis. Shells or fans of tall stitches are worked into some of the arches, with plain arches between them.

Questions

What is the multiple for trellis stitch?
For the rows here, a chain that is a multiple of 4 plus 2. Each arch takes 4 chains of the foundation: 3 skipped and 1 worked into.
Is trellis stitch the same as mesh stitch?
No. Mesh stitch is tall stitches and chains that line up in a grid of square holes. Trellis stitch is arches of chains held by single crochets, set half an arch apart from row to row, so its holes are diamonds.
What is trellis stitch used for?
Open, light things: shawls and market bags.
Do I work into the chains of the arch?
No. The single crochet is worked into the space under the arch.

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