Category Archives: Fun With Stitches

Fun With Stitches: Split Single Crochet Stitch

Hey guys! Sorry for the hiatus! I just moved to San Francisco for school, and it’s been a bit busy for me. So this is my first time away from home and there are a few things that I never thought about getting haha. One of which is a hot pad for pots and pans, but you know I’m not going to go buy them!

So I knew I wanted to make a hot pad, but didn’t know what stitch or pattern to use. I follow a site called New Stitch a Day, it’s this really awesome site where they post new “how to’s” for crochet and knitting each day! Every day Johnny posts a stitch with a beautifully made video that boggles my mind and makes me want to use it in my projects, so I did!

I used a stitch called the Split Single Crochet Stitch, here is a video from New Stitch a Day on how to do it:

Here’s what the stitch looks like close up.

———————————————————————————————————————-
Materials:
Lion Brand Cotton/Lily Sugar’n Cream

(basically any 100% cotton works)
Needle to sew in ends with
Abbreviations:
-SL.ST = Slip Stitch
-SC = Single Crochet
-HDC = Half Double Crochet
-Ch = Chain

-Rnd = Round

Ch 30
Rnd 1:  skip first ch, sc 1 in each ch (29)
Rnd 2 – 40: ch 1, using the Split Single Crochet Stitch (how to video above), sc 1 in each (29)
*For edging*
Rnd 41: On the edge of the pad (the sides of Rnds 1-40), hdc 1 in first, sl.st in next, repeat until you reach end (40 [20 hdc, 20 sl.st])
Rnd 42: Repeat the process (hdc 1, sl.st 1) down the chs made in the beginning (your basically just continuing this pattern in each Rnd and stitch around your pad) (≈30)
*For hanging loop*
At the end of Rnd 42, ch 8 and sl.st 1 in last st used
Rnd 43: Repeat process in Rnd 41
Rnd 44: Repeat process in Rnd 42, when you reach the end, cut, pull through and sew into your project to hide the end

Now you can safely rest pots and pans without worrying about burning your table!

P.S. Don’t really use crummy yarn for this, it could easily melt if you use a low grade acrylic or polyester yarn.

Fun With Stitches: Shell Stitch

I’ll be honest, I’m guilty of over-using the single crochet. So when my Aunt requested a new blanket for her cat, I decided that now’s the time to stretch my wings and try something new.

This is the first of hopefully many “Fun with stitches” blog posts where I try out a new stitch and try and teach how it’s done.

This is the Shell pattern and it’s really simple actually. All you really need to know is the Treble and Double Crochet stitches.

Close up of the stitch

So here’s how it’s done:

Chain a multiple of 8 (For the blanket I made 104 chs)
Rnd 1: Skip 3 chs, tr 5 in next ch, skip 3, dc 1 in next, skip 3, tr 5… Repeat this pattern to the end, turn. (You should end on a dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 3, tr 3 in the dc of last Rnd, skip 3, dc 1 in the next st (third tr), skip 3, tr 5 in the next st (dc of last Rnd), skip 3, dc 1 in next st (third tr)… continue this pattern to end, turn.
Rnd 3 – end: Repeat Rnd 2 until end!

For my blanket I just changed colors between each Rnd. I used Lion Brand Hometown USA Yarn and a size N-13/9.00mm crochet hook.