Ah picots, very possibly the most feared and hated stitch in crochet.  Personally I avoided the picot stitch for a very long time. When I would look at stitch dictionaries I would skip over any stitch patterns that contained picots. Or if I used those stitch patterns, I would eliminate the picots.

In the past I had primarily seen picots used as a decorative element for edgings or borders. These tiny stitches can turn a plain shell stitch into a lavish embellishment, or make “points” have sharper definition.

In many of the Japanese stitch dictionaries I own there are stitch patterns where the picot is used as part of the overall fabric not just on the edge. I found this an exciting new way of looking at the picot.

In my designs I’ve kept with using the picot as an edging embellishment. I used the picot in my “Shells on the Aegean Neck Cozy” to embellish the button hole. The picot directions in that pattern tell you to: “Chain 3, slip stitch in top of previous stitch”. The previous stitch I’m referring to is the stitch made before the “chain 3”.

One of the biggest difficulties I had with picots is that I like to work with a larger hook than usual for the size yarn. I especially like to do that when crocheting garments or wraps. Picot stitches tend to work better with a firmer fabric though, so if you want to add them to your project you need to keep that in mind.

My little heart “Crocheted Love” uses a modified picot to create the point at the bottom of the heart. I only have you chain 1, instead of the usual 3, before anchoring into the previous stitch. You could try making the heart with more chains in the picot for the bottom point and see how you like it.

There are some yarns that are a little trickier to get good picots from. Highly textured yarns or extremely limp yarns with fibers like rayon or alpaca in them are the most difficult. It is possible to do a picot with these yarns, the resulting stitch will just be a bit different from the traditional picot. I recommend using a smaller hook to help give the picot more structure.

How do you work the picot?

The problem many folks run into is the picot distorting their stitches. When the picot is anchored to a single strand, it tends to pull and distort the stitch it is worked into. This is solved by catching 2 strands when anchoring the picot stitch.

Picots are started with a short chain, usually 3 chain stitches.  I have occasionally seen picots made with 5 chains, I tend to prefer the look of the 3 chains.

When anchoring the picot on the previous stitch, you next insert your hook into the top of the stitch under the front loop (1) and then under the side loop of that same stitch (2).

It is important to be sure to capture 2 strands of yarn with the slip stitch that anchors your picot. Whether that is working into a regular crochet stitch or…

into a chain stitch. When anchoring a picot into a chain stitch I insert my hook thru the V and behind the back bump.

You can achieve different looks by how tight you make your picot’s anchoring slip stitch. The picots on the left shell are worked with a loose slip stitch, the picots on the right shell are worked with a tight slip stitch. The differences are subtle and either way is acceptable, you just want to be consistent thru-out your project.

I have found that making my anchoring slip stitch tighter helps off-set my tendency to work with larger hooks. I’ve only tested this working with “worsted” weight yarn and an I/5.5mm or J/6mm hook. I haven’t attempted picots in any of my “extreme” projects where I work “fingering” weight yarn with an I/5.5mm hook or “worsted” weight with a L/8mm, M/9mm or N/10mm hook.

Practice you picot stitches on a long strip of single crochets, work a second row of single crochets and place a picot every other stitch. I make strips like these to practice stitches and try out new yarns. Even if they don’t come out perfect, they make great ties for gift bags or embellishments for greeting cards.

For another practice project, try making my “Simple Double Crochet Hat” but on the last round of the brim single crochets work a picot after each odd numbered sc.

You’ll find after some practice that you won’t have to fear the picot anymore.

Part 1 of my “Reading your Stitches” was posted back in June this summer. Originally I was going to show you the Half Double Crochet stitch for Part 2, but I realized I needed to go a bit more basic first. Instead, I’m showing you some guidelines for working into chain foundations.

Even after over 45+ years of crocheting I find that the most aggravating and tedious part of a crochet project is the beginning. My favorite part is after the first rows or rounds are established, then I can just crochet peacefully along. Even a complex stitch pattern is preferable to the start. This is the reason that I tend to design the majority of my projects with small starts that have increases allowing the work to grow from there. Because I want to get to the “good stuff” as quickly as possible.

All that said, knowing how to work into traditional chain foundations is a good skill to have in your crochet tool box.

The typical start for a crochet project is to chain a length and then work back into the chain. Of course this often leads to the question from beginners about how to work into the chain. Which loop do you work under and how many of them?

First of all, let’s look at the anatomy of a chain. The tops of the stitches are the V that we saw with the top of our single crochet stitches in Part 1.

The chain stitch doesn’t have a “post” or “legs”. There is simply the back “bar” or “bump”. You will see either term used in patterns. It will depend on the publication what terminology they chose.

If you find that your chain stitches seem to always be much tighter than the rest of your crochet fabric it can help to use a hook one size larger for the foundation chain, then switch down to the next hook size when you are ready to begin your first row into the chains.

If a pattern doesn’t specify which loop of the chain to use, I tend to use the back bar. I like the way the finished foundation looks as it echoes the top of the stitches on the last row of the project. When putting an edging all the way around the finished project I find the base of this foundation easier and neater looking to work into.

One of the first ways I learned to work into a chain was by going into the center of the V on the top of the chain and catching the back bar and top leg of the V in the stitch being made. This is the more traditional way of working into a foundation chain.

This leaves a single strand at the base of the stitches in your first row. This can work well if you are working pieces of a garment that are going to be seamed together along the base of the foundation rows.

The first row worked into the chain using the traditional method tends to have quite a bit of twist to it before you work additional rows.

It also is more stable when you are starting a stitch pattern that requires multiple stitches worked into some of the chain stitches of your foundation. For example…shell stitches.

Another option is to work under both legs of the V on each chain st. I find this to be the most difficult way to work into the chain. It does give you a very stable foundation and the single strand at the base is free for seaming pieces together along the foundation. Working into a chain using this method is easier when your foundation chain is loose enough.

The finished row will again have single strands at it’s base, but they will be a bit more centered. This row will have a lot of twist to it like the traditional method of working into a chain.

Now that you have the chain foundation out of the way, we are going to take a closer look at the single, half double and double crochet stitches in Part 3.

As my long-time readers are aware, I put a lot of work into my pattern writing. This has been amplified since I started my independent pattern line “M2H Designs”.

My goal when writing a pattern is to create a document that will be clear to follow. Many of my patterns are fairly easy by design and when I use more complex crochet techniques I try to have explanations or links to tutorials for the crocheter to use.

Some of my designs are published in magazines or at yarn company websites. In those cases I have less control over how the pattern is edited and presented. Even so, with attentive reading of the pattern most crocheters can figure out the pattern. Since I started my designing work by writing patterns for magazines I tend to follow a similar format in my indie line.

One thing to remember, all the information in the pattern is important. Sometimes you might want to skip right to the instructions to get started, but that can make completing the project much more difficult than it needs to be. The information at the beginning of the pattern isn’t there just to take up space. Reading thru it can make a big difference.

Skill Level

This is an estimate for the average crocheters skill. Keep in mind what your crochet experience is. You may have been crocheting for 30 years, but if it is the first time you’ve tackled a garment or item with shaping you might find you need to take it a bit more slowly and you might find aspects of the pattern confusing.

Finished Size

This is handy information especially if you are making a wearable item. The finished size should be the actual size of the garment, not necessarily the size you have made, ie….your bust size is 34 inches, but the finished size bust is 40 inches for the size recommended for your bust measurement. That is because the designer has created a garment that will have 6 inches of positive ease. Knowing the finished size can help you make decisions about the fit and help you estimate how the item will fit the body it is intended for.

In the case of blankets or afghans this size information can also help you decide if the finished project will be as large or small as you want. For example, if you want to make a baby blanket from a larger blanket pattern, you know that you will have to change the length of your starting foundation. Or the reverse, you want to make a larger blanket from a baby blanket pattern. You will need to purchase more yarn at the start of your project to be sure you have enough.

Materials

This is where the Yarn, hook and other tools needed for the project can be found. Under Yarn you will see information on the brand and name of the yarn used, the yardage needed, and the fiber content of the yarn. You will also be given the size of the hook that was used, though you may want to use a different size once you check your gauge.

Also listed in this section will be things like buttons, beads or zippers. It is a good idea to gather all these materials ahead of time.

Gauge

Ah gauge, everyone’s favorite part of yarn crafting. Not really. But it is important if you want your finished project to come out the right size. Being off in your gauge can mean that you will not have the right amount of yarn or that the finished fabric will not drape properly.

Gauge is especially important when you are making a fitted garment like a sweater or skirt. It’s a little less important for items like blankets or wraps, but being off in gauge for those items can still run you into difficulties like yardage or the quality of your finished fabric.

Special Stitches

This is one of the sections most over-looked in a pattern. Lots of times folks assume they know what a listed stitch is, but there isn’t really a standardization of stitches in crochet. Checking this section over gives you a clear definition (and the abbreviation) so you can be certain what the designer means when they use a term like “V-st” in the pattern instructions.

A V-stitch could be 2 double crochet stitches worked in one stitch and separated by 1 chain stitch or 2 chain stitches, could even be 2 single crochet stitches worked in one stitch and separated by 1 chain stitch or 2 chain stitches. Reading the special stitches section beforehand and referring to it while working the pattern will keep you on track.

Pattern Notes

This section is a great place to understand the pattern better before beginning. This could be an overview of how the garment is constructed, ie…Cardigan is worked in 2 sections off top and bottom of a center back foundation row, then joined at under-arm and sleeves worked outward. Remaining fabric is worked around the body opening to create the rest of the cardigan.

Instructions

After reading thru all the previous information and preparing for the start of your project you can now concentrate on working the instructions and completing your project. It’s a good idea to read thru the instructions once before you start crocheting. They may not make complete sense to you, but if you do one read-thru before starting you may find them easier to follow when you start crocheting.

If the pattern is in a book or magazine you own it can help to highlight areas that you think will be tricky for you. If you are making a garment from a pattern that has instructions for more than 1 size, it is a good idea to highlight the instructions for the size you are making.

If the pattern is in a publication you can’t mark up purchase some “highlight” removable tape. I found mine at my local yarn shop and it is very handy. You may be able to find it at your local office supply store or college bookstore.

Hope this all helps you the next time you are tackling a new pattern.