Extended Crochet Stitches

For some reason I thought that we'd already looked at Extended stitches. (I've also found them called Alternative stitches and also Elmore stitches.) As I will be using them in the next post now seems like a good time!!

I keep thinking that I'm running out of things to talk about. I thought I would drag out the next post by breaking it in to two. But as I've been investigating in my stitch dictionaries I've got very excited about this simple stitch. (And I've also decided that I haven't got nearly enough stitch dictionaries!)

So what is an Extended stitch?

Quite simply it is any stitch sitting on the shoulders of a chain stitch. Well that's what the symbol looks like. Sometimes a slip stitch might be used instead of a chain stitch.

These symbols both mean Extended Double Crochet (Sc-USA)
 
Whereas this symbol means the Double Crochet is sitting on a slip stitch.

 Any of these symbols could be used to mean Extended Half Treble (Hdc-USA)

There are lots of reasons why you might want to use an Extended Stitch. Here are all the reasons I could find!

To create a slightly taller stitch than usual.

To create a lighter weight fabric with more drape.

To create a stretchy fabric.

To create texture within the fabric.

To throw stitches off at an angle.

For a height comparison, these samples are as follows; Trebles (Dc-USA), Extended Trebles (Ext Dc-USA), Double Trebles (Tr-USA).

 Here is how you make an Extended Treble (Dc):

Yarn over the hook as if you were making a normal Treble crochet, hook into the next stitch, and pull up a loop;

Yarn over hook and pull through one loop only, that's your chain stitch made;

Now complete your treble stitch as normal.

Following on the left is a block of 10sts x 10 rows of Double Crochet (Sc-USA). It's stiff without much drape. On the right the same sized block of Extended Dc.

Now look how stretchy it is.

 Compare here Double Crochet Mesh with Extended Dc Mesh. I hope you can see that the Ext Dc Mesh is a much softer fabric with a more 3D texture.

These are both (Extended) Double Crochet cluster stitches using a slip stitch instead of a chain stitch.

 The symbol looks like this.

The second example is exactly the same but made in Front Loops Only. To be honest I didn't enjoy making the second example but if you'd like to give it a try you'll find it in 'The Ultimate Crochet Stitch Bible'! 

This final example uses Extra Extended Dc Stitches (Sc-USA) to create texture.

To make an Extra Extended Dc stitch you simply make two chain stitches before finishing with a Dc. Because the stitch is taller than those around it, it puffs up and also lies at a slight angle. The stitch pattern is: Row1. Dc,ExExtDc,Dc. Row2. Dc across.

Come back in a fortnight for my favourite stitch in this little stitch family!