Crochet Slip-stitch in the round.

Continuing my mini Slip-stitch series this month I've been looking at Slip-stitch designs worked in the round. This is the sort of work which is more usually known as Shepherd's knitting or Bosnian crochet. 

All the designs I am going to show you are worked in continuous rounds. If you've never worked a Slip-stitch fabric before you'll find all the information you need to get going in this post, How to Crochet Slip-stitch. Shall we get started?

 

Shepherd's Knitting

Or Back-Loop Only Slip-st is a fairly stable stitch with little stretch. The fabric pattern is created by the unused front loops.

Set up your foundation by working a row of Chain, any number. Do not join the chain row into a loop, instead Slip-st into the Back-Bump of the very first chain to form a loop. This is your first stitch so don't tighten it as you would normally. Slip-st into the Back-Bump of each chain to the end. You are now ready to begin the pattern.

Slip-stitch into the Back-Loop Only of each stitch working in continuous rounds.

 

Flat Stitch

Or Front-Loop Only Slip-st. 

 

It's very similar to the version (right) which is worked in rows except that it creates a more uniform diagonal design and just like that stitch it really wants to roll itself up vertically. This makes it useful for rolled cuffs and hems or hat brims.

After making a foundation of any number of stitches, Slip-st into the Front-Loop Only working in continuous rounds.

Horizontal Stripes

By working alternate rounds of Back-Loop Only and Front-Loop Only Slip-st you can create stripes. I've varied the number of rounds in each stripe to give you an idea of what can be achieved.

Begin with a foundation of any number of stitches. Work in continuous rounds. In my sample I have begun with 4 rounds Back-Loop Only, 4 rounds Front-Loop Only.

Diagonal Stripes

The Problem with one directional crochet is that as the stitches sit on top of each other obliquely, so if you attempt to work vertical stripes this is what you end up with. The pattern naturally leans to the right, unless you are a left-handed crocheter and then you will have a left-handed lean!

In this sample my stripes each have 5 stitches so the number of stitches in my foundation was divisible by 10. I simply repeated (5 Back-Loop Only, 5 Front-Loop Only) continuously around.

One Colour Bosnian Braid

This design and the next are based on the ones in Therese De Dillmont's Encyclopedia of Needlework. 

Due to that right leaning nature of one way crochet, if you try to create a flat strip of braid working in rows in one direction only, the ends will end up diagonal rather than square. So should you want to make a braid for a strap or belt then I suggest that you work in a continuous loop and cut the braid open at one end when it is finished. You will need to seam or seal the ends in some way. Of course you can also use the pattern on a garment worked in the round.

For this example I set up my foundation using a multiple of 6 stitches.

    Round 1&2: Slip-st in back-loop only.

    Round 3&4: Slip-st in front-loop only.

    Round 5&6: Back-loop only.

    Round 7 to 14: (Back-loop only in next 3 stitches, Front-loop only in next 3 stitches) repeat around. Begin each new round one stitch later so that the strips lean to the left. (Or to the right if you are a leftie!)

    Round 15&16: Back-loop only.

    Round 17&18: Front-loop only.

    Round 19: Back-loop only around and fasten off.

 

Two Colour Bosnian Braid

By using colour-work techniques to create a design and with the unused threads carried behind the work we can create a very stable, hard-wearing and thick design as is done in Korsnas sweaters. This design is also based on one in De Dillmont's Encyclopedia. You will notice how some of the design leans to the right and some to the left. To get the design to lean to the left those rounds are started one stitch to the left. I have achieved this by adding in an extra stitch at the start of those rounds.

The design is worked entirely in Back-Loop Only Slip-st. Here's what I did:

Create a foundation using a multiple of 18. [As I was trying to replicate De Dillmont's design I made life difficult for myself. The two parts of the pattern have a different stitch repeat. I could of course have changed the pattern on rounds 3,4&5 to be multiples of 6. As it is written here, on the last repeat on Round 3,4&5 adjust the number of ColA stitches to make up for the odd stitch count.]

    Round 1&2: with ColA Back-Loop Only around.

    Round 3,4&5: (with ColA 3 sts, with ColB 2 sts) repeat around.

    Round 6,7&8: with ColA Back-Loop Only around.

    Round 9,10&11: with ColB Back-Loop Only around.

    Round 12: (ColB 3sts, ColA 3sts, ColB 3sts, ColA 9sts) repeat around.

    Round 13&14: (ColB 4sts, ColA 3sts, ColB 3sts, ColA 9sts) once only, (ColB 3sts, ColA 3sts, ColB 3sts, ColA 9sts) repeat around.

    Round 15,16&17: (ColB 4sts, ColA 3sts) once only, (ColB 3sts, ColA 3sts) repeat around.

    Round 18,19&20: (ColB 4sts, ColA 3sts, ColB 3sts, ColA 9sts) once only, (ColB 3sts, ColA 3sts, ColB 3sts, ColA 9sts) repeat around.

    Round 21,22&23: with ColB Back-Loop Only around.

De Dillmont's design now finishes with a repeat of Rounds 1to 8 but I'd had quite enough of colour-work by this point!

Diagonal Weave

The lovely faux woven texture in this sample is simply made by alternating blocks of Diagonal Stripe. In this example blocks are 4 rounds high by 4 stitches wide but you can make the pattern any width or height.

In this sample I began with a foundation using a multiple of 8 stitches.

    Round 1 to 5: (Front-Loop Only x 4sts, Back-Loop Only x 4sts) repeat around.

    Round 6 to 9: (Back-Loop Only x 4sts, Front-Loop Only x 4sts) repeat around.

    Round 10 to 13: (Front-Loop Only x 4sts, Back-Loop Only x 4sts) repeat around.

Repeat rows 6 to 13 to desired length.

 

Stairway to Heaven

I was clearly feeling creative when I named this. It is simply a one stitch wide diagonal stripe but I think it is my favourite pattern in these examples.

To make it begin with a foundation of even numbered stitches.

(Front-Loop only in the next stitch, Back-Loop only in the next stitch) repeat around continuously.

Twill Weave

I thought I had finished this post when an obvious variant to 'Stairway to Heaven' popped into my head and I just had to try it. It's exactly the same but made over an odd number of stitches. This makes the diagonal stripe lean in the other direction. The fabric lies a little flatter without the diagonal ribbing effect of the stairway pattern.

Begin with an odd numbered foundation.

(Front-Loop only in the next stitch, Back-Loop only in the next stitch) repeat around.

Continue working continuously to the desired length.

Under the Board Walk

I have had a few attempts at creating patterns using inverse Slip-stitches unsuccessfully. I tried to recreate Garter stitch in the round, instead, this is what I ended up with. It actually looks like Inverse Garter stitch on the reverse side, but I like the pattern that I have achieved. The fabric lies very flat.

There was also much discussion about what to name this stitch. My crochet-confident was adamant the name should express the churning waves. Should you know different then please put us both out of our misery!

Start with a foundation using any number of stitches.

    Round 1: inverse Back-Loop Only in each stitch around.

    Round2:  Front-Loop Only in each stitch around.

Continue alternating these two rounds to the desired length. 

 

I am absolutely sure that there are plenty of other stitch combinations and patterns for me still to discover.

 

Fastening off...

The Olive Leaf Rug

 

Having two large dogs means that easy to clean features high on my agenda especially when it comes to flooring. I have been on a voyage of discovery and think that I have finally found the solution in a machine washable crochet rug.

    It was by no means easy. I needed to find a material that is heavy enough to make a substantial rug but light enough not to break the washing machine and flexible to fit inside the drum. The yarn has to be too big to get caught in dogs claws and strong to withstand a little rough and tumble. Finally I found Woolyknit's Chunky rug yarn.

It comes in an enormous single skein weighing around 2kgs. The weight is important because there is a limit on the weight you can put in your washing machine. While my machine claims to take up to 6kgs in one load it can only handle 2kgs of wool.

The yarn has a lightly felted construction and is about 5mm thick. While this absolutely will not get caught in a dog claw it poses new problems. It is not going to create long graceful crochet stitches without first breaking my arm. So where do I go from here?

Rather than waste any of my precious yarn I grabbed the thickest yarn I had and started trying out stitch patterns. I quickly came to realise that slip stitches are perfect for this extra thick yarn.

Eventually I was ready to make a swatch with the Rug yarn. But what hook size is right? Too large a hook and the work is loose flat and stretchy. Too small a hook and the work is tight, slow and hard on the hands. After a false start I went with the 15mm hook. By weighing the swatch and weighing the yarn I could work out the approximate number of stitches and rows I could make altogether. By measuring the swatch I was also able to decide on the ideal size for my rug. But before I started there was on more thing to do, wash the swatch. This yarn blooms slightly when washed. The yarn relaxes and puffs up, it also evens out the stitches.

So no more excuses, it's time to begin. The plan is to work 51 stitches alternating Front loop, Back Loop slip stitch in each row. To make things simple I began and ended ever row with a front loop stitch. This way I could instantly tell if I had made a mistake and I didn't have to keep track of whether I was on a front or back row. I used a chain1 turning-chain at the start of each row. There was another false start when I realised the starting chains were too loose, making the first few rows wider than the rest of the rows. The turning chains were also too tall making the edges of the rug ripple. I came down to the 12mm hook for the starting row only and made sure to pull those turning chain tight. From there on it was plain sailing, once I'd realised that it was easier to work with a knife hold on the chunky 15mm hook. I finished the rug with a row of slip stitches so that both ends of the rug matched.

When I had finished I washed the rug (and didn't break the washing machine). I laid it out on a couple of old towels. It required some stretching and manipulating before stoking it into shape from the centre outwards, but it dried quickly with nice even stitches.

Shadow gave it his full seal of approval the minute I laid it down! In the past when I've tried something and it's gone wrong, I've given up thinking it was a failure. Now I see difficulties as problems requiring a solution. I hope I've given you some encouragement to solve something you're having difficulties with.

fastening off...

How to Crochet Slip Stitch.

     If we could write a neat formula like E=MC2 to describe the physical rules of crochet, then Slip-Stitch crochet would be the outlier, the black hole, the dark matter. We would instead be forced to invent a String Theory to explain it! (Sorry!) Fortunately, perhaps, I am neither Isaac Newton or Einstein so let's just start with the basics.

It's a few years since I first blogged about Slip-Stitch Crochet as a Slip-Stitch newbie. I realise now how much I left out of that post. So, today I'll show you how to make the six types of stitch which make up the basis of all the stitch patterns.

   Let's assume you are trying slip-st crochet for the very first time. Start with a heavy weight yarn and a hook at least two sizes bigger than the yarn band advises. Some people will advise you to use an inline hook. Personally I believe that is unnecessary and the secret is in the yarn tension.   

    Before you even make your first slip stitch let's look at how you are holding your working yarn. I am a very tight crocheter and I tend to hang on for grim death. But, when Slip-stitching this is how I hold my yarn so that I have almost no tension on the yarn at all. I find this type of crochet very therapeutic and mindful. 

Foundation Row

As this is your first attempt we'll begin with any easy and stable foundation. Use this to practise all the stitches below.

    Chain20 +1 turning chain, then Double-crochet (Sc-US) back into each of the 20 Chains.

    Chain1 turning chain, tighten the yarn to reduce the height of this stitch. Many slip stitch patterns are written without any turning chains but I have found that this reduced height chain is helpful.

 

Slip-st swatch 

Having made the foundation row as written above, pull up that first loop on the hook just a little bit looser than normal. 

   Place the hook into the first stitch yarn over and pull through both the stitch and the loop on the hook. As you pull through, once again pull through a little bit looser than usual.

    Work along the row and when you reach the end make a reduced height turning chain. 

    Turn and notice how the tops of the last row of stitches are now facing away from you.

    Slip-st into each stitch across. If you are having trouble inserting the hook then you made your last row too tightly. You'll need to pull your stitches a little bit taller.  

 

This is what I think of as the physics of slip-stitches. The stitches have four opportunities to get tighter and more even;

1. When the stitch is being made 

2. When the next stitch is being made 

3. When the next row is being made 

4. When the fabric is stretched and blocked

So, even if your stitches initially look a bit too loose avoid the temptation to tug! Even if you have been crocheting for years this is a new skill, your patience will be well rewarded.

When you have finished you will have created  a swatch of Slip-stitch rib; a dense and slightly stretchy rib fabric.  

 

Back Loop Slip-st Rib 

Start with the same stable foundation we used before.

    After the slip-st rib this will be a breeze. Use the reduced height turning chains and this time work into the back loop only of each stitch.

    It's very easy to poke the tip of the hook under that back loop. Keep an eye on your stitch count as it is really easy to overlook that last stitch in the row.

This is the stitch I use for ribbing on cuffs and hems. It produces a very stretchy but less dense ribbing than plain slip-st rib.

 

Front Loop Slip-st / Garter st

    Starting with the foundation row and turning chains, this time you will Slip-st into the front loop only.

When you turn, because the top of the stitch tilts away from you, that front loop is now at the top of the fabric. This makes is really easy to crochet into.

Before we go any further I have some more Slip-st physics for you to observe.  When you have finished your swatch, give it a good stretch in all directions. Standard crochet has some stretch but mainly it stretches best diagonally, from corner to corner.  This fabric is thinner and stretches vertically.

 

Inverse Back Loop Slip-st / Inverse Garter Stitch  

Inverse Back loop stitches create something that looks like a Front loop stitch. Inverse Front loop stitches create something that looks like a Back loop stitch. I find this in equal parts puzzling and confusing. This is part of the reason I find Slip-sts so alluring!

    Start with the foundation row and turning chain. 

Normally when you reach the end of a row you would turn the work from right to left, so that the working yarn is behind the hook. When working Inverse stitches, instead, turn the work from left to right so that the working yarn falls in front of the hook. Or in other words, turn and bring the working yarn to the front!

  Insert the lip of the hook under the back loop from back to front. 

From this position the hook just naturally slides into the stitch.

    Yarn under the hook.

    With the hook facing down and slightly forwards pull the yarn back through the stitch and the loop on the hook at the same time.

     Inverse Back Loop slip-st in each stitch across, when you reach the end make a reduced height turning chain. 

   Turn and notice how the tops of your stitches are now facing forwards.

When you've finished you can compare your two Garter stitch samples. I think this version feels a lot more elastic.

Inverse Front Loop Slip-st / Inverse Rib stitch

This makes a flattened but very stretchy rib. It requires some patience to make this swatch completely even and tidy. 

    Start with the foundation row and turning chain. Bring the working yarn to the front of your hook.

    Insert the hook under the front loop from back to front. Yarn under the hook.

    With the hook facing down and slightly forwards pull the yarn back through the stitch and the loop on the hook at the same time.

  Inverse Front Loop slip-st in each stitch across, when you reach the end make a reduced height turning chain. 

   Turn and notice how the tops of your stitches are now facing forwards.

Twisted Slip-st / Corded Slip-st

This is a very rare stitch but worth including.

    Start with the foundation row and turning chain. Turn in the normal way and keep the working yarn to the back of the hook.

    Insert the lip of the hook under the stitch from back to front. From this position the hook just naturally slides into the stitch.

    Yarn over the hook and pull through both the stitch and the loop on the hook.

    You will find that your working yarn is now at the front of your work, so take it to the back, so that it is behind the hook when you make your next stitch.

    It is possible to use this technique in either the back or front loop only. If you want to try those stitches I suggest you go up at least one more hook size.

This makes a very strong stable stitch which I can imagine would be great for making market bags.

Now that you are fully armed with all the requisite knowledge, next month I will show you some fun and interesting ways to combine these stitches.

Fastening off...