Raised Herringbone Crochet Stitch

I’ve been struggling with the square I am working on for my Terrific Textures CAL, so I am posting about it. The stitch for this square is called the Raised Herringbone Crochet stitch. This is the third square posted for July. I am behind. I have five squares to go before I catch up and can finish my blanket somewhat on schedule. But I hit a snag with this one. After ripping out and redoing it at least five times I had to break down the pattern stitch by stitch.

What was happening?

The herringbones in my Raised Herringbone crochet stitches kept ending up off-center. I thought I was following the pattern correctly. I finally found my error. Usually, when I encounter a difficulty like this I figure I cannot be the only one who has had this issue.

User Error

Sometimes, the creator writes patterns that are clear to them but they still give me trouble. It’s a user error, 100%. I have only been crocheting more complicated things for a few years. Sometimes, no, let’s be honest. A lot of times, I need crochet patterns to be written out extremely clearly.

YouTube Can Help…

YouTube can help, and there’s no lack of crochet tutorials on YouTube. But, I dislike that many crochet tutorials on YouTube lack written instructions. Sometimes I need to see both visual and written instructions. I benefit from seeing someone working the pattern visually. I also benefit from written instructions that confirm if everything is correct.

Raised Herringbone Crochet Video Tutorial

Raised Herringbone Crochet Stitch

Terminology

• ch: chain(s)
• sts: stitches
• yo: yarn over
• sc: single crochet
• hdc: half-double crochet
• fpdtr: front-post-double-treble-crochet. See how to make this stitch below.

Notes

• leave stitch(es) behind fpdtr(s) unworked.
  • This is what tripped me up. Sometimes this pattern calls for working TWO fpdtr in a row. When you do this, leave TWO stitches behind the fpdtrs unworked.  
• All front post double treble stitches are made 2 rows below the current row.
• To make the front-post-double-treble stitch:
  • Wrap yarn three times. Insert behind stitch 2 rows below so it is a front post. You should have 5 loops on your hook. Yo pull through 2, yo pull through 2, yo pull through 2, yo pull through last 2. This is a very tall stitch.

Method

Your starting chain should be a multiple of 6 plus 3 stitches.

Row 1: Hdc in 2nd ch from hook. Hdc across.

Row 2: hdc in same st as ch 1. Hdc across. Turn. 

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Hdc in 1st st. Skip 3 hdc 2 rows below. *Fpdtr in the next st 2 rows below. Skip 1 st, hdc 4. Fpdtr 2 rows below around stitch directly to the left of the previous Fpdtr. Skip the next 4 sts that are 2 rows below after the Fpdtr just made.

Repeat from * across ending the last repeat after your final Fpdtr. Hdc in the final stitch. Ch1, Turn.

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until your project is as big as you want. This pattern would look great as a blanket or as the motif on a warm winter sweater.

I post about my own crochet adventures on my blog, including tutorials for crochet techniques and crochet patterns I have written.