Purlbed

Crochet › Colour and surface

Surface crochet (surface slip stitch)

Lines of chain-like stitches drawn on top of a finished fabric, like embroidery: stripes, plaids, outlines and lettering. With the yarn behind the fabric, the hook goes through the fabric from the front, pulls up a loop and draws it through the loop on the hook: a slip stitch made on the surface,…

What you work it with

Crochet · Tools: A hook one or two sizes larger than for the base; a contrasting yarn; a washable pen to draw the line first.

Symbol chart

One or two repeats of the stitch pattern, in standard crochet symbols.
123456Chain (ch)Slip stitch (sl st)Single crochet (sc)Read from the bottom: each row starts at its number, with its turning chain.

Steps

  1. Draw the line on the finished piece.
  2. Hold the yarn behind; insert the hook from the front at the start and pull up a loop.
  3. Insert at the next point along the line, pull up a loop and through the loop on the hook.
  4. Repeat along the line, keeping the stitches loose.
  5. Pull the end to the back and weave it in.

The full card

What it looks like
Lines of chain-like stitches drawn on top of a finished fabric, like embroidery: stripes, plaids, outlines and lettering.
How it behaves
Adds a raised line and a little stiffness along it; worked loosely it does not pucker the base.
How it works
With the yarn behind the fabric, the hook goes through the fabric from the front, pulls up a loop and draws it through the loop on the hook: a slip stitch made on the surface, step by step along the line.
Tools
A hook one or two sizes larger than for the base; a contrasting yarn; a washable pen to draw the line first.
Parameters
One surface stitch per stitch or row of the base along straight lines, every other one on curves.
Steps
1) Draw the line on the finished piece. 2) Hold the yarn behind; insert the hook from the front at the start and pull up a loop. 3) Insert at the next point along the line, pull up a loop and through the loop on the hook. 4) Repeat along the line, keeping the stitches loose. 5) Pull the end to the back and weave it in.
Charting
The sc squares are the finished base fabric; the sl st dots mark the path of the surface stitches worked on top afterwards, not stitches that replace the sc.
Limits and common problems
Tight surface stitches pucker the base: use a larger hook. Lines that wander: follow a drawn guide.
Combines with
Single crochet, Double crochet, Granny square
Pieces and assembly
Plaid blankets (stripes crossing), outlines on motifs, lettering on bags.

Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.

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