How do I work A half stitch?
Here’s how to work a half double treble and any half stitch
To practice half stitches, continue with your practice piece or start a new one.
If you start a new one, begin with a couple of rows of half double trebles. As with the extended trebles practice piece, if you made one, it will give your fabric a sturdy foundation and a base row of ‘normal’ stitches to compare your extended stitches with. Work 13 hdtr (ch15, hdtr in 4th ch from hook and in each ch to end, turn, ch3, hdtr in each tr across, turn).
Step 1 Start the new row with a turning chain as usual – for half stitches, you need to work one chain less than the number of turning chains you would usually use for the standard stitch that you’re adjusting. So for a half double treble, you’d need 3 chains for the turning chain. For a half triple treble, you’d need 4 chains, and so on.
Step 2 Now we’ll make a half double treble.
Start the stitch as usual for a double treble by working yrh twice.
Step 3 Insert the hook as usual into the top of the next stitch on the row below.
Step 4 Yrh and pull up a loop (you’ll now have 4 loops on hook).
Step 5 Continue the stitch as usual by working (yrh and pull through 2 loops) once (you’ll now have 3 loops on hook).
Step 6 Now that there are 3 loops on the hook, you need to work yrh…
Step 7 …and pull through 3 loops. This is the key part of the half stitch technique and finishes the stitch early, making it slightly shorter than a standard double treble.
Step 8 Repeat from Step 2 to make a half double treble in each stitch across. You’ll see how the stitch is just a bit shorter than a standard double treble, by missing out the final (yrh and pull through 2 loops) and pulling through 3 loops instead. You might also notice that this ‘halfing’ technique is like how we adapt a treble into a half treble. Step 9 If you wish, turn and work another row of half double trebles by repeating Steps 1-8. Alternatively, try making rows of other half stitches, using the same technique. Here’s a row of half triple trebles, but you could also work half quadruple trebles. Just start each row with a turning chain of the right length (see Step 1). Begin each stitch with the same number of yrh as the standard stitch that you’re adapting (for example, for a half triple treble, yrh 3 times). Insert the hook as usual into the top of the next stitch, yrh and pull up a loop. Continue the stitch as usual, working (yrh and pull through 2 loops) as many times as you need to, until 3 loops remain. Then work yrh and pull through 3 loops to finish the stitch early.