HOW TO MAKE A SLIP STITCH BORDER
I’m Nerissa, an Australian expat in the Netherlands. I grew up on a farm in South Australia, so sheep and wool are in my DNA. I was taught to knit and spin as a child, and I think I learned to crochet by osmosis. Over the years I have developed all sorts of little tricks to level up my crochet skills quickly and easily, and I cannot wait to share them with you. These tips will all help to make you a better crocheter with very little effort!
It’s a familiar scene – you have a beautiful blanket that’s nearly finished and the time has come for you to add the border. The pattern tells you to work a specific number of stitches down the rows to form a neat edge. However, while you crochet, you really struggle to place the stitches evenly to create an even border. Instead, you have stitches in gaps and through stitch posts, and it just does not match the vision you had in your head of how this lovely project was going to turn out.
So, what to do? A great solution for this common problem is to add a slip stitch row down the very edge of your rows and use the loops of the slip stitches as the foundation for your border.
Based on the instructions in the pattern, and holding the right side of the blanket facing you, slip stitch the stitch count needed down the edge. Repeat on both sides (you don’t have to do this at the top and bottom, just down the row-end sides).
My advice is to go up a hook size when you do this, as slip stitches have very little stretch, and you don’t want to lose the drape.
Give it a try next time. It’s also a great tool for working a double border (and hiding loose ends inside)! Happy stitching.
For more on Nerissa follow her on Instagram at @miss__neriss and Facebook at madeby MissNeriss, find her patterns at the nerissa-muijs Ravelry store or visit www.missneriss.com
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