Folding Single Crochet Tutorial
The Big Hearts Rug (on page 20) was created using the folding single crochet technique, which adds exceptional dimension and depth to a design. This technique uses basic crochet stitches worked in an unconventional way to form a soft, “cushy,” raised texture. I absolutely love the results one achieves with this technique! It is lots of fun to stitch and the perfect technique to use when a luxuriously padded surface is desired!
Each “raised dimensional bump” of folding single crochet consists of a three-round pattern repeat that is worked in a specific manner and order. The first round uses single crochet. Treble crochets are worked into the front loops of stitches for the second round, followed by the third round of folding single crochet stitches worked into the back loops of stitches in the two previous rounds. This third round anchors together the tops and unworked back loops at the base of the previous round’s treble crochet stitches. This causes the posts of those stitches to fold over and push slightly upward to form a nice rounded “padded bump.”
It is such a cool technique! However, you might wonder if the stitches used are only single and treble crochet, why is the pattern skill level listed as “Intermediate”? It is because the placement of the hook varies in each of the three rounds of the pattern repeat. The first round is worked in the usual manner by inserting the hook under both loops of the previous round’s stitches. The treble crochet stitches of the second round are worked in the front loop of round one. The third round is the trickiest part of the pattern repeat because it is worked in the unworked back loops of stitches in the two previous rounds.
Some people are confused regarding where to insert a crochet hook to work “in the front loop” or “in the back loop” of a stitch. The easiest way to distinguish between the front or back loop of a stitch is to use the following explanation: With the top two loops of the stitch facing you, the loop that is closest to you is the “front loop” (see
Photo 1) and the loop that is farthest away from you is the “back loop” (see Photo 2). This simple description is easy to remember and can be used to determine the front and back loops of a stitch when crocheting any pattern, regardless of whether it is stitched in rows or rounds!
Now that you have a general overview of how the folding single crochet technique works and an understanding of how to determine the front and back loop of a stitch, let’s get started! The photos may show additional stitch markers that are used when crocheting the Big Hearts Rug. To practice, make a swatch as follows:
Rnd 1: Ch 15, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, place a marker in the back lp of this same st to mark the first st of the rnd. Sc in each of the next 13 chs, ch 2, place a marker in each ch. Now you will be working along the opposite side of the foundation ch. Sc in the first ch, which is the opposite side of the same ch where the last sc was made. Sc in each of the next 13 chs. Ch 2, place a marker in each ch. Insert hook in the front lp of the marked first st of the rnd (see
Photo 3) and join with a sl st. Joining into the front lp puts the hook in the correct position to work in the front lps for the next rnd.
Rnd 2: Beg with a ch 4, which counts as the first tr. Do not remove the marker from the unworked lp at the base of this beg ch-4 because it marks the hook placement for the first st of the next rnd. *Working in the front lps of the sts of
Rnd 1, tr in each of the next sts to the first marked ch, work 3 tr in the front lp of each of the next 2 marked chs (see Photos 4 and
5). Do not remove markers from the chs.
Rep from * once more.
Do not join after the last tr is made.
Rnd 3: Now for the
“magic”! The placement of the hook is the secret to achieving the beautiful furrows of folded-over tr sts! Throughout this final rnd, the hook is inserted into the back lps of the tr sts of Rnd 2 and the unworked back lps of the sts of Rnd 1 at the base of those same tr sts. Beg
by inserting the hook into the 4th ch of the beg ch-4 (see Photo 6), tip the work toward you to see the WS of the work more clearly and insert the hook into the marked unworked back lp at the base of the same beg ch-4 (see Photo 7), yo, draw lp up through 2 lps on hook (see Photo 8), yo, draw through rem 2 lps on the hook to complete the first folding sc (see Photo 9). Move the marker to top of this first folding sc to mark the beg of this rnd.
To make the next folding sc, insert the hook into the back lp of the next tr of
Rnd 2, tip the work toward you to see the WS of work more clearly and insert hook in the unworked back lp at the base of the same tr (see Photo 10), yo and draw lp up through 2 lps on hook (see Photo 11), yo and draw through rem 2 lps on hook to complete the 2nd folding sc (see Photo 12 of WS of work). Continue to work the folding sc in the same manner in each st around.
Congratulations! You have just completed the folding single crochet technique! To ensure you have success with the technique, here are a couple more tips you might find helpful. If the treble crochet stitches start to look too slanted after being folded over and anchored by the folding single crochet stitch, then you probably made a hook placement error when working into the unworked loop at the base of a previous treble crochet. Simply rip back to where the treble crochet stitches look as vertical as those in the Big Hearts Rug photo and continue to work the remaining folding single crochet round.
Also, as the rug gets larger, you might want to work the third rounds of the pattern repeats with the rug wrong side up on a flat surface, which may make it easier to see where to insert the hook.
I really love this technique and I think you will too, after seeing the amazing look it produces! If you would like to make more designs using a variation of this technique, check out my Pumpkin Patch Baskets in the October 2018 issue of Crochet World magazine. Or you can learn how to stack rounds of folding crochet “bumps” vertically into a cone shape for my Christmas Tree Trio that was published in the Annie’s Christmas Special 2018. You can learn more about both of these magazines at: www.AnniesCraftStore.com.
Now that you know there are other fun designs that can be made using the folding single crochet technique and you know how to work this technique, grab your hook and yarn and start stitching the Big Hearts Rug!