How do I work a puff knit fabric?

Here’s how to use puff stitches to create a chunky knit style

For this technique, it will help if you already know how to make chains, half trebles and puff stitches. Puff knit shapes are made up of two puff stitches worked into the same stitch or space. This fabric effect works equally well in either rows or rounds, but here we’ll be showing you how to work it in rows. To practise, you can use any yarn with an appropriate size of hook – we used a DK cotton yarn and a 4mm hook.

For your practice piece, start by making a row of dc or htr stitches that’s a multiple of 3 plus 1. We made 16 htr stitches. To do this, ch17, htr in the 3rd ch from the hook (skipped ch-2 counts as first htr) and in each chain to the end, turn.

To work the first row of puff knit shapes, start with a ch3 t-ch (counts as first stitch) and skip the next stitch.

Step 1 Now start a puff stitch: yrh and insert hook in next stitch. (On the second row, you’ll insert the hook into the space between puff stitches, as shown.)

Step 2 Now yrh and pull up a loop, bringing it to the height of the ch3 t-ch so you have a fairly long strand.

Step 3 Yrh and reinsert the hook in the same place, yrh and pull up a loop, elongating it as before.

Step 4 Repeat Step 3 – you’ll have 7 loops on the hook.

Step 5 Yrh and gently pull through all 7 loops. Step 6 Ch1 to complete your puff stitch – this is the first of a pair of puff stitches that make up the knit puff shape.

Step 7 Repeat Steps 1-6 to work a second puff stitch in the same place. You will now have a finished one knit puff shape, which is made up of two puff stitches.

Step 8 To continue the first row, skip 2 stitches and repeat Steps 1-7 in the next stitch. Continue this process across the row until 2 stitches remain. Skip 1 stitch and treble in the last stitch, which will be the top of the turning chain on the row below.

Step 9 To work the next row and all subsequent rows, ch3 (counts as first st) and work one knit puff shape into each knit puff shape, inserting the hook between the pair of puff stitches, as shown in Step 1. Treble in the last stitch (top of the t-ch).

Repeat Step 9 until the fabric is the length desired, adding a final row of dc or htr if you wish. You’ll see that this thick fabric has a lovely chunky quality, but a surprisingly good drape, making it ideal for blankets. You can use it in rows or rounds with any yarn weight.