The Puff Shell Stitch is a beautiful, textured stitch commonly used for blankets, scarves, shawls, and more. It creates a lovely, puffy, and lacy effect that adds both visual interest and a bit of warmth to any project. Here’s how to crochet the Puff Shell Stitch step by step.
Materials Needed:
- Yarn of your choice (typically medium weight or worsted weight yarn is used for blankets).
- Crochet Hook: Use a hook that matches the yarn weight, often 5mm (H) or 6mm (J) for worsted weight.
- Tapestry Needle (for weaving in ends).
- Scissors.
Puff Shell Stitch Pattern:
The Puff Shell Stitch consists of multiple double crochets worked into the same stitch, but instead of completing each double crochet, you stop halfway through and leave the loops on the hook. Then, at the end, you pull through all the loops at once to form a puff.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Foundation Chain:
- Start by chaining the number of stitches you need for your project. This could vary depending on the width of the project and the stitch pattern you are following. For the Puff Shell Stitch, you generally want to start with a multiple of 3 chains, plus 2 additional chains for turning.
- Set-Up Row:
- Work a row of double crochets (dc) or a row of your desired stitch pattern.
- For example, in a blanket, you could use a row of double crochets as your base.
- How to Make the Puff Shell Stitch:
- Yarn over (YO) and insert your hook into the stitch where you want to create the puff shell.
- Yarn over again and pull up a loop. You should now have 3 loops on your hook.
- Yarn over and insert your hook into the same stitch again, yarn over, and pull up another loop (4 loops on the hook).
- Yarn over and insert your hook into the same stitch a third time, yarn over, and pull up another loop (5 loops on the hook).
- You should now have 5 loops on your hook. Yarn over again and pull through all 5 loops at once.
- This creates your puff.
- Finishing the Puff Shell Stitch:
- After completing the puff, you can finish by chaining 1 (this helps to secure the puff and adds space between puffs for a lacy effect).
- Repeat the Puff Shell Stitch across the row, making sure to space them out as required by your pattern (usually one puff stitch per stitch or a set pattern).
- Next Row:
- When you finish a row of puff shell stitches, turn your work.
- For the next row, skip the first 2 stitches, and in the third stitch, begin working the puff shell again. Repeat across the row.
Example of a Puff Shell Stitch Row:
- Chain 2 to start your row, then work a double crochet (dc) into the third chain from the hook.
- To make a puff shell, yarn over, insert the hook into the next stitch, yarn over again and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull up another loop (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull up a third loop (5 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all five loops.
- Chain 1 to secure the puff.
- Repeat this process for the length of the row.
Tips for Puff Shell Stitch:
- Tension: Make sure you’re keeping your tension even when pulling up the loops for the puff. If the loops are too tight, the puff won’t be as full.
- Stitch Placement: Usually, you work puffs in specific stitches like double crochets, or some patterns will have you work them in chain spaces to get different effects.
- Spacing: The chain 1 between puffs adds space and keeps the puffs from bunching up together. You can adjust this depending on the effect you want.
Example of Puff Shell Stitch in a Blanket Pattern:
Here’s an example of how you might use Puff Shell Stitch in a blanket pattern:
- Row 1: Chain 150 (or any number that fits your desired blanket width).
- Row 2: Work a row of double crochets (dc).
- Row 3: Turn your work, then chain 1. Make a puff shell stitch into the next stitch, chain 1, skip 2 stitches. Repeat across.
- Row 4: Turn your work, chain 2, skip the first puff shell, and make a puff shell in the chain-1 space of the previous row. Repeat across.
Variations:
- You can change the size of the puff by adjusting the number of times you pull up loops in the stitch. A 3-loop puff is smaller and more delicate, while a 5-loop puff creates a fuller, more dramatic effect.
- For more complex designs, you can add different textures by varying the puff shell stitch with other stitches (like half double crochet or treble crochet).
With this versatile stitch, you can create textured, cozy blankets, scarves, hats, and more!
