Dana Nield

Learn how to crochet the alternative alternating single crochet spike stitch! I just love the woven look of this stitch.

You should be able to tell what side is the right side and what side is the wrong side because you’ll have these pretty horizontal lines on the front side of your work!

Here’s an image of the right side of the fabric on a larger swatch:

And here’s an image of the wrong side:

The border is worked in the same stitch for a neat finish.

Materials

• Size 6 super bulky weight yarn. For this stitch tutorial I used Lion Brand Hometown Yarn in the following colors:
  • 1 Skein Catskills Corner
  • 1 Skein Oakland Black
• Size P/12mm crochet hook
• Scissors
• Stitch markers
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Abbreviations

• blo: back loop only
• ch(s): chain(s)
• flo: front loop only
• pm: place marker in the stitch you just created (unless otherwise indicated)
• rep: repeat
• rnd: round
• rs: right side
• sc(s): single crochet(s)
• sl st(s): slip stitch(es)
• sk: skip
• sp(s): space(s)
• ws: wrong side

Gauge

7 sts by 9 rows = 4″

Alternative Alternating SC Spike Stitch Tutorial

Ch any odd number of sts. For my swatch I chained 11.

Row 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. You’ll have 10 scs. Ch 1 and turn.

Row 2: (RS) Sc in the blo of the 1st sc.

Sc beneath the next sc (spike st).

With the spike sts, you need to pull your loop of yarn up a smidge to get your hook back to the correct height for the rest of the row. This will prevent your fabric from bunching up.

In the next st, sc in the blo:

Next, do another sc spike stitch, inserting your hook beneath the sc:

Rep to end of row. You should end on a spike st. Ch 1 and turn.

Row 3: (WS) Sc in the flo of the 1st st (spike st from previous row). You will insert your hook using an upward motion for much of this row like so:

By inserting in the flo on the wrong side of the fabric, you’re shifting the horizontal bars to the front of the fabric.

Next, sc in the st beneath the next sc (spike st).

You want to make sure you’re not catching the back loop of the sc in the previous row as you work your ws stitches. Hence inserting the hook in an upward motion. If you catch that loop, you hide the pretty horizontal bars!

Here is a zoomed in image of that bar on the opposite side, highlighted. You want to insert your hook above that bar:

To get that offset, woven look, you will always be working spike sts into scs, and scs into spike sts.

Sc in the flo of the next st (spike st from the previous row), then do a spike st in the next st (sc from the previous row):

Rep to end of row. You should end on a spike st. Ch 1 and turn.

Rep Rows 2 and 3.

So, here is Row 4, a rs row. Sc in the blo of the 1st sc. Sc beneath the next sc (spike st). Rep to end of row. You should end on a spike st. Ch 1 and turn.

Here is Row 5, a ws row. Sc in the flo of the 1st st (spike st from previous row). Sc in the st beneath the next sc (spike st). Rep to end of row. You should end on a spike st. Ch 1 and turn.

Row 6: (RS)

Row 7: (WS)

Row 8: (RS)

Row 9: (WS)

For this swatch, I ended up completing 11 rows. When finished, fasten off and weave in ends.

Border Tutorial

The border is always worked rs facing. 

Round 1: Pull up a loop of yarn in the upper righthand corner. Ch 1, then sc in the same st. Sc in each st across. In each corner, sc, ch 1, pm, sc. As you work along the two raw edges, try to work under at least two strands of yarn so each stitch is more secure. Work into the stitches instead of around the posts of the stitches so you don’t create big holes along those edges. When you reach your starting corner, sc, ch 1, pm, sl st to the first sc.

For the swatch I’m showing rnd 1 of the border worked in black to help differentiate between the main body of the swatch and the border. I’ve finished the final sl st with beige, and I will use that color to work the remaining rnds of the border.

When you’re working the border and you’re doing your first row along the sides, I highly recommend laying out your project on the floor as you work and checking periodically that everything is laying nice and flat. This foundation rnd is so important for creating a polished border!

For the swatch I worked 11 rows, but I only worked 8 sts (plus the corner sts) along the sides. You probably will not want or need one st per row as you’re working along the sides or else your border will splay/ruffle.

Round 2: Ch 1, sc back into the marked ch 1 sp (this keeps your seam in the corner):

Sc in the blo of the next sc, sc beneath the next sc (spike st):

Rep to ch 1 corner sp. Since I had an even number of sts across the top, this row ends with a spike st:

In the ch 1 corner sp, sc, ch 1, pm, sc.

In order to keep your corners looking polished, I would then do a spike st in the next st, sc blo in the next st, rep to the end of that side.

You want your corner stitches framed either by both spike sts or sc blo sts so they are symmetrical. Since the body of the blanket involves an even number of sts for each row, ideally you will end up with an even number of sts along each side of the border, too. That means two of your corners will be framed by spike sts and two of your corners will be framed by sc blo sts.

Alternatively, if you want all of your corners to look the same, you must end up with an odd number of sts around all four sides of the border. You’d have to fudge a little and skip a st somewhere in the middle of your top and bottom borders to get that odd number. Then you could either do all spike sts framing each corner or all sc blo sts framing each corner. Up to you and the look you are going for!

If you work spike sts alongside your corners, know the bottom of the spike sts on each side of the corner are going to go into the same st like so:

Rep around the blanket. When you reach the starting corner, sc, ch 1, pm, sl st to the first sc.

Personally I think the spike sts look prettiest flanking the corners, and those are the upper left hand corner and the bottom right hand corner in the above image.

Rounds 3+: Rep rnd 2, making sure to work sc blo into any spike sts and spikes into any scs!

Whichever sts you work next to the corners in rnds 3+ will depend on what stitches are flanking those corners from the previous rnd.

For example, in the previous rnd this pictured corner was flanked by spike sts, so I will do a spike st into my corner sc from the previous rnd, then sc, ch 1, pm, sc, into the ch 1 corner sp, then another spike st.

In the corners flanked by sc blo sts in the previous rnd, you’ll do a sc blo in the first corner sc from the previous rnd, sc, ch 1, pm, sc in the ch 1 corner sp, then sc blo in the next st.

Here is the completed rnd 3:

Cut yarn, fasten off, and weave in ends!

I hope this step by step photo tutorial was helpful!

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