Learn how to do front post half double crochet stitches and get straight edges with this dishcloth pattern!
I became enamored by this stitch when I saw the bold, chunky ridges in Mama In a Stitch’s Done in a Day blanket pattern. I’d attempted to do an entire blanket in this stitch, but as I worked my project began to turn into a rhombus!
When I’d researched why this was happening, most of the forum posts suggested a tension problem. Not so! This stitch simply slants as you work it, so you need to combat the slanting by increasing on one side and decreasing on the other.
If you’d like to learn how to get this great texture and want to practice this stitch, a dishcloth is a great way to do so! I hope you enjoy this fun, quickie pattern.
By the way, I ended up using that blue yarn for this Homespun Arrow Stitch Crochet Baby Blanket, which you might like!
Other dishcloth patterns you might like:
- Center Out Bean Stitch Crochet Dishcloth
- Single Crochet Spike Stitch Dishcloth
- Basketweave Crochet Dishcloth
- Tunisian Full Stitch Dishcloth
Abbreviations (US)
- ch(s): chain(s)
- fphdc(s): front post half double crochet(s)
- hdc(s): half double crochet(s)
- hdc2tog: half double crochet two together
- rep: repeat
- rnd(s): round(s)
- rs: right side
- sc(s): single crochet(s)
- st(s): stitch(es)
- ws: wrong side
- yo: yarn over
Special Stitch
Hdc2tog: Yo, insert your hook in a st, pull up a loop. You should have 3 loops on your hook. Yo, insert your hook in the next st, pull up a loop. You should have 5 loops on your hook. Yo and pull through all 5 loops.
Materials
- Lily Sugar’n Cream Weight 4 Medium (100% Cotton, 120yd/109m, 2.5oz/71g) Red 1 skein
- Size H/8 5mm crochet hook
- Scissors
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Finished Size
Before border: 5″ x 5″
With border: 5.5″ x 5.5″
Gauge
16 sts x 15 rows = 4″ x 4″
Notes
You can get an ads-free, easy-to-print PDF of this pattern over at Ravelry or at Etsy!
If you are familiar with other post stitches, you’ll recall that in something like front post double crochet, you are pulling the raised texture towards you, and this is usually the right side of your work. The opposite is true of front post half double crochet! As you work fphdc stitches, mystically the ridges are pushed backwards. So, any fphdc rows occur on the wrong side of your work. Interesting, right?
To adjust the width of this dishcloth, ch any number.
Pattern
Ch 21.
Row 1: (rs) Hdc in second ch from hook and in each st across (20 sts here and throughout). Ch 1 and turn.
Row 2: (ws) Hdc in first st. Fphdc in the next st and in each st across until you have one st left in the row. Hdc in last st. Ch 1 and turn.
Row 3: (rs) Work 2 hdcs in first st. Hdc in the next st and in each st across until there are two sts left in the row. Hdc2tog. Ch 1 and turn.
Rows 4-19: Rep Rows 2 and 3 until work measures 5″, ending on Row 3 of the repeat.
Border
Border is worked rs facing.
Rnd 1: Ch 1. Work 2 scs in the same st. [Sc along the edge. Aim to place about 1 sc per each row-end. In the corner, work 3 scs. Sc in each st across. In the corner, work 3 scs] twice. When you reach your starting corner, instead of 3 scs, work 1 sc, then sl st join to your first st of the rnd. Not including middle corner sts, you should have 20 sts on each edge of your dishcloth.
Cut yarn, fasten off, and weave in ends.
I hope you enjoy this pattern! You can pin it for later using the image below:
