If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m a bit obsessed with the twisted single crochet stitch. I’ve shared swatches and samples and posted teaser pics of TWO different patterns that feature twisted single crochet stitches. Stay tuned for the Twisted Whims Hat and the Double Twist Pumpkins patterns because they’re amazing!
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My obsession started when I was trying to use the crab stitch as a border, but it wasn’t working out as I’d hoped. Then, I stumbled upon an easier alternative — the twisted sc! Both are modifications of traditional single crochet stitches, but the crab stitch is crocheted backward and the twisted sc is crocheted forward (much simpler!)
You can use the twisted single crochets as a border by crocheting into both loops, or, as this tutorial demonstrates, you can crochet into the back loops in order to create chunky ribbing within a project. I love to play around with the amount of rows between each “rib,” like in my Double Twist Pumpkin pattern. See below for a couple different examples of twisted single crochet ribbing (and a bit of the window pane stitch).
Supplies / Materials
- Yarn
- Hook that matches your yarn
For this tutorial, I used:
- Worsted weight yarn (Lion Brand Pound of Love for the video; Big Twist for the pictures)
- H 5.0 mm crochet hooks (Blue Odyssey and Cookies n Cream Streamline Swirl, both from Furls)
NOTE: Furls’ crochet hooks are my absolute favorite and I use them whenever possible. They’re beautiful, ergonomic, and help me get even stitches. They are a splurge, but are so worth it. My favorites are the Streamline (both regular and swirl) and Odyssey. Click the link to check out all of their hooks.
Abbreviations (US Terminology)
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- blo – back loops only
- yo – yarn over
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
Notes
- starting/foundation chain can be any number
- to crochet a twisted sc border, use both loops
- to crochet twisted sc ribbing, use back loops only (blo)
Twisted Single Crochet Video Tutorial
Twisted Single Crochet – Photo Tutorial
Before beginning your twisted stitches, crochet at least one row of standard stitches (e.g. sc, hdc, dc, etc.). Then, ch 1 and turn.
To crochet the twisted sc:
a. Insert your hook (blo for ribbing, both loops for border) and yo
b. Pull up the first loop on your hook. Tilt up your hook to make the top loop a little longer.
c. Rotate your hook a full 360* counter-clockwise
d. yo and pull through the remaining two loops
Repeat until you reach the end of the row.
Crocheting behind twisted stitches (for ribbing):
When you’ve completed the row of twisted single crochets, chain and turn your work.
Crochet a row of standard stitches into the back loops (see image above). For the pictures, I used single crochets.
Do you see how your twisted stitches are only on the front of the project? One of my pattern testers described it as a “party in front, business in the back” situation. The back of your project will look like it’s just standard stitches (e.g. all single crochets).
K, Bye!
That’s all I have for you today, but please reach out if you have any additional questions about crocheting the twisted single crochet stitch, or using it to create ribbing within a project.
And if you use this tutorial to crochet anything, please tag me (@youshouldcraft) so I can see what you’ve created! I love sharing my readers’ work in my Stories. 🙂
