Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Stitch Patterns 4 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Textured crochet swatch with puff and front post stitches
A 4-row textured swatch combining puff stitches and front post double crochet, made flat with a 3.5mm hook.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 3.5 mm
- Rounds
- 4
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
4
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This swatch builds a raised, cross-hatched surface from two stitches worked in alternating rows: a five-loop puff stitch and a front post double crochet. Rows run flat, each closed with a turning chain, so the fabric reads the same from either side once blocked. Start with a chain in a multiple of four, plus two, and work with a 3.5mm hook. Have stitch markers on hand to track the posts you will work around in the later row, and keep the working loop loose enough to pull a puff stitch's eleven loops through cleanly.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Losing count of the eleven loops
- Pause after the fifth repeat into the stitch and count loops on the hook before yarning over to pull through; five partial draws plus the first loop should total eleven.
- Working the front post stitch into the wrong row
- Mark the double crochet row you need to reach around before starting the front post row, since it sits two rows below the working row rather than directly underneath.
- Puff stitches sitting at uneven heights
- Stretch every loop to match double crochet height as you make it, rather than adjusting the height only on the final pull-through.
The materials list
- 3.5 mm crochet hook
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 1 short form
Main Pattern
Round 3
(single crochet)
Round 2
(double crochet and puff stitches)
Round 3
(single crochet)
Round 4
(double crochet and front post double crochet)
Check these before you start
- Stretch each puff stitch loop to double crochet height before moving to the next repeat, or the finished bumps will sit at uneven heights across the row.
- Front post double crochet stitches are worked around the post of a double crochet from an earlier row, not into the top of the stitch directly above — mark that row if you lose track.
- The chain-one after each puff stitch is part of securing the stitch, not a true turning chain, so do not skip it or count it in your stitch total.
On one line
| Rounds | 4 |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 3.5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Count your starting chain and confirm it lands on a multiple of 4, plus 2 — this swatch will not square up otherwise.
- Read through the puff stitch row once before you begin it; the loop-and-stretch motion is repeated five times per stitch and is easier worked slowly the first time.
- Work a small test swatch to see how tightly you naturally pull the puff stitch loops, since a tight hand will make the eleven-loop pull-through difficult.
- Set aside stitch markers to flag the double crochet posts in the earlier row that the front post stitches will later wrap around.
Finishing
- Weave in the starting and ending tails along the side edges, running them through the base of a few stitches to anchor them against the textured surface.
- Wet block the swatch flat, easing the puff stitches so they sit evenly and the front post columns lie straight rather than leaning.
- Pin the edges to measurement while damp and let the piece dry fully before trimming any remaining tails or moving it into a larger project.
Construction
The stitch count holds steady across all four rows — there is no shaping built into this piece, so any change in width has to come from the starting chain.
Row 4's front post double crochet stitches are worked back down into the posts of row 2, reaching past the plain single crochet row between them, which is what gives the fabric its raised, basket-like texture rather than a flat one.
Time per section
| Starting chain and row 1 single crochet | about 15-20 minutes, because the single crochet row is plain and sets the stitch count for the rest of the piece |
|---|---|
| Row 2, double crochet and puff stitches | about 30-40 minutes, because each puff stitch takes five repeated loop pulls before the eleven-loop pull-through |
| Rows 3-4, single crochet and front post double crochet | about 30-40 minutes, because locating the correct post for each front post stitch slows the row down |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.