Home » Hook » Half Double Crochet Spike Stitch Tutorial
| | |

Half Double Crochet Spike Stitch Tutorial

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase. See our disclosure policy for more information.

This Half Double Crochet Spike Stitch tutorial is intended to explain the way in which we make the “spike stitches” when making one of my all-time favorites, the Painted Canyon Cardigan crochet pattern.

Spike Stitches using Half Double Crochet

Spike Stitch using Half Double Crochet

Traditionally speaking, spike stitches in crochet are made using a single crochet stitch that, instead of worked into the current row of your project, is worked one row below, 2 rows below, 3 rows below, etc. Spike stitches give great visual appeal to your crochet, and it is perfectly fine to make your own spike stitches as deep as you like. How low will you go? 😛

PCC part one

As mentioned above, this tutorial is meant to go hand in hand with the Painted Canyon Cardigan. At every row that I changed colors when making my cardigan, I incorporated the spike stitch every other stitch so that we get a great visual mix that keeps things interesting! My spike stitches are worked into the top of the stitch from the row directly below the current row.

There is a NEW complete video tutorial for the Painted Canyon Cardigan, posted in parts. To learn more about this cardigan and how to crochet it (including the free child sizes) you’ll want to head over here.

To make a Half Double Crochet Spike Stitch:

1. Yarn over as usual for making a Half Double Crochet.

2. Insert your hook into the stitch directly 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc, rows below the current row. Pictured below with the arrow is exactly where I place mine for my cardigan…

how to make spike stitch

3. Pull up a loop that is as tall as your current crochet row. (this helps to ensure that the height of the stitch is tall enough, and will not pucker your work).

4. Complete the Half Double Crochet as normal.

The most important thing is to remember to keep the tension a bit on the loose side so that the loops remain tall enough that they don’t pucker the rest of the fabric. That being said, you don’t want them so tall that they are visibly loose and easily snaggable. Practice a few stitches and you’ll soon get into the rhythm! See below for my VIDEO tutorial.

YouTube video

I hope that this helps you if you are making either the Painted Canyon Cardigan itself, or a different project featuring the Spike Stitch. It really is as simple as working into the rows below your current row. How fun!

HDC Spike Stitch Tutorial

More crochet stitches and tutorials:

How to Add Ear Flaps to a Crochet Beanie

How Much Yarn Do I Need? How to Determine Yardage in Crochet

Linked Double Crochet Stitch Tutorial

Herringbone Double Crochet Tutorial (Hbdc)

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

4 Comments

  1. Love the spike stitch, but I cannot tell what the rest of the pattern is. Is it a simple half crochet? somehow, it doesn't look like it.
  2. I just wanted to tell you that my four-year-old Benjamin and I were watching your video and he said, “I love her voice.” And he mentioned liking your fingernails. I thought the tutorial was clear, easy to follow, and useful!