May
okay so the v stitch thing
So you want to learn v stitch right? I made this blanket back in spring 2022 when I was basically living on my couch rewatching The Office for like the millionth time and honestly it’s one of those stitches that looks way more complicated than it actually is. The pattern is super repetitive once you get going which is perfect for mindless TV watching.
The basic idea is you’re making little V shapes all across your work. Each v stitch is literally just a double crochet, chain 1, then another double crochet all in the same stitch or space. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. But the way they stack on top of each other creates this really nice open lacey texture that I actually love.
what you’re gonna need
Obviously you need yarn and a hook. For that blanket I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease in like this grey color because it was on sale at Michael’s and I had a coupon. The weight of your yarn matters but v stitch works with pretty much anything. I’ve done it with Red Heart Super Saver when I was broke, some fancy Caron Simply Soft for a baby blanket, even tried it once with this chunky Bernat Blanket yarn but honestly that was too thick and the stitches got weird.
Your hook size should match whatever the yarn label says. I know everyone says that but it actually matters here because if your tension is too tight the v’s won’t open up nicely and it’ll just look like… I dunno, lumpy regular crochet? And if it’s too loose it gets all floppy and weird.
starting your foundation chain
This is where it gets slightly annoying and honestly the most irritating part of the whole thing. You need to chain in multiples of 3 plus 4 extra chains. So like if you want it kinda narrow you could do 3 times 10 which is 30 plus 4 more so 34 chains total. For a blanket I think I did something like 150 chains? I don’t remember exactly but it took forever and my cat kept trying to attack the yarn ball.
The reason for the math is because each v stitch takes up 3 chains of space basically and then you need those extra chains at the beginning to turn and get positioned right. If you mess up the count it’s not the end of the world you’ll just have a weird edge.
row one is always the worst row
Okay so you’ve got your foundation chain finally done. Skip the first 4 chains from your hook. In that 5th chain you’re gonna work your first v stitch which remember is dc, ch 1, dc all in that same chain stitch.
Then skip 2 chains and in the 3rd chain do another v stitch. Skip 2, v stitch in the next one. You just keep doing that all the way across until you have like 2 chains left at the end and you put 1 regular double crochet in that very last chain.
That first row always takes me the longest because you’re working into the foundation chain which is fiddly and it’s hard to see where you’re supposed to put your hook. I usually have to hold it up to the light or use my reading glasses even though I don’t wanna admit I need them.
every row after that is basically the same
This is where it gets good and mindless. Chain 3 and turn your work around. That chain 3 counts as your first double crochet of the new row which is a crochet thing that always confused me but whatever just go with it.
Now look at your previous row and you’ll see all those v stitches you made. Each one has a little chain 1 space in the middle right? That’s where you’re gonna work. In each chain 1 space from the previous row you make a new v stitch. So it’s like v stitch in the first space, v stitch in the next space, v stitch in the next space, all the way across.
When you get to the end you put 1 double crochet in the top of that turning chain from the previous row. This is the part that annoyed me SO MUCH when I was learning because I could never figure out which stitch was the “top of the turning chain” and I’d either miss it completely or accidentally add an extra stitch and my edges would get all wonky and slanted.
The trick is it’s gonna be the 3rd chain of that ch-3 you made at the beginning of the previous row. It looks like a regular stitch kinda. You get better at spotting it after a while.
keeping count and not losing your mind
If you’re making something big like a blanket you just repeat that row over and over and over. I think my blanket was like 80 rows or something? I worked on it for weeks. The repetitive part is nice for zoning out but also you’re gonna wanna use stitch markers or at least I did.
What I mean is like every 10 or 20 rows I’d weave in a piece of scrap yarn in a different color just so I could see my progress. Otherwise you’re just crocheting into this void of identical rows and you have no idea if you’ve done 30 rows or 50 rows and do you really wanna count all those tiny stitches? No you don’t.
tension stuff that matters
Your tension is gonna change throughout the project probably. Mine always does. Like I’ll start out crocheting really tight because I’m focused and paying attention but then three episodes into whatever I’m watching my hands relax and the stitches get looser. With v stitch you can kind of get away with this more than other patterns because the open lacey nature hides minor tension differences.
But if you’re switching between like death-grip tight and super floppy loose it’s gonna show. I try to check every few rows that my stitches are roughly the same size as the beginning. If they’re not I’ll sometimes frog back a few rows which is painful but better than having a wonky finished project.
the edges are gonna try to curl probably
This happened to me and I thought I was doing something wrong but apparently it’s just a thing with v stitch especially if you’re using a yarn with any elasticity. The edges wanna curl inward or the whole thing wants to be slightly trapezoidal instead of rectangular.
Blocking helps with this. I don’t mean like serious blocking with pins and boards and all that fancy stuff I mean literally washing it and stretching it out flat on towels on my floor and letting it dry that way. My dog thought I was setting up a new bed for her and kept trying to lay on the wet blanket which was… not helpful.
If you want really crisp edges you can add a border when you’re done. Just single crochet all the way around the outside or do a shell stitch border or whatever. I didn’t bother because I was tired of the project by that point and honestly the curly edges don’t bother me that much.
variations because why not
The basic v stitch is dc ch 1 dc but you can mess with it. I’ve seen people do tr ch 1 tr for a taller more open version. Or dc ch 2 dc if you want bigger gaps between the stitches. Some patterns call it a shell stitch instead of a v stitch depending on how many stitches you put in there which seems like arguing about semantics to me but crochet people have opinions.
You can also do stripes really easily with v stitch. Just change colors at the end of any row. The texture shows up nice in variegated yarn too. That Caron Simply Soft I used for the baby blanket was this ombre blue situation and the color shifts looked really pretty with the v pattern.
common mistakes I made like a hundred times
Forgetting to do that last double crochet at the end of the row. I’d just finish my last v stitch and be like cool I’m done and turn my work and start the next row. Then I’d notice my project was getting narrower and narrower because I was basically decreasing one stitch every single row. Had to frog back like 15 rows once because of this.
Accidentally working a v stitch INTO a v stitch instead of into the chain space. Like I’d stick my hook through the actual double crochet stitches instead of that ch-1 gap in the middle. This makes everything bunched up and tight and wrong looking. The chain space is your friend. Always go in the chain space.
Losing track of whether my turning chain counts as a stitch or not. In v stitch it does count and you’re supposed to work into it at the end of the row but sometimes I’d forget and skip it. Or I’d work into it AND also work into the stitch next to it and add an accidental increase. Just gotta pay attention at the ends of rows I guess.
what it’s actually good for
Blankets obviously because it works up faster than most stitches since it’s pretty open. Scarves look nice too. I made a summer wrap thing once with some cotton yarn… might’ve been Lily Sugar’n Cream? It was definitely cotton because I remember it being really stiff to work with until I washed it.
Baby blankets are good in v stitch because the holes aren’t so big that tiny fingers get stuck but it’s still breathable. Shawls work great. I’ve seen people make market bags with it but I feel like the holes would be too big and your groceries would fall through or at least your apples would be trying to escape.
It’s not great for stuff that needs to be solid and warm. Like don’t make a winter hat in v stitch unless you want the wind to blow right through it. But for decorative stuff or layering pieces it’s perfect.
combining it with other stitches
You can do rows of v stitch alternating with rows of regular double crochet for a different texture. Or v stitch for the body of something and then switch to single crochet for a border. I saw a pattern once that did v stitch in stripes with sections of granny squares in between which seems like a lot of work but it looked cool.
Some people do like v stitch in one color then fill in the chain spaces with surface crochet or weaving in a different color. That’s too fussy for me but if you’re into that sort of thing go for it.
reading actual patterns vs just winging it
Most written patterns will say something like “V-st in next ch-1 sp” which means v stitch in the next chain 1 space. Once you know what you’re doing you don’t really need to follow a pattern that closely. You just need to know your starting chain count and then you repeat the same row until it’s as long as you want.
Video tutorials can be helpful for seeing how the stitches stack but honestly a lot of them are like 20 minutes long when they could explain it in 5. I usually watch at 1.5 speed and skip around to the actual stitch parts.
The thing about v stitch is it’s pretty forgiving. If you mess up one stitch it doesn’t throw off the entire pattern like some of those really intricate lace patterns do. You can kind of fudge it and keep going and nobody’s gonna notice except you.
yarn amounts and planning
This is always a guessing game for me. V stitch uses less yarn than solid stitches because of all the gaps but more than like a really holey mesh pattern. For that blanket I think I used 6 or 7 skeins of the Wool-Ease? Maybe 8? I definitely ran out and had to go buy more partway through and of course they didn’t have the exact same dye lot so there’s a slightly noticeable color shift in there somewhere but whatever.
If you’re buying yarn for a project just get more than you think you need. You can always use extra yarn for something else but running out in the middle is the worst and then you’re trying to find the same yarn online and paying shipping costs or driving to three different stores.
I usually make a gauge swatch which I know is boring but it helps. Like crochet a square that’s 20 stitches by 20 rows or whatever and see how much yarn it takes. Then you can math out roughly how much you’ll need for the full size. My math is never quite right but it gets me in the ballpark.
when to give up and start over
Sometimes you get like 30 rows in and realize you hate the yarn or the color or the whole thing is just not working. I’ve definitely frogged entire projects before. That summer 2024 I tried to make a v stitch cardigan and got the whole back panel done and it was SO UGLY. The yarn was this Red Heart Soft in a mustard yellow that looked good in the skein but worked up all muddy and sad looking.
Frogged the whole thing and used the yarn for dishcloths instead. No regrets. Life’s too short to finish projects you hate. On the other hand don’t give up just because the first few rows look messy. V stitch really doesn’t show its full potential until you have at least 10-15 rows done and you can see the pattern emerging.
Anyway that’s basically v stitch. It’s not complicated once you get the rhythm of it and it’s one of those techniques that makes you look like you’re better at crochet than you actually are because the finished result is pretty impressive for how simple it really is. Just chain your multiples of 3 plus 4, do your v stitches in the spaces not the stitches, and don’t forget that edge stitch at the end of every row and you’ll be fine.
