This week I thought I would do a tutorial on one of the specialty stitches of the “Steppin’ Out Poncho” (Kit 2: Steppin Out Poncho Review) for those of you that are crocheting your way through the “Annie’s Hook & Needle Club” with me.
I personally love doing clusters, the way the dc are combined into making one stitch I think is wonderful. Clusters actually could be worked in hdd, (Half Double Crochet) dc, (Double Crochet) or tr, (Triple/Treble Crochet) str, (Double Triple) etc. Althought I have found that most are done in dc with the pieces I have crocheted. It also could be worked with 2 or more stitches. The one I am doing today is the 3 dc cluster. The cluster is always worked with a foundation chain of a multiple of 2 or an even number of stitches.
3-dc clusters
Foundation chain row: Multiple of 2 chains for each cluster.
Row 1: (*yo, insert hook n 1st ch of foundation ch, yo, pull though a loop, yo, pull
thorough 2 loops on hook) 3 times into same st, you, pull through 4 loops on
hook, ch 1, skip 1st st of foundation chain*, rep * to *
Row 2: Ch 2, repeat directions in row 1 for each cluster (inserting hook in each ch space
of previous row).
Repeat row 2 for pattern.
Now for those of you who are think you are reading Greek, let’s break this down into simple steps:
(Yo, insert hook in 1st ch of foundation ch, yo, pull through a loop,
Yo, pull through 2 loops on hook) 3 times into same st,yo, pull through 4 loops on hook,
ch 1, skip 1st st of foundation chain*, rep * to *.
Helpful Hint: If you can crochet a dc, a dc cluster will be a breeze. When crocheting a dc you yo and pull through 2 and then 2 again. With a dc cluster, yo, and pull through 1 and then 2 , which leaves one on the hook. This is how you end up with 4 loops on your hook.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you have never crocheted a cluster before, let this be the time you learn. Go, right now- and get you some scrap yarn, and practice. You might discover that you have a new favorite stitch.
Until next time keep those hooks flying.
That stitch is one of my favorite 🙂
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We are two pea’s in a pod. I really enjoy this stitich also. It is so much fun to crochet.
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