How to Crochet Around Loops

One of the easiest ways to create some simple lace in crochet is to crochet a few rows with spaces of long chains and then single crochet around those chains or loops to pull them together. This might sound mundane; however, depending on how long you make your chains in each row you can get quite a few different looks. And best of all, it can be used for crocheting in the round or in straight rows.

Here are a few of my patterns that use this technique:

Butterfly Stitch: This is a simple butterfly stitch that is used in my butterfly summer tank. It’s very straightforward and worked in straight rows here. It doesn’t look like much and it does get boring after a while.

But… in the same pattern I also added a bit more creativity towards the top. I simply increased the length of the chains in each row to create the following effect:

It’s in a perfect butterfly shape and I can see so many patterns with this stitch.  It would be so easy to incorporate into doilies, hats, wraps and other clothing items.

As with any crochet stitch, the possibilities are endless. :)

Another pattern that I designed where I crocheted around loops is this toilet seat cover.

This looks difficult to do, but it’s actually very simple. All I did was crochet shells and loops for several rounds. The shells remained the same, but the chains were increased in each round.

At first it looks ugly and you wonder how any beauty can come of it, but once you gather the loops it all falls into place.

And again, what you do on the gathering round can make all the difference as to how the design looks. For this pattern I made extra long chains before and after the single crochet that pulls the previous loops together.

The above two patterns don’t show how to crochet around the loops and it tends to throw crocheters off if they have never worked with this technique before. So here are a few images showing how to do that:

Step 1: Make your loops and chains as the pattern instructs.

Step 2: Insert your hook underneath the loops of the previous rounds or rows. You want to go in from the right side and underneath the bottom loop as shown. Also notice how the working yarn sits on top of your work.

Step 3: Then basically work the single crochet as normal: Wrap the yarn over at the back and bring it to the front. Yarn over once more and pull through to finish the single crochet.

That’s it! Then simply make your next chains and continue as the pattern instructs.

And this is what I came up with as I was creating this tutorial. Again, I can see this incorporated into many patterns. I have not actually done a design with it, but my swatch is tucked away safe and sound for when I’m ready to play with it. I may need to tweak it a bit, but I LOVE the loopy triangle. :)