Spliced Triple Crochet and Wheat Stitch
Wheat Stitch, acrylic and metallic yarn, CYC 2 (sport weight).
After I created my last stitch, I started experimenting with different variations on that same theme. The first one I wanted to try was to splice a triple crochet stitch. I knew this would give me a taller post, and was really excited by the possibilities this afforded me. The stitch was a success, so I contacted my long-suffering oracle who was (once again) stumped, but the search was much shorter this time. At this point we knew that, if a variation of any spliced stitch existed in print or online, we would have found it in our first search, and so we gave up the looking after a day or two.
The spliced triple crochet (abbreviated str with the numeric indicator as demonstrated below) is made when the triple crochet has a base that includes more than one stitch. Typically when stitches are combined to make, for example, tr3tog the process would be *yo 2x, insert hook in indicated st, pull up a loop, yo, pull through 2, yo, pull through 2, rep from * two more times leaving 4 loops on the hook, then yo, pull through all 4 loops. With the spliced triple crochet, the process is a bit different.
Detail of wheat stitch.
To make a spliced triple crochet over 3 stitches (abbreviated s3tr), yarn over 2x, insert hook in indicated stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, insert hook in next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, insert hook in next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop. This leaves 8 loops on your hook. Yarn over, pull through 6 loops, leaving 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over, pull through 2, yarn over, pull through last 2 loops and your s3tr is complete.
One of the things you’ll notice about spliced triple crochet is that it looks a bit like a giraffe with too many legs. (Right?? It totally does.) It’s got the long neck, and on the back (the second loop) it looks like it has a little saddle. This second loop is where we’re going to place our double crochets on our s3tr rows to create Wheat Stitch. Wheat Stitch is when spliced triple crochet and double crochet are combined to give the illusion of two rows being worked at once, so that each row looks like sheaves of wheat, one right after the other. Ready to begin? Excellent! Grab your yarn and hook and let’s go.
Ch 26
Row 1: In 5th ch from hook,*s3tr over next 3 ch, dc 2 in second loop of s3tr, rep from * to last ch, tr in last ch, ch 3, turn.
Row 2: dc in each st to end, ch 4, turn.
Row 3: *s3tr over next 3 dc, dc 2 in second loop of s3tr, rep from * to last dc, tr in last dc, ch 3, turn.
Rows 4-9: repeat rows 2-3
Over the coming months, I will be writing and releasing patterns that incorporate my new stitches, so be sure to keep an eye out for them! I encourage you to use the stitch in patterns that you write and, as always, I look forward to seeing what you do with them, but please do not reproduce these instructions or claim them as your own.