When I first started crocheting I had no idea that there was a “hidden” stitch right after crocheting into a corner. Now that I understand what stitches look like and how they work I am mortified by this faux pas, and yet it never occurred to me that other people might be having the same problem. If you are one of those people who keep missing the first stitch after crocheting a corner (and trust me, you might not even realize that you are), this tutorial is for you. It is just going to be a quicky, so prepare to be amazed at my speed!
You can now find the Danish Translation for this tutorial HERE, courtesy of Tina Poulsen.
Corners and the Elusive Hidden Stitch
When making crochet squares in the round your corners will be formed by working a few stitches into the corner stitch of the previous round.
Examples:
- (Sc, ch-1, sc)
- (2 dc, ch-1, 2 dc)
- 5 tr
You get the picture. A bunch of stitches all worked into one stitch.
Now comes the tricky part. When you’ve made more than one stitch into that corner stitch, the first stitch of the next “side” of your square can sometimes be hidden, especially if you don’t know what that first stitch should look like. If you miss this hidden stitch, your stitch counts will be out every single time, no matter how many times you frog and re-do.
To help you avoid missing that first “hidden” stitch, let’s look at the anatomy of the stitches first.
From the photo above you can see that the loops for each stitch can be found just in front of the post of that stitch (when the right side of the work is facing you*). If you are right-handed, this will be to the right of the post. If you are left-handed, this will be to the left of the post.
*If the wrong side of the work is facing you, this direction will be reversed. See Stitch Anatomy HERE.
So when you have finished working your corner (sc, ch-1, sc in the example below), the loops of your first stitch might be slightly hidden by the corner stitches. In the photo below I have kindly pulled the corner stitches to one side so that you can see the first stitch better.
Now you try it. In the photo below, can you tell which loops belong to the first stitch?
Look at the next photo. Were you right?
Don’t worry too much if you were wrong. At least you have tried and are now aware of the fact that the loops for the first stitch are usually hidden below the corner stitches.
So when you make your next afghan square, don’t just hook it, LOOK it. Pay attention to what the designer is asking you to do and try to figure out why. Look if you can see recurring themes between patterns. Pry your stitches apart and really look at what you are making. This is how we learn and TRUST ME, you will love crochet so much better if you understand it rather than just do it.
If you are a complete beginner, my friend Rhondda has an excellent stitch-guide on her blog. It is done as a photo, so you can save it to your desktop and use it often! It illustrates what each of the basic stitches should look like, what their abbreviations and chart symbols are and how many turning chains are needed for each stitch.
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Carole Leidy says
Dedri, I have been crocheting for over 40 years but your round 7 is very confusing to me. You talk about 3 ch stitches before and after the corner. I don’t understand that. The instructions for Round 7 are not very clear. Are the stitch counts above Round 8 for Round 7 or 8. It looks like the tr’s should be on Round 7 but there are no instructions in Round 7 for them. Also, how many stitches are in between the corner chain 3. I’m pretty good at reading instructions but I am a little confused with yours. Some instructions have been left out.
Jenny says
Hi Carole. You are referring to ‘round 7 and 8’ and not being able to understand the instructions, but can you tell us what pattern you are referring to, as you have commented on a tutorial for identifying hidden stitches, and not referring to a named pattern?
Hopefully when we know what pattern you mean, we can then assist you further.
BW
Jenny and Dedri :)
Anastasia says
Hello Dedri,
Thanks a lot for this tutorial… for right handed people .
Being left handed, I don’t really struggle with hidden stitches, but with all the other ones !
The top of my stitch being on the right hand side of the stitch, often my work seems crooked because of that.
What would you suggest ? Should I take into account the loop on the left hand side of the stitch instead even though I’m crocheting in the opposite direction of all the right handed people ?
I noticed for example that it’s a real problem when I’d like stitches to be centred vs the rows beneath.
Thanks a lot in advance for your help and THANK YOU for all your beautiful creations .
Take care,
Anastasia
Dedri Uys says
Hi Anastasia.
Thank you for pointing out that this tutorial was not as inclusive as it could be. I have added a bit of text to (hopefully) make it more clear what left-handers should be looking at. As a left-handed crocheter, your loops should still fall before your posts in the direction you are working in. As you are working from left to right, that means that the top of your stitches will always be to the left of the post if the right side of the previous round is facing you. They will always be to the right if the wrong side of the previous round is facing you.
Does that help at all?
Leigh says
THANK YOU! I have been crocheting forever – I don’t even know how many years, but at least 20, and maybe I’m just trying to hard with this particular project, but I could not wrap my head around this. I appreciate your clear pictures. I do not want to have to frog this edge for a sixth time.
Kristin says
Yes I totally agree!
Lisa says
This may seem like a basic question. When the instructions say “XX stitches between corners”. Does that mean between the chains at the corners or between (sc ch2 sc)?
Dedri Uys says
Hi Lisa. It means between the corner ch-spaces. You count all the stitches up to the corner space/spaces, including the stitches that flank that corner. If the corner is formed by a specific stitch, not a space – like (2dc, tr, 2dc in the corner) where the tr counts as the corner stitch – you will count all the stitches up to, but not including, that corner tr.
I hope that helps. If it doesn’t, send me an email and I can talk you through it.
Dedri
Suzy says
Hi Dedri!
Perhaps a little off-topic; but I’m actually having trouble with a corner itself. I’m working a square with a dc-ch-dc pattern, and for the life of me I can’t figure out what stitches should be in the corner. I have tried (dc-ch)x4, (dc-ch)x2, (dc-ch)x3 worked in the middle dc of the bottom row… nothing seems to lie straight–it either bows or buckles, and the only thing I have done (that feels messy to me) is to alternate between the x4 and x2 every few rows. Any suggestions?
Dedri Uys says
Hi. Have you tried (v-st, ch 2, v-st) in the corners? I’m assuming you are working a pattern that contains v-stitches?
Chrissie says
I’m a newbie & recently started on some granny squares. I had to ‘discover’ this phenomenon myself when the CAL was losing me. I’d done everything I was supposed to & it was still wrong! That’s when I experimented with the hidden stitch you describe, as well as the last stitch before the corner (is that really a stitch?). Trial & error, your way is the right way! Just wish I’d seen this first!
Zedgirl says
Hands down one of the most useful crochet tips I’ve come across since I started crocheting! It doesn’t just apply to granny square corners either. I’ve noticed this issue when crocheting multiple stitches into one stitch – like in the star point blanket I’m making at the moment.
Dedri Uys says
Yes, definitely – any stitches right after chain spaces and any stitches immediately following stitches containing multiple stitches!
Jeffrey Johnston says
Hi Dedri
I learned so much making my Sophie – thank you. In some rounds, you instructed to skip the hidden stitch – can you explain the logic/strategy in doing so?
Dedri Uys says
Hi Jeffrey. Thank you.
Sometimes skipping the hidden stitch ‘knocks’ the square back into symmetry. When you are working with the right side always facing, squares tend to twist because the loops are always in front of the posts of the stitches, making subsequent rounds creep slightly right (if you are right-handed). By skipping the first st of each side, you correct this natural creep and keep your square nice and straignt.
Jeffrey Johnston says
That explains it! I’ve noticed this creeping effect but was trying to correct by blocking. Should I skip the first stitch on all rounds, or only as necessary to correct?
Dedri Uys says
I usually skip every 2 – 4 rounds, depending on if I see any creeping or not.
Phyllis Smith says
Thanks, Dedri. I started learning squares many years ago and just sort of instinctively make them without difficulty. I have a friend in my needlecrafts group, however, who always ends up with warped granny squares, and I’ve struggled to help her understand how to fix this. She’s kind of “special needs.” I don’t think she is online, so I may copy & print this tutorial to share with her. Or I might bring my laptop to Sew Cool group and let her read it online! Your work is so helpful!!
Cheers,
Phyllis
Michiele Vargas says
Thank you so much for this quick lesson! I learned about the hidden stitch and I also learned which of the loops go with the stitches. I have only been crocheting for a couple of months and have been so confused when they say “crochet into the dc from round …” I never knew which loop they were talking about:)
Dedri Uys says
You are very welcome :)
Lindsey says
Thanks very much for this post! I’m working on my first ever squares blanket right now, following a crochet-a-long, and this is the exact answer I was searching for. I’m so glad I committed to this project, I’m learning so much!
Jenny says
Hope that elusive stitch is now no longer a mystery!
Jenny :)
Kris says
I’m crocheting my first afghan, worked in rounds, and I’ve been staring at this troublesome corner/side for three days. I’ve been “missing” a stitch, even though my counts are accurate. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve counted the darn stitches!
I can finally move on!!!
Thank you!
Dedri Uys says
Hi Kris. That sounds frustrating! The great thing, though, is that I don’t think you’ll ever miss it again :)
Sherri L. W. says
I am trying to adapt a blanket stitch to a square, I don’t know what to do in the corners, the stitch is sc, 2 dc in one stitch, skip two, repeat, the sc crochet pulls down the two double crochets, I just don’t know what to do going into and turning a corner. if you have any ideas that would be great!
Dedri Uys says
Sherri, have you tried making (sc, ch 2, sc) corners? Or even (hdc, ch 2, hdc)?
jane says
Thanks! So is this why my square pieces “round” on what should be the corners?? OMG. FINALLY, an answer! I thought I was simply bedeviled to EVER have a square!!