Have you noticed Double Crochet Stitches (dc) tend to get skewed/slanted? Sometimes it's very visible and if you want to straighten them out, the solution is simple and easy to remember. It can be used for taller stitches too.
For me this mostly applies to open crochet projects, However, it does happen that I also use this technique in something like a granny square with lots of DCs next to each other. It just adds a little extra to the overall look.
When your double crochet (dc) stitches don't line up as beautiful as you want, the reason can be, that you have a very open pattern and/or very loose stitches. The loose work makes room for the foot of the stitches to move a little in the horizontal direction. Chevron patterns can make the imperfection even more visible.
Another Double Crochet Tip: Start a Row with a Fake Stitch
The Workaround
You avoid the messy look by inserting your hook differently. If you look closely at the top of a dc stitch, you can see the hole you would normally use. At the bottom right of the regular hole is a small loop. If you stitch through this loop, it will help the foot of your dc stay put on top of the previous dc.
The slope only exists at the top of higher stitches, so don't look for it, when you are about to hook into a chain stitch.
Related article: Linked Stitches
Stitch Height
Your workaround stitches will be slightly shorter, than a regular dc. So don't change the way of stitching in the middle of a project. If you are about to start on a new project, then make sure to do your gauge swatch with the exact stitch you want to use.
When (Not) to Use the Workaround
As said already, this little double crochet trick is mostly needed, when you work on something loose, open, and/or chevron. If you work on a project with a lot of dc stitches close to each other - or a tighter piece - chances are, the stitches fill in all holes beautifully.Only in a few tighter cases - like an outside-in granny square I recently played around with - it makes sense. Here, the hole pattern relies a lot on stitches being placed upon each other. Hence I used the dc workaround and got really nice stitches.
Btw. the granny square idea shown here, was presented to me by Tuula Maaria @instagram. See her youtube video, if you want to try one too :)
Note. The original post was made in July 2017. The latest update is from May 2021.
Have you ever wanted to put your own photo or image on a pillow or an afghan? You could also make a corner-to-corner (c2c) blanket or use the same technique for a filét chart or a sweater.
