Crochet Several Stitches in One Space
Shell vs. Fan Crochet Stitches
There are many differences and similarities between the shell and fan stitches.
The Shell and Fan crochet stitches are similar, in that they are both a group of stitches (a cluster) worked in the same stitch or space.
The difference is that the shell stitch is work without chains in between the stitches. Fans have chains between each stitch.
Another difference is that the shell stitch is worked in between the shell stitches of the previous row. The fan stitch is almost always worked on top of the fan stitch of the previous row.
There are many variations to both of these crochet stitches. In this lesson I’ll be showing you how to crochet the most basic of the Shell and Fan stitches.
The Shell Crochet Stitch
Start by making a chain with a multiple of 6 plus 2. For this tutorial I’m making a small swatch starting with a chain of 26.
Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, *sk 2 sts, 5dc in the next st, sk 2 sts, sc, repeat from * to the end of chain.
2: ch3 (counts as the first dc), turn, work 2dc in the same st, *sk 2, sc, sk 2, 5dc in the next st, repeat from * across the row. In the last st work 3dc.
3: ch1, turn, sc in the first st, *sk 2, 5dc in the next st, sk 2, sc, repeat from * across to the end of the row, ending with a sc in the top of the ch3.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until your project is the length you want it to be.
The Fan Crochet Stitch
The Fan stitch starts with a chain made of multiples of 8 plus 2. For this tutorial I started with a chain of 26.
Row 1: sc in the 2nd chain from the hook, *sk3, in the next ch, (dc, ch1, dc, ch1, dc, ch1, dc, ch1, dc), sk3, sc in the next chain, repeat from * to end, ending with a sc.
2: ch6 [this counts as the first dc and ch3], turn, sc in 3rd dc of the fan from the previous row, *ch3, dc into the next sc from the previous row, ch3, sc into the 3rd dc stitch of the next fan, repeat from * across to the end of the row ending with a dc in the last st.
3: ch1, turn, sc in the first st, * sk ch3 space, work a fan stitch (dc, ch1, dc, ch1, dc, ch1, dc, c1, dc) into the next sc of the previous row, sk ch3 space, sc into the dc of the previous, repeat from * across to the end, ending with a sc in 3rd ch of the ch6.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until your project has reached its desired length.
Next Lesson – Working Several Stitches Together
