Horizontal Braided Chain

Horizontal braided chains are a type of surface embellishment that’s different from a traditional surface chain. In this video, Mary Beth Temple demonstrates how to work a horizontal braided chain. Mary Beth prefers to work these braided chains with her fabric oriented vertically. This means that she turns the piece 90 degrees clockwise. The braided chain will be horizontal on the fabric, but because the fabric is turned, she will be working up the fabric in a vertical fashion.

Mary Beth is using a hook that is one or two sizes smaller than the hook used in the swatch. By using a slightly smaller hook, it’s easier to create the braided chain and work the hook into the crocheted fabric. She cautions not to pull the yarn too tight when working this technique, as it can cause the fabric to pucker and look unattractive.

With a slip knot on the hook, Mary Beth brings the working yarn to the Wrong Side of the fabric. She inserts the hook down into the fabric and works a slip stitch by working a yarn over and then bringing the loop through the fabric to the Right Side and then through the loop on the hook. This attaches the working yarn to the crocheted piece.

Now that the yarn is attached, Mary Beth works back and forth over two rows to create the horizontal braided chain. A slip stitch is worked into the desired space by bringing the hook through the fabric to the Wrong Side, working a yarn over to create a loop. This loop is pulled through the fabric and through the other loop on the hook. This is repeated for each space. By working over two rows, a zig-zag pattern is created and the braid is formed.

Once the crochet embellishment is complete, Mary Beth trims the yarn, leaving a four- to six-inch tail to weave in at a later time. She pulls the yarn tail through the last stitch to secure the chain and then brings the tail through the same spot where the last stitch was worked. This brings the tail to the Wrong Side to be woven in.