Puff Stitch

Puff stitches are fun, textured crochet stitch patterns that come in all kind of variations. Crochet expert Mary Beth Temple looks at the construction of the crochet puff stitches and shares her tips and tricks on how to make your “puffs” look their best on your next project.

Mary Beth notes that there are many variations of a puff stitch. If you are following a pattern that incorporates them, it will tell you exactly how they are worked for that particular pattern. An odd number of stitches is typically worked into a puff, with three, five, or seven stitches being the most common. The more stitches worked into the puff stitch, the thicker it is. Mary Beth prefers five-stitch puffs, and that’s what she demonstrates in the video.

PUFF STITCH

To create the puff, Mary Beth follows these steps, working on the Wrong Side of the fabric:

1. Yarn over, insert hook into the stitch, yarn over and draw through a loop (3 loops on the hook)
2. Work step 1 another 4 times (5 times total with 11 loops total on the hook).
3. Yarn over and draw through all 11 loops, angling the hook down slightly (1 loop remains on the hook).

Some patterns will have a chain one after the puff stitch. Be sure to refer to your specific pattern and follow the instructions listed there. Mary Beth prefers the chain-one variation, as it closes the puff stitch nicely, making everything a little neater. Frequently, a pattern will have single crochet stitches in between the puff stitches, to help the puff stitch stick out even more. In the video, Mary Beth adds a couple of double crochet stitches and then works another puff stitch.

Mary Beth looks at the fabric, noting that she was working on the Wrong Side and that the puffs are popping out to the Right Side. Often puff stitch patterns will have a row of plain stitching in between, since the puff naturally pushes to one side of the fabric. If they are worked every row, puffs will appear on both sides of the fabric.