Interlocking Crochet

Interlocking Crochet

Introduction to Interlocking Crochet Interlocking Crochet is also known as Double Filet. It is basically two pieces of filet crochet, all with open blocks, woven into each other. To learn the concept can prove quite daunting. With this manual I am trying to make it easier. Explanations will be in normal font such as this. Practical applications, things you should do, will look like this. The manual is written for a right handed person. For a left handed person, everything applies, just switch sides whenever right or left is mentioned. There are a few rules you have to memorise. They will make sense once you get started. For now, read through them slowly, while looking at the photo of the completed block. In this sample Colour A is purple and Colour B is light grey. Colour A will ALWAYS frame colour B. Colour B should NEVER feature outside the colour A borders. You will NEVER use colour A, to crochet into a colour B stitch, or vice versa. The pattern is ALWAYS open filet, in both colours, woven into each other. The number of Colour B windows, will ALWAYS be one less, than the number of Colour A windows. The number of Colour B rows, will ALWAYS be one less, than the number of Colour A rows. You will ALWAYS end with a Colour A row. The Yarn Start with a smooth yarn. Textured yarns do not work well with interlocking crochet. The texture created with the technique, interferes with the texture of the yarn. The end result is a stitch pattern that sort of disappears. The best way to get started is with a cotton yarn, with a high enough twist such as MoYa DK or Colours of Grace Rachel. Interlocking is best done with a maximum yarn thickness of DK, for big projects such as afghans. For smaller projects such as rugs, a thicker yarn can be used. Use strong contrasting colours to make it easier; avoid variegated colours completely. For this manual, I am assuming you are working with two balls of MoYa DK that will not split, so you will need a 4mm and 5mm hook to crochet with. I strongly advise against any woolly yarn such as acrylic it is difficult to see initially.

The Concept Let s first look at a normal filet pattern before we continue. The diagram on the right is a crochet diagram for open filet. Each row will be a repeat of (dc1, ch1, sk1) up to the end of the row, with a dc at the end. You will NEVER do a double crochet stitch, into a 1-chspace of the previous row. You will ALWAYS make a double crochet, on top of another double crochet, in the same colour. Let s advance this now to double filet. The diagram on the left is a crochet diagram for Interlocking Crochet. As the two colours continually continue to weave around each other, it is difficult to read the diagram. The diagram on the right is exactly the same pattern, with the rows pulled apart to make it easier to see. Study the diagrams and note these very important points: Each colour B double crochet (the red ones), is aligned to the middle of a colour A window, and vice versa. Note: it is ALIGNED, not crocheted into. A colour A double crochet (black) will be worked into the previous colour A row, into the double crochet stitch, not into the 1-ch-space. Likewise, each colour B double crochet (red) will be worked into the previous colour B row, into the double crochet stitch, not into the 1-ch-space. I added the dotted lines to the diagram to make it easier to see. The Stitch Pattern Before we continue, I want to point out the common issues most people that start to interlock, battle with. Keep these in the back of your head and try to avoid them. You normally have to chain with a bigger hook than what you will crochet with, otherwise the bottom will pull in. If you use a tapered hook (soft grip) however, you might need to use either the same size hook, or one just a half mm bigger. Because of the big head on a tapered hook, vs the thin head of an inline hook, a chain with a tapered hook, is automatically bigger than one made with an inline hook. Be careful of the dcif most newbies forget to reverse and go OVER, resulting in a loss of pattern. Many lose the last stitch of the row. The last stitch in colour A, is a normal dc into the last window. Make the stitch IN the window, not in one of the window chains.

The last stitch in colour B, is a dc into the last window of the previous row, but it can be front or back. Remember the chains between the double crochets. If they are left out, it becomes very difficult to find the right stitch, as the stitches pull together and hide behind the bar of the other colour. Each pattern you receive from me, will contain the following sections: Size Abbreviations Interlocking Foundation o Colour A Trellis o Colour B Chain o The Weave o The Foundation Row Rest of the pattern rows. We are going to work through each of these to make your first interlocking square. The Size In the size section, you will see with how many colour A windows, the pattern will work. It could be multiples of 2, multiples of 4, or anything else for instance, multiples of 6 plus 2. All three mentioned now, will thus be suitable for a block with 20 colour A windows. Be sure to check the size before you start to crochet. If you do not have the correct number of A windows, the pattern stitch will not work out. I will also remind you in this section how to calculate your starting chain. Colour A: (number of windows required x2) +3 Colour B: (number of windows required x2) +1, or just two chains less than that of A. The stitch pattern we are going to use now, works with multiples of 2, colour A blocks. We are going to do a block with 10 colour A windows. Let s calculate the starting chains: Colour A: (10 windows x 2) + 3 = 23 chains. Colour B: (9 windows x 2) + 3 = 21 chains. Abbreviations ch - chain sk - skip dc - double crochet dcif - double crochet in front dcib - double crochet in back

Colour A Trellis This is the foundation colour A row, and always looks the same. It is just a row of filet with the following pattern, regardless of your number of chains. For this sample: With a 5mm crochet hook, ch23 Change to a 4mm crochet hook Start in 5th ch from the hook: (dc1, ch1, sk1) x9 times, dc1 in the last ch Extend your loop and remove your hook. Place the colour A trellis down with the loop and working yarn at the TOP, LEFT hand side. Each row in Colour A, will have 10 windows. The Weave To do the weave, we have to do the colour B chain first. For this sample: With a 5mm crochet hook, ch21 The chain made in colour B, is woven through the colour A trellis, simply to join the two pieces of filet together. Sometimes, the weave looks as if it is part of the pattern. At other times, it doesn t. Don t pay attention to the first row, the border will cover it anyway. Pay special attention to these VERY important points: The colour A trellis, is placed with the loop and working yarn at the LEFT, pointing to the TOP. The colour B chain, is woven in, starting with the tail, from RIGHT to LEFT, through the colour A trellis. This means that the colour B loop and working yarn is on the RIGHT. In this example, the weave was started from the back. So in the first window, the one at the right, we took the tail through the trellis, in an UP motion, from back to front, so the loop and working yarn is BEHIND the trellis. This is very important as it affects your pattern. The back/front position of the B colour loop and yarn is specified in each row. Take your colour B chain by the starting tail, and thread it through the colour A trellis, starting at the right hand side. Thread the chain through the first window on the right, from the bottom to the top, then from top to bottom down through the second window, and repeat this pattern right through. One window up, next window down. In all of this, keep your colour B chain FLAT, with the RIGHT side facing up. You will see that the chain is longer the excess should remain on the right hand.

Check that what you have now, is the same as the picture. The Foundation Row This is the foundation row in Colour B and sets the pattern for the rest of the piece. This is the most difficult row and the most frustrating too. The pattern of this foundation row is slightly more difficult, as some of the double crochet stitches have to be done in the back (dcib) and some in the front (dcif). This row is unique to each stitch pattern. In order to do this row, we first have to look at the dcif and dcib. Double Crochet in Front Remember you want to work INTO the double crochet, not into the ch-space of that colour. Push the window of the other colour slightly open; sometimes it makes it easier if you push the colour you are working with, to the front of the window of the other colour. In this case, I am pushing the white, through the green window, towards the front. Insert your hook into the stitch as usual, making very sure you catch both the front and the back loop. Interlocking crochet becomes heavy, using only one loop reduces the strength of your project by 50%. Reverse your hook now slightly, keeping the white stitch on the hook, but going OVER the green. LOOK at your hook before you pull a loop up. There should be loops of one colour only on the hook. Finish your double crochet as normal. Double Crochet in Back Remember you want to work INTO the double crochet, not into the ch-space of that colour. Push the hook from behind, through the window. In this example, I am working with the white yarn, so my hook is pushed through the window of the green yarn. Insert your hook into the stitch in the normal way, effectively pushing the stitch through the window to the back. Finish your dc as usual.

Let s do the foundation row now. It is extremely important that you space the dcs of this row properly, so that each colour A window, is aligned to one colour B dc. Ensure you skip a chain between each two dcs, otherwise your next row is going to be very difficult. Remember to ch1 between the dcs too. Let s try: With colour B: Start in the 5th ch from the hook, dcif, (ch1, sk1, dcib, ch1, sk1, dcif) across the row: 9 windows It should look the picture on the right. Allow yourself time to struggle a little bit without being too hard on yourself. You can expect any or all of the following: It is normal for your tension to look terrible in the first few rows. Think back to when you started to crochet; it looked terrible then too. This is a new technique and you will have the same issues. You might get confused between a double crochet in the front, and a double crochet in the back. Think back to when you first started reading crochet patterns and diagrams. You were lost then too. To feel lost now, is quite acceptable. You might find that you do not know where to make the next double crochet refer back to the diagrams and photos. And remember, colour A on colour A, colour B on colour B. No mixing colours! Only now, can we turn around. Keep this in mind. You have to crochet a row in each colour, from right to left, before you can turn around. You cannot turn unless your loops and workings yarns are all on the same side. Each row in Colour B, will have 9 windows. The Pattern Rows If you have reached this point, give yourself a pat on the back. The worst is over.

Each pattern row will tell you where colour B should be, after you have turned, at the front, or at the back. The first picture, shows colour B being placed at the back. The second picture, shows colour B placed in the front. In both cases, move the loop AND the working yarn to the correct side, and push them to the right to get them out of the way. This will ensure that you catch the colour B, in the first window of colour A. Following, is the stitch pattern we are going to use. Note the placement of B after you have turned. Note that there are two rows for each number, one done in colour A, then one done in colour B. See if you can crochet the following rows. After you have turned, drop colour B to the FRONT of your work. Row 1A: ch3, dcib, (ch1, dcif, ch1, dcib) across the row till only the last window remains, ch1, dc in the last window Row 1B: ch3, dcib, (ch1, dcif, ch1, dcib) across the row Turn the entire piece around. After you have turned, drop colour B to the BACK of your work. Row 2A: ch3, dcib, (ch1, dcif, ch1, dcib) across the row till only the last window remain, ch1, dc in the last window Row 2B: ch3, dcif, (ch1, dcib, ch1, dcif) across the row Turn the entire piece around. Repeat rows 1A to 2B until you have the desired number of rows. End with an additional row in Colour A. End off Colour B. Do not end off Colour A. For this sample, you have to crochet until you have 10 colour A rows, and 9 colour B rows. Remember you always end with a colour A row. The Border The border is always done in colour A. When you do the border, you are going to crochet over the side stitches, of both colours, effectively pulling the frames of both colours into the border.

Pull the corner of colour B up towards the corner of colour A. Ch1, just to get a bit of height, then hdc2 over both the edges, colour A and B. Each colour A window, is going to get 2 hdc, one on either side of the colour B stitch in the window. Crochet down the side of your square, making 2 hdcs in each colour A window, one on either side of the colour B stitch. Each of the other corners, get hdc 5 to turn. Use your finger to push through both the windows, to pull the edges closer to each other. the first flat chain of the row and weave in any tails. When you get to the corner where you started the border, do the last hdc3 to make up the 5 hdc. Remember we started with 2. Do not slipstitch to close the round. Cut your working yarn and pull the loop up and through. Now do an invisible join using You ve done it! Do another one for practice purposes. Remember, practice makes perfect!