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Most people tend to think of ribbing as a knitting stitch. Yet it is very easy to crochet an attractive ribbing stitch. It's not quite as elastic as knitted ribbing, but it is still very useful!

Normally when you crochet, you begin with a length of chain stitch to match the width of the article you want to make. For ribbing, not so! Here, you decide how deep you want the ribbing to be - one inch, two inches, or whatever, and you make a length of chain to match that. Use a slightly smaller hook than the one you plan to use for the main body of the garment.

Crochet ribbing is worked in double crochet. So once you have your desired length of chain stitches, insert your crochet hook into the third chain from the hook. Wind your yarn clockwise around the hook and draw the loop through the chain so that you have two loops on your hook. Then wind your yarn clockwise around the hook again, and bring it through the two loops that were on the hook. You will recognize this as a basic double crochet stitch.

Continue making double crochet stitches into each chain to the end of the row, and then make one chain to turn. So far, so good.

But here's where your normal double crochet changes, to give you the ribbing stitch.

Miss the first double crochet, then insert your hook (from front to back) through the back, horizontal loop of the next stitch. Normal double crochet would have you put the hook under both loops. Here, you want just the back, horizontal loop - very important.

Wind the yarn around the hook as normal, draw the loop through as normal to get two loops, then wind the yarn again and draw it through as you would for a normal double crochet. The only thing that changes is where you actually start the stitch, and that is under the back, horizontal loop of the double crochet you are working into.

Continue working double crochet into the back, horizontal loop of each stitch until you get to your turning chain. Work your last stitch into the back of the turning chain, make another turning chain and turn your work. As before, skip the first stitch, then work double crotchet into the back, horizontal loop of each stitch as described above.

Keep going in this way until the length of your ribbing matches the width of the garment you want to make: 20, 30 inches or whatever. Then you can make your turning chain(s) and change to your larger hook. Turn your work so that rows you just worked now run vertically rather than horizontally. Make the first row of your main pattern stitch along the long (20 or 30 inch) side edge of your ribbing. When you press your final work before making it up, do not press the ribbing.

In summary:
1) Your starting chain should match your desired depth of ribbing, which is usually quite narrow.
2) You work the stitch using the double crochet technique.
3) After the starter row, you will work your stitches into the back, horizontal loop of each double crochet.
4) You continue working the ribbing stitch until the length of the ribbing matches the width of the garment you want to make.
6) Turn the ribbing so that the rows run vertically instead of horizontally.
5) Crochet the main body of the garment along the side edge of the ribbing.
6) Do not press the ribbing when you are ready to make up the final garment.

It's a very attractive stitch, similar to fisherman's ribbing, and would make a great scarf too. Just start with a seven or eight inch length of chain, and carry on crocheting into the back, horizontal loop of every double crotchet until you get to five feet or longer!

Learn more about this author, Janet Pieterse.
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