Do you ever wish you could work a stitch that’s a little bit taller than a treble, but a little bit shorter than a double treble? Let us introduce you to the wonders of extended and half stitches!
Both techniques are really quick and easy, and allow you to make any standard crochet stitch a little bit taller (extended) or a little bit shorter (half). The process of extending or halving involves only a small difference in how you work the stitch – the height of the finished stitch is only slightly different, but those differences add up across a piece of fabric and mean that you can create stitches of many more varying heights.
We’ll explain everything you need to know about making extended and half stitches by making a practice piece. Then you can try out your new skills by making our colourful wall hanging crochet pattern, or use your new stitches to make your own creations!
Why do I need extended and half stitches?
Adding any new technique to your crochet skillset will increase your versatility, but extended and half stitches are really easy and have loads of uses. Have a look at these two fabrics – both are made up of 15 stitches, but the final sloping row has been made with two different sets of stitches.
Example 1 The final row on this fabric has been made with 5 half trebles, 5 trebles and 5 double trebles. The slope is fairly gradual but you can see a definite step where there’s a change from the shorter to the taller stitch.
Example 2 The final row on this fabric has been made with 3 half trebles, 3 trebles, 3 extended trebles, 3 half double trebles and 3 double trebles. The slope is much more gradual and there’s no visible step.
Creating more gradual slopes is just one benefit of extended and half stitches, you can also use them to make shaping other increases and decreases in your fabric more gradual. The tiny differences between stitches can also be used to solve persistent issues with tension – for example, if you know you hook tightly, try working extended versions of the stitches in a pattern. Once you’ve learnt the simple techniques involved, you’ll find lots of ways to improve your crochet life by using these stitches.
One of the areas that causes the most confusion is what turning chains to use for half or extended stitches, but you can always use this handy chart.
To practice extended and half stitches, you can use any yarn you like and a hook in a suitable size for the yarn – whatever you feel most comfortable with. We used DK cotton yarn and a 4mm hook.
