How To Do The Crazy Stitch

With Photos and Instructions

The photos on this page can help you learn how to crochet this fun stitch, called a crazy stitch or crazy shell (also called brick stitch).

If you're curious to see how the vintage instructions for this stitch from 1899 and 1917 were written, see the printing page.

Starting Chain: Crochet a chain of length needed.

Row 1: 3 double crochet in 4th chain from hook, * skip 3 chains, single crochet in next chain, chain 3, 3 double crochet in same chain. The photo at left shows the first of these 3 double crochet in progress.

Row 1, cont. Repeat from * across row. End with: single crochet in next chain.

Row 2: Chain 3 to turn. 3 double crochet in single crochet of previous row.

Row 2, cont. * single crochet in next chain-3 space of previous row, chain 3, 3 double crochet in same chain-3 space.

Row 2, cont. Repeat from * across row. End with single crochet in last chain-3 of previous row.

Repeat row 2, until desired length is reached.

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Here are the same directions again, all together:

Abbreviations: dc = double crochet, sc = single crochet
Starting Chain: Crochet a chain of length needed.
Row 1: 3 dc in 4th chain from hook, * skip 3 chains, sc in next chain, chain 3, 3 dc in same chain. Repeat from * across row. End with: sc in next chain.
Row 2: Chain 3 to turn. 3 dc in sc of previous row. * sc in next chain-3 space of previous row, chain 3, 3 dc in same chain-3 space. Repeat from * across row. End with sc in last chain-3 of previous row.
Repeat rows: Repeat row 2, until desired length is reached.

This is a two-color crazy stitch example of changing to the other color on each new row.

This is a two-color crazy stitch example done with 2 rows of each color.

An interesting bit of info: Instructions for the crazy shell stitch were printed in A Treatise on Embroidery, Crochet and Knitting, published in 1899. Fleisher's Knitting & Crocheting Manual of 1917 published the instructions but called it just "crazy stitch". You can see the two different ways that these vintage directions were written on the printing page.

Images copyright 2001 by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com. Inc.
Do not redistribute.

URL of this page is http://crochet.about.com/library/blcrazyst.htm

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