Learn the 1917 Pineapple Stitch

With Photos and Instructions

Because this stitch requires the fastening off of the yarn at the end of every row it works best for use in various sizes of afghans, leaving a length for fringe at the beginning and at the end of each row. It's perfect for scrap yarn afghans made in many colors. Decide ahead of time what length you want your fringe to be and leave that approximate length at each end. You can trim uneven fringe ends to make them all the same length when afghan is finished.

When doing this stitch, the right side of the work will always be facing you. You do not turn but fasten off at the end of every row and attach the new strand at the beginning of the next row.

This stitch was published in a 1917 crochet manual. Following are my rewritten directions (see below for the original directions from the year 1917).

Leave a length of yarn for fringe before your first chain loop. Make a chain of an even number (a multiple of 2). Row 1. Insert hook in the 4th chain from the hook, yarn over hook, draw yarn though the chain (leave this loop on the hook), skip 1 chain, insert hook in next chain, yarn over hook, draw yarn through that chain (you should now have 3 loops on the hook), yarn over hook, draw through all 3 loops on the hook, chain 1.

Image at left shows the next three steps in crocheting the pineapple stitch. * Step 1. Insert hook in the same stitch as last loop. Yarn over hook. Draw loop through this stitch. Step 2. Skip next chain. Step 3. Insert hook in next chain. Yarn over hook. Draw loop through this chain. Step 4. Yarn over hook. Draw through the three loops on the hook. Step 5. Chain 1 (this is to close the stitch just made). Repeat from * across the row.

On last stitch of the row, you will be drawing the 2nd loop through the last stitch of previous row (then drawing a loop through all three loops on hook, chain 1). Fasten off, leaving a length of yarn for fringe.

Row 2: Leaving a length of yarn for fringe, attach yarn in first stitch of previous row. Chain 4. Insert hook in same stitch as where yarn was attached, yarn over hook, draw loop through through this stitch, insert hook in next chain-1 space, yarn over hook, draw loop through this chain-1 space, yarn over hook, draw yarn through all three loops on hook. Chain 1. * Insert hook in same chain-1 space just used, yarn over hook, draw yarn through this chain-1 space, insert hook in next chain-1 space, yarn over hook, draw loop through this chain-1 space, yarn over hook, draw yarn through all three loops on hook. Chain 1. Repeat from * to end of row.

On last stitch of the row, you will be drawing the 2nd loop through the last stitch of previous row (then drawing a loop through all three loops on hook, chain 1). Fasten off yarn, leaving a length for fringe.

Repeat row 2: Repeat row 2 until piece is desired length.

Add additional fringe to the ends if you want the fringe to be thicker.

An interesting color pattern is also created on the back of the crochet piece when crocheting this stitch with multiple colors. This image shows the back of a sample that I crocheted of the 1917 pineapple stitch.

What the 1917 directions said: Following are the directions exactly the way they were written in Fleisher's Knitting & Crocheting Manual Fifteenth Edition, published in 1917.

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

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

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