Dahlia Spike Stitch

This simple Spike Stitch was inspired by the petals of one of my all time favourite blooms - the Dahlia. I love the way the spikes create a subtle textural look and feel to the blanket, it makes the crochet fabric feel beautifully thick and squishy.

The stitch pattern uses UK treble crochet combined with Spiked Treble Crochet stitches (where the trebles are worked into  stitches two rows below). It's a beautifully visual stitch with minimal counting, making it easy for beginners to get to grips with or a lovely therapeutic journey for more experienced crocheters.

If you are an experienced crocheter please can you read the beginning info which explains starting chains, pattern repeats, and the working of a gauge sample (oh, yes, you know you will want to do this!), then you can jump to the end where there is a pattern PDF that you can download/print if you prefer to work from a traditional written pattern.

MATERIALS

For my blankets I use Stylecraft Special DK which is a 100% premium acrylic yarn. It's lovely to work with, comes in generous 100g balls and the finished blankets are warm, soft and machine washable. 

I've chose fifteen shades of Stylecraft Special DK for my Dahlia blanket

Top row, left to right...

🏵️ magenta 🏵️ fuchsia purple 🏵️ shrimp 🏵️ apricot 🏵️ powder pink 🏵️

Middle row, left to right...

🏵️ boysenberry 🏵️ pomegranate 🏵️ spice 🏵️ lemon 🏵️ blush 🏵️

Bottom row, left to right...

🏵️ claret 🏵️ lipstick 🏵️ tomato 🏵️ saffron 🏵️ fondant 🏵️

You can find the Dahlia yarn pack in my shop at Wool Warehouse, click on the following link...

❧🏵️DAHLIA YARN PACK 🏵️❧

HOOK SIZE  and TENSION

The standard hook size for Stylecraft Special DK yarn is 4 mm. However, it's a good idea to be familiar with your own personal tension and experiment with moving to a larger or smaller hook to achieve a neat result. For example, I'm a tight crocheter so I'm making my Dahlia blanket using a 5 mm hook. If you crochet quite loosely, then you will probably find that a 3.5 mm hook suits you just fine. 

I would strongly advise you to make a small tension sample. Please, please take the time to do this, especially if you are following the CAL and using a yarn pack to make a blanket. It'll help you make your blanket the right size and drape, and will make sure you don't run out of yarn. Making this small sample before you begin on your blanket will also help you to feel familiar with the pattern and decide which hook size will work best for you.

To make a tension sample, chain 27, then follow the pattern below. If you would like a simple printed pattern, click (( HERE ))

Work 8 rows in total then measure the width. It should measure approx. 16 cm. This is an approximate guide so that you can determine if you are using the correct hook size to suit your tension.

PATTERN REPEATS AND STARTING CHAINS

The Dahlia Spike Stitch starting chain should always be a multiple of 4, plus an extra 3.

Here is a list of suggested starting chains for different size blankets :

Tension sample (16 cm/ 6" width) :: Chain 27 

Single/twin blanket (120cm / 48" width) : Chain 195 * This is my standard blanket size

Baby blanket (70cm / 28" width) : Chain 115 

Lap throw (90cm / 36" width) : Chain 147 

Double bed blanket* (180cm / 72" width) : Chain 291 *requires two yarn packs

King bed blanket* (210cm / 84" width) : Chain 336 *requires two yarn packs

SPIKE STITCH PATTERN

This pattern uses basic stitches to create a pretty stripe with a subtle surface texture. Each stripe is crocheted in two rows. I'm writing my pattern using UK crochet terms as follows :

tr [treble] :: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (two loops left on hook), yarn over and pull through remaining two loops (note :: this is equivalent to the US dc stitch)

Sp-tr [Treble Crochet Spike Stitch] :: a treble crochet worked into the skipped stitch two rows below the current one, drawing the loop up to the height of the current working row (note :: this is equivalent to a US sp-dc stitch)

To Begin : Use Boysenberry yarn (mixed stripe) or Claret yarn (colourwash)

Chain 27 for the tension sample or

Chain 195 for the blanket. 

Note : You can use a bigger hook size (5mm or a 5.5mm) to make your starting chain, then switch back down for the first crochet row. You need to count carefully - place stitch markers at regular intervals (every 25 stitches) if you need to.

Row 1 : 

Starting in the 4th chain from the hook (as shown above), work 1 tr in each chain along.

In this tutorial I'm showing photos of the tension sample, as I REALLY want to encourage you to do this before you start on your blanket (!)

At the end of Row 1 you should have 25 treble stitches if you're making your tension sample, and 193 treble stitches if you're making your blanket.

Turn your work.

Row 2 :

Chain 2 (counts as 1 treble)

Note : For this stitch I'm using a chain-2 at the start of each row to count as a treble. I've found that a chain-2 (instead of the usual chain-3) gives a neater, straighter edge. You can use chain-3 if you prefer.

Ignoring the stitch at the base of the chain-2, work 1 treble into the first stitch (shown by needle in the above photo), then 1 treble into each of the next 2 stitches. 

Chain 1; skip 1 stitch;

Work 1 tr into each of the next 3 stitches; 

* Chain 1; skip 1 stitch; work 1 tr into each of the next 3 stitches * 

Repeat between ** until 5 stitches remain.

Chain 1; skip 1 stitch, then work 1 treble into each of the next 4 stitches

Note : the last treble goes into the 2nd chain of the beginning chain-2 from previous row.

If you want to do a quick visual check of the pattern, Row 2 starts and ends with 4 trebles. 

Ok, now turn your work, and grab your next colour.

Row 3 : Use Pomegranate yarn (mixed stripe) or Lipstick yarn (colourwash)

Insert hook in first stitch and pull through a loop of the new colour, remembering to leave a 6 inch  tail end for darning in.

Chain 2 (counts as 1 treble)

Work 1 treble into each of the next 3 stitches.

Now we are going to work a Treble Crochet Spike Stitch. Don't panic!!! This is exactly the same as a normal treble, except you insert your hook into the skipped stitch that you left open when you worked the previous row, can you see it there where I've put my needle? It's very easy to spot as there is a chain-1 hole right above it, giving you room to see it clearly.

So yarn over, and insert your hook under both loops of that skipped stitch which sits two rows below your current working row.

Yarn over again, and pull the yarn right back through the stitch to the front of your work (just like you would for a normal treble).....

Gently loosen your tension so that all three loops on your hook can be pulled up to the same level as your working row.

Complete the Treble Crochet Spike Stitch just as you would for a normal treble : yarn over and pull through two loops (two loops on hook), yarn over and pull through remaining two loops.

You'll see in the photo above how the spike stitch looks extra long (it's sometimes called a Long Treble), but the top of the stitch is level with the normal treble crochet stitches that sit to the right of it.

Moving on....locate the next stitch (shown by my needle in the above photo)

Work 1 treble into each of the next 3 stitches;

Now work a Treble Crochet Spike Stitch (sp-tr) into the skipped stitch sitting below the chain-1 space (shown by my needle in the above photo)

* Work 1 treble into each of the next 3 stitches; 1 sp-tr into the next skipped stitch *

Repeat between ** until 4 stitches remain.

Work 1 treble into each of the next 4 stitches.

Note : the last treble goes into the 2nd chain of the beginning chain-2 from previous row.

If you want to do a quick visual check of the pattern, Row 3 starts and ends with 4 trebles. 

Turn your work.

Row 4 :

Chain 2 (counts as 1 treble)

Ignoring the stitch at the base of the chain-2, work 1 treble into the next stitch (as shown by my needle in the above photo)

* Chain 1; skip 1 stitch; work 1 treble into each of the next 3 stitches *

Repeat between ** until 3 stitches remain.

Chain 1; skip 1 stitch; work 1 tr into each of the next 2 stitches.

Note : the last treble goes into the 2nd chain of the beginning chain-2 from previous row. Fasten off.

If you want to do a quick visual check of the pattern, Row 4 starts and ends with 2 trebles. 

Turn your work.

Row 5 : Use Blush yarn (mixed stripe) or Claret yarn (colourwash)

Insert hook in first stitch and pull through a loop of the new colour, remembering to leave a 6 inch  tail end for darning in.

Chain 2 (counts as 1 treble); work 1 treble into the next stitch;

Now work a Treble Crochet Spike Stitch (sp-tr) into the skipped stitch sitting below the chain-1 space (shown by my needle in the above photo)

Remember to keep a close check on your tension so that the long spike stitch gets pulled up gently to the level of previous stitches, but don't let it become too baggy or loopy. 

Locate the next stitch (shown by my needle above)

* Work 1 treble into each of the next 3 stitches; work 1 sp-tr into the next skipped stitch *    

Repeat between ** until 2 stitches remain.

Work 1 treble into each of the next 2 stitches.

Note : the last treble goes into the 2nd chain of the beginning chain-2 from previous row. Fasten off.

If you want to do a quick visual check of the pattern, Row 5 starts and ends with 2 trebles. 

Turn your work.

Row 6 :

Chain 2 (counts as 1 treble); work 1 treble into each of the next 3 stitches.

Chain 1; skip 1 stitch;

Work 1 treble into each of the next 3 stitches;

* Chain 1; skip 1 stitch; 1 treble into each of the next 3 stitches  *

Repeat between ** until 5 stitches remain.

Chain 1; skip 1 stitch; work 1 treble into each of the next 4 stitches. 

Note : the last treble goes into the 2nd chain of the beginning chain-2 from previous row. Fasten off.

If you want to do a quick visual check of the pattern, Row 5 starts and ends with 4 trebles. 

Turn your work.

Now that you've completed 3 stripes in total, hopefully you can see that this is a very visual stitch, and that so long as you pay attention to how many trebles start and end each row, it's pretty easy to get to grips with.

Rows 3-6 form the pattern repeat.

So for stripe 4, you repeat rows 3 & 4.

Stripe 5, repeat rows 5 & 6.

Stripe 6, repeat rows 3 & 4

Stripe 7, repeat rows 5 & 6  .... etc etc etc.

Now I want to show you a little visual trick for keeping yourself on track.

Lets take a look at stripe 4...

For the first row of every stripe your stitches follow those in the row directly below, so it's pretty easy to see what you need to do. Stack the trebles on top of each other and work your Spike Stitches into those available skipped stitches.

For the second row of every stripe, you change the number of trebles that start and end each row. So if the first row of the stripe started with 4 trebles, then the second row of the stripe will start with 2 trebles (and vice versa). You then move on to skipping a stitch and working groups of 3 trebles.

Here's the handy tip >>>> The middle treble in each 3-treble group will always sit directly on top of the spike stitch in the row below. I've used arrows in the above photo to show you how it should all look when the stitches line up properly. If you are off kilter and not lining up, you will very quickly know something's wrong at the start of the row so you can immediately trouble shoot. Does that make sense?

GAUGE AND SIZE

Right, now lets have a little review of the tension and size...

Your tension sample should measure approximately 16cm across if you started with chain 27.

If it's 15 or 17 cm, it's not too much of a problem really, the sizing is an approximate guide so please use your own judgement.

If your sample measures waaaaay bigger and feels all floppy and loose, then you will need to switch to a smaller hook. Alternatively reduce the number of starting chains when you make your blanket (keeping a multiple of 4, plus an extra 3) to ensure you achieve the correct width and don't run out of yarn.

If your sample feels tight and stiff and is coming out way smaller, switch to a larger hook size. 

DARNING IN ENDS

I thought it would be useful to give some guidance about darning in ends. I do them as I go along, darning ends one stripe below the most recent so that the darning doesn't interfere with the skipped stitches that are being left open. 

In the above photo, you can see I'm leaving the Blush stripe ends alone, and working on the Pomegranate stripe below.

Thread the starting tail end (the one on the bottom) onto a darning needle.

Darn up through the post of the chain-2 and bring your needle out in the middle of the stripe.

Now darn along the middle of the stripe, in towards the centre of the blanket, running your needle through the stitches. You only need to pass under 5 or 6 stitches, don't go too far in and don't pull too tightly.

Darn your tail end back on itself, passing your needle back through the stitches and bringing it out at the outside edge. Snip off the end close to the edge of the crochet.

Thread up your finishing tail end (the one at the top), and darn under the stitches of the row above (see in the above photo, I'm taking the Pomegranate tail end underneath the Blush stitches?)

Darn your tail end back on itself, passing your needle back through the stitches and bringing it out at the outside edge. Snip off the end close to the edge of the crochet.

Using this darning method keeps the posts of the end stitches free (so that we can work around the posts when it's time to make the border). I'll now crochet the next stripe before darning in the Blush yarn ends, so darning happens a stripe in arrears, if that makes sense?!

If you are making the Dahlia Stripe blanket with me in January/February 2020 as part of my Crochet-A-Long, the colours of the stripes will be released each week here on my blog. I'll add each part as a link here as soon as they become available.

You can download a PDF copy of this pattern to save/print if you wish. This is a traditionally written pattern with no step-by-step photos.

Click ((HERE)) for the pattern download.

If you are using the Dahlia yarn pack, there are two versions of the blanket. They each use the exact same yarn colours but arranged in different ways.

The Mixed Stripe is a random mix of all the colours throughout the blanket.

For a downloadable/printable PDF colour order, click on the following link >>

❧🏵️ DAHLIA MIXED STRIPE WORKSHEET 🏵️❧

The Colourwash is a gentle movement through the colours from dark to light. Please note that the Colourwash isn't suitable for small size blankets as the stripes are a fixed number (99) in order for the colourwash to work as a 6ft long blanket.

For a downloadable/printable PDFcolour order, click on the following link >>

❧🏵️ DAHLIA COLOURWASH WORKSHEET 🏵️❧

The Dahlia blanket is finished with a very special edging and you can find the tutorial and pattern by clicking on the following links >>

❧🏵️SPIKE STITCH EDGING TUTORIAL 🏵️❧

Click ((HERE)) for the Dahlia border pattern download.

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Here are the links all one one place..

DAHLIA CAL INTRODUCTION :: lots of photos showing the inspiration behind this blanket.

DAHLIA YARN PACK

DAHLIA BLANKET PATTERN :: a traditional written pattern for the Dahlia blanket.

DAHLIA EDGING PATTERN :: a traditional written pattern for the Dahlia blanket border.

🌸 BLOG PART 1 : stripes 1 - 15

🌸 BLOG PART 2 : stripes 16 - 33

🌸 BLOG PART 3 : stripes 34 - 51

🌸 BLOG PART 4 : stripes 52 - 69

🌸 BLOG PART 5 : stripes 70 - 87

🌸 BLOG PART 6 : stripes 88 - 99

🌸 BLOG PART 7 : the edging

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Comments

[Leah]

I’m having trouble with the changing color bit. I can’t remember from previous attempts at crocheting, and the picture and directions aren’t clear...how do I get the Claret loop off the hook to pull up the lipstick for the first color change? Do I just pull the loop through and cut it?

[Marilyn ARonson]

How do I contact Wool Warehouse?

[Claire]

Does the kingsize chain not include the extra 3 chains? Should it actually be 339? Thanks

Claire

[Ania]

Hi Lucy. Just ordered dahlia yarn pack and can’t wait to work with it. I’m planing to crochet a blanket for my granddaughter. Want to make it with the granny squares, not sure how big the blanket will be and how much yarn I have to leave for an edging. Can you help me with it please. Much love

[Sally Hayes]

Sorry Ladies its the under the profile tab. Sallyx

[Sally Hayes]

Hi Ladies. I've found the colour lists under the Archive tab at the top of the site. The Weekly blogs are listed with printable lists of colourway included half way through the blogs. Sally x

[Sally Hayes]

Hi Lucy Can you tell me how to find the links to download the rest of your pattern and border please? I'm new to your wonderful site and I am struggling to find it.x

[sam]

anyone know where the pattern for the border is?

[Mary E Larsen]

Lucy, I could only fine the print link for part one. Where do I find the link that prints the other parts?

[c mawson]

Can’t find colour sequence for Dahlia Stripe blanket. Is there one, please ?

[Deb Williams]

Hi, I will be purchasing this kit as soon as it comes back in stock and I was just wondering if you have a downloadable full list of the colour order for the colourwash blanket and also the pattern for the edging please. Thank you x

[Lynn Walker]

My daughter told me about your site recently. I love your work, your colour combinations are gorgeous. I have been crocheting your dahlia blanket for a few weeks now but I am having trouble finding the pattern for the border and also the colours for the stripes from part 4 of the mixed stripe blanket. I am also unable to subscribe to the comment feed, as someone else mentioned I just get a page of computer data.

[Julia]

I love the colors! Inquiring minds want to know - what are the colors beyond row 15?

[Gwen Holmes]

Every time I click on Comment Feed to subscribe, all I get is a page of computer data. Am I doing something wrong?

[Savannagal]

I see the King size is 84 inches long. What is the width? Thank you.

[Jen Ballington-James]

I was invited to join by a lovely friend whose crochet work is amazing! I have never done a CAL before and when I saw the colours of the Dahlia pack I was blown away! I haven’t crocheted for several years but it soon came flooding back when I did the tension piece. Thank you so, so much for the really clear instructions with all the great pictures - they helped me loads. I struggled a bit with the ends but just worked the pattern a few more times on the tension piece and feel more able to actually start the blanket proper. I loved the Dahlia pack so much when it arrived that I sneakily went and bought the Dune set too! Luckily, hubbie was so impressed with my little tension piece saying how lovely it looked he is looking forward to the Dune set too! My poor knitting projects have been unceremoniously stuffed in the corner! Thank you everso much for brightening such a dull and miserable January! Looking forward to the next post!

[Louise Ricci]

I absolutely LOVE these colors! This yarn pack was my second to the last purchase in 2019. I kept eyeing it whenever I was browsing woolwarehouse.com and I just couldn't pass it up. It's rare that I find such colors that scream at me like these do.

Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of project for a co-worker and can't start this yet. Your tutorial about weaving ends begs the question if there will be a border for this blanket. Is there a plan for one? Your borders are easy but elegant and I've used them on many other projects when I'm stuck for one.

[Sheelagh]

Hi Lucy, can’t wait to get started, the blanket looks gorgeous.Thank you xx

[Margaret]

Thank you, Lucy for such detailed photos. This is my first attempt at a CAL and I appreciate all the help you give.
Now to get started 😧