My biggest gripe with many modern crochet patterns for clothing is that the garments nearly always end up being too bulky, heavy and HOT…not to mention requiring an inordinate amount of yarn! So I often explore crochet stitches that are suitable for clothing because they are lacey or open whilst still retaining a structural integrity to the fabric. That’s why I love this Feather & Fan Crochet Stitch Pattern, a lacey, ripple stitch… it has solid areas and airy sections and when used in a fingering or 4ply/sock-weight yarn, it makes the perfect material for a top. And I did make 2 tops with this chevron stitch. While I was making the tops, I decided to try different coloured stripes with some fingering weight mini skeins I had and ended up making a baby blanket. I will share details for making the blanket and top later on. But first, here’s the stitch pattern!

Feather & Fan Crochet Stitch Instructions

Yarn Thickness & Hook Size

4ply/Fingering weight yarn – 3.5mm/E.
DK/Sport weight yarn – 4mm/G.
Worsted/Aran weight yarn – 5mm/H.

Note : hook sizes are a guide only – please use whichever hook gives you your prefered fabric, e.g. if you’re making a blanket you don’t want it to be too stiff and tight so you might opt for a slightly larger hook than usual.

What type of yarn?

This stitch pattern really comes to life after it’s been washed and blocked – the “feather” element opens up beautifully. Natural fibers with good stitch memory work best with this pattern. So wool & cotton blends are a good example. Synthetic yarns such as acrylic may not give the desired result.

In the tutorial I have used a wool & cotton blend – Cotton Merino from Mayflower.

For the colourful baby blanket, I have used 4ply Hand Dyed Superfine Merino from WitchCraftyLady on Etsy. I would really recommend this yarn, it is beautifully soft and the colours that Almas uses to dye the yarn are so joyful to work with. She’s also an excellent seller and you always receive amazing service from her.

What is stitch memory?

I’ll explain, in case you don’t know what “stitch memory” is – it means a yarn that retains the shape of the stitch you have made, rather than trying to spring back into its natural form. So fibers such as linen, cotton & wool, once washed and blocked, will open up and lock into the stitch pattern. Some synthetic fibers on the the other hand, such as acrylic, tend to spring back after washing and blocking rather than retaining some of the key features of the stitch pattern. This is particularly noticeable in stitches that are open or lacey. Having said that, you can get away with a small amount of synthetic fiber in the yarn, for example if you are using a sock yarn that has some nylon, you should still get a good result.