The Crochet Wattle Stitch Tutorial

Three wattle stitch swatches.

Where the name wattle stitch came from…I really don’t know, but if that’s what a wattle looks like sign me up!

Don’t let the name fool you, this stitch is far from silly. This stitch gives you a beautiful fabric that looks way more complicated then it is.

What’s the stitch?

The wattle stitch is a reversable, 1 row repeat that gives a lovely texture. It’s made up of single crochets, chains, and double crochets..with the occasional half double.

This stitch creates a denser fabric. It would be great for baby blankets, washcloths, bags, warm scarfs and anything else you want a tighter stitch for. The stitch works up fairly fast, once you get used to the sequence, you’ll be motoring through your project.

Variations

This stitch doesn’t seem to have stitches it’s based off of since it’s a combination stitch, so I’ll be showing you how it looks with different hook sizes.

Okay, so I set out to see how 3 different hook sizes would effect the swatch… and as you can see, it didn’t. It’s practically the exact same size and length. The purple one is a J/6mm, the green is a I/5.5mm, and the red is H/5.mm. It seems that the J hook one is ever so slightly longer, but the exact same hight. I think you would have to change yarn weight to get a big difference.

I will say that each of the swatches has a different feel. The J hook is definitely drapes more, the H hook is much stiffer. If you’re going for something that you need a thicker denser fabric for, like a pot holder or a bag, then use a smaller hook. If you want the holes a bit more visible and the fabric to drape use a 6mm or higher. It would be nice for a scarf or a medium weight baby blanket. Could work for a washcloth as well.

Supplies

  • G/4.5mm hook
    • Unless you prefer one of the other examples above.
  • red heart super savers in light grey (4)
    • It can be done with any yarn
  • Snips
  • Yarn or tapestry needle

Abbreviations

  • Ch = chain
  • St = stitch
  • Sc = single crochet
  • Dc = double crochet
  • Hdc = half double crochet
  • <> total number of stitches in row

Wattle Stitch Tutorial

This stitch is worked in multiples of 3, plus 3. (6, 9, 12, 15, 18, plus another 3. 18 + 3 = 21)

Foundation row. Ch 21.

Row 1. In the 3rd ch from the hook *put 1 sc, ch 1, 1 dc, all in the same space, skip 2 chs, and work into the 3rd one* repeat from *-* until you come to the last 3 sts…

Place a hdc in the last st. <6 clusters>

row 2 of the wattle stitch

Row 2. Ch 2, turn your work, skip the hdc and the dc, into the ch space, *work 1 sc, ch 1, 1 dc, skip to the next ch space,* repeat from *-* until you reach the end, put 1 hdc in the top of the ch 2. <6 clusters>

row 3 through 7 of the wattle stitch

Rows 3 – 7. Repeat row 2.

Tip: be sure to work into the ch 2 at the end of each row and not the first sc.

Extra tip: It can take a row or 2 to get used to the stitch combination.

Once you’re done with the last row, snip the yarn, tie it off, weave in your ends with a yarn or tapestry needle.

Extras

how to tell the different rows of the wattle stitch

I found it a bit difficult to tell the difference between the rows at first. So highlighted the rows with too different colors. You can see that the every 2nd row has a fan type of pattern.

comparison wattle stitch

Not entirely sure why, but there was a huge difference in size when I made the swatch with a G/4mm hook. It’s a much tighter swatch compared to the others. So if you want to see a big difference, go up 2 sizes.

Want another texture stitch? Try How To Make The Lemon Peel Stitch

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