Waffle Stitch: How to Do It Step by Step

Waffle Stitch is a crochet stitch that makes deep grid of raised squares; thick, warm, uses a lot of yarn. Makers reach for it for blankets, dishcloths, pot holders. It is rated intermediate here, so it helps to be comfortable with the basic stitches first and to practice on a swatch before a project.

1. Chain a multiple of 3 plus 2 and work a foundation row of dc. 2. Row 2: ch 2, dc in the first stitch, *FPdc around the next stitch, dc in each of the next 2 stitches; repeat from *, ending dc in the last stitch. 3. Row 3: ch 2, dc in the first stitch, *FPdc around each of the next 2 stitches, dc in the next stitch; repeat from *, ending dc in the last stitch. 4. Rule for all rows after row 1: work FPdc around the dc of the row below and dc into the FPdc of the row below. 5. Repeat rows 2 and 3. Work slowly for the first few repeats, keep your tension even, and check the result against the steps before continuing across a whole row or motif.

The most common problems are: wrong multiple so the repeat does not line up; working dc into the post stitch position instead of fpdc; underestimating yarn; waffle uses noticeably more. Most are easy to spot if you pause after a few repeats and compare your work with the steps. Good light helps a great deal, especially with dark yarn or thread.

Stitches closely related to waffle stitch include Front Post Double Crochet, Back Post Double Crochet. Learning them together makes patterns easier to read, because many designs switch between related stitches to change texture, height or line. Each has its own step-by-step page in the stitch dictionary.