How to Add a Crab Stitch Edging to a Project Knitted Flat or in the Round

Sometimes, the edges of our finished projects are less-than-perfect – flared, too flimsy or uneven. Of course, we could wear this garment or accessory, but we all know that we would cringe every time we see those edges, and there is very little chance that this project will ever become our favourite.

In these cases, it is worth spending a bit of extra time and effort and add an afterthought edging to the edges we want to improve.

We’ve already discussed a way to beautify side edges of a finished project. Now, let’s see how we can add a lovely trim to any edge of any project.

We’ll do it by working a set of reverse single crochet stitches – a process known as “crab” stitch.

Why crab? Because just like crabs usually don’t walk forward, we won’t be making our single crochet stitches as usual, from right to left. We’ll make them backwards – from left to right.

This method involves using a crochet hook, but the process is so easy that you’ll be able to follow along even if you’ve never ever crocheted before.

If you prefer to learn from a video tutorial:

MATERIALS

There are only three things we need to turn flimsy uneven edges into beautiful well-finished ones – yarn, crochet hook and the edge we want to fix.

It is best to take the same yarn as the yarn used to make the main fabric of the project, but it doesn’t have to be in the same colour. If you want to turn this fix into an eye-catching decoration, use the yarn in a complimentary or a contrasting colour.

As to the size of the crochet hook, use the same size in millimetres as the size of the needles that you used to make your project, For example, I made my little swatch on 10 mm (US size 15) needles, so I will make the crab stitch edging with a 10 mm hook.

If you need help converting needle sizes between millimetres, US and UK sizes, click here to download a “Knitting Needle Size Conversion Chart”.

To make the edging slimmer and tighter, use a crochet hook in a smaller size. For a more vivid puffy edging, use a hook in a bigger size.

SETUP

Unless we add the crab stitch edging right after we bound off stitches and before we cut the working yarn, we’ll need to attach the yarn to the project.

We do it in five very simple steps:

STEP 1

With the right side of the project facing you, insert the crochet hook from front to back under the cast on or the bind off edge (if we add the edging to a horizontal edge of a project), or under the both legs of an edge stitch (if we beautify the side edges of our knitted creation).

Because the crab stitch is worked from left to right, attach the yarn at the left corner of the edge.

If you plan to make this edging around the whole project (like a blanket or a scarf), attach the yarn a few stitches away from the left corner of the edge.

If you add this edging to a seamless project, attach the yarn at the beginning of the round.

STEP 2

Fold the yarn leaving a tail around 10 cm / 4″ long, and place this fold on the crochet hook.

STEP 3

Take the crochet hook out of the fabric pulling the yarn through so that it forms a small loop on the right side of the work.

STEP 4

Wrap the working yarn around the head of the crochet hook clockwise (from the back, to the right and to the front).

STEP 5

Twist the hook a little so that its “nose” is looking to the left and the yarn wrap is securely trapped under the “nose”.

Pull the yarn wrap through the loop sitting on the hook to form a new loop.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 one more time and we’ll be ready to work the crab stitch itself.

CRAB STITCH

Making the crab stitch is not more difficult than attaching the yarn to the fabric. It involves the same basic actions of inserting the hook into the fabric, wrapping the yarn around its head and pulling the hook out of the fabric, and it also happens in five simple steps.

STEP 1

Insert the crochet hook from front to back into the next space to the right of the previous stitch.

If the fabric is worked in stockinette stitch and you are using the hook in the same size as the knitting needles used to make the project, you will get a medium tension if you insert the hook after every three strands (1.5 stitch) of the cast on or bind off edge and into every other row of a side edge.

To make a tighter edging, place crab stitches farther apart. For a looser edging, place them closer to each other.

Because different stitch patterns have different gauge and we all have different knitting and crochet tension, it is best to keep a close eye on the tension of the edging as we make it.

Stop after every few stitches to see whether you like the tension you get. If the edging is too tight or too loose to your liking, pull the yarn to unravel the last few stitches. Then re-do these stitches adjusting the spacing between them.

Very soon, you will find the spacing that makes the edging with the right tension.

STEP 2

Twist the hook a little so that the “nose” of the hook is looking to the back. Then use the head of the hook to grab the working yarn from the top down.

STEP 3

Pull the hook out of the fabric, forming a new yarn loop.

Now we have two crossed loops on the hook.

STEP 4

Wrap the working yarn around the head of the hook clockwise – from the back, over the top, to the front and to the back again.

STEP 5

Pull the yarn wrap through both loops.

This step is a bit tricky – because the loops are crossed and slightly twisted, it is easier to pull the yarn wrap through when we twist the fabric to the left first.

This straightens the stitches, and all we need to do is twist the hook so that its “nose” is pointing down, and pass the yarn wrap through both stitches on the hook.

Repeat these steps to decorate the edge of your project with a lovely crab stitch edging that looks great on both sides of the work.

The fact that we can add this edging to any side of a project, makes it a great alternative to the i-cord edging when we want to improve the edges of scarves and blankets.

When working the crab stitch around a blanket, attach the yarn a few stitches away from the left side of one of the corners, then work steps 1 to 5 of the crab stitch as described above until you get to the right corner of the same edge.

Work an extra crab stitch into the corner if you want the corners to remain sharp and not rounded.

Then work around the next side of the project until you get to the next corner. Make an extra stitch to turn the corner and keep crab-stitching until you get to the first crab stitch of the edging.

Insert the crochet hook from front to back into the space between the first crab stitch and the edge of the fabric.

Grab the working yarn just as we did in step 2 of making the crab stitch.

Pull the yarn through the space and the stitch sitting on the hook.

Cut the yarn, pass it through the last stitch and hide the tail.

If you want to make the edging slightly wider, start by working one row of regular single crochet stitches. Then work one row of crab stitches.

If you decorate one edge, you won’t need to turn your work – first work the single crochet stitches from right to left, then work crab stitches from left to right.

SAVE IT FOR LATER:

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This and 41 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #6.

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