Crochet Basics for Beginners Series
How to Make a Slip Stitch: The Seamless Solution
Whether you’re joining rounds in a hat, moving across stitches without adding height, or moving to a different part of your work, the slip stitch can help you achieve clean, seamless joins, transitions and finishes. The versatile slip stitch is a simple yet powerful stitch.
Things You’ll Need
You’ll need some yarn and a hook, a thicker light coloured yarn and a larger hook are easier to begin with. I’d suggest beginning with:
- Yarn: 8ply – equivalent yarns in other countries could be a DK yarn, light worsted yarn, medium-weight yarn.
- Crochet hook: 5mm (or one close to this size ie 4mm-6mm) – equivalent to a US H/8 – UK6.
Hook, yarn, and link! When you click and buy through our links, you’re not just crafting amazing projects, you’re helping us stitch together more fabulous free crochet content. It doesn’t cost you extra, but it keeps our hooks moving and your patterns plenty!
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your First Slip Stitch
- Insert your crochet hook: Insert hook into the stitch where you want to make the slip stitch. This could be the first stitch of a round, the next stitch along a row, or a specific stitch in your pattern
- Yarn over (yo): Move the yarn over your hook (known as ‘yarn over’ and abbreviated as ‘yo’ in patterns).
- Pull through: Pull the yarn through the stitch and then through the loop on your hook. You should now have a single loop on your hook, and your slip stitch is complete.
Here’s a Quick and Simple Video
Troubleshooting and Tips for Perfect Slip Stitches
- Maintain even tension: Practice keeping your tension the same so your slip stitches stay even. Holding your yarn too tight will make them hard to work into; too loose and they’ll look sloppy.
- Smooth transitions: Use slip stitches to create smooth transitions between different parts of your project, like changing colours or moving to a new section.
- Practice: Be patient with yourself, the slip stitch is simple but the more you practice the more natural it will feel and the better your projects will turn out.
Mastering the slip stitch helps you create seamless, professional-looking crochet projects. With practice, you’ll be able to use this technique to enhance your work, whether you’re joining rounds, moving across stitches, or adding finishing touches. Remember to maintain your tension, practice regularly, and troubleshoot common issues to perfect your slip stitches!
Happy Slip Stitching!
If you would like to learn more, check out all our other posts within the Crochet Basics for Beginners Series:
How to Slip Knot Yarn Onto a Hook
Leave a Reply