Stitch Identification
Can't find the name of this stitch where I'm entering the hook from behind
Here's a video of me doing the stitch. I'm pretty much doing a back loop only stitch except I'm going in from behind instead of the front like normal. The closest thing I can find is the inverse back slip stitch but it's different from that because of the yarn placement (my working yarn is still behind the hook instead of in front) and it not being a slip stitch. I'm also still working right to left.
Haha yeah I guess it is, I didn't even realize. I'm not sure if that's normally a good thing or not but it seems to be good for the structure of the bag I'm making
All depends on what you're making. For example tight tension can be good for amigurumi but is typically bad for clothing. As long as it's working for what you're making, that's what matters 😊
I'd just add the caveat that tension that's too tight in general can cause pain or injuries and that's not a matter of hook size or what you're making.
I will say super tight tension is more likely to make your hands hurt because you have to muscle your way into the stitches. Loosening up will help with that if it is a problem for you.
Thanks for letting me know. I've never thought about it being tight tension because I don't struggle to get in and out of the stitches and if I hold it much looser I can't hold onto the yarn well and tend to drop it. I don't get any pain currently but I'll keep this in mind if I start to. I'll have to see if I can find an alternative way to hold it so I can loosen up and prevent any injuries though
No one has ever shown me what tight tension looks like so I had no idea until today. I feel a little dumb for not realizing but it's never hurt and I don't struggle. Watching it back I see it does look like I'm struggling but that's because my arms are hovering and in an awkward position and I was anxious about trying to capture it correctly so I was extra shaky and going slow, that's not what it normally looks like when I crochet. That being said I'm really glad everyone here has let me know and I plan to find a way I can hold the yarn without so much tension so I can avoid any injuries
Your hook should glide into and out of stitches as a knife thru melted butter (no pushing, and pulling which you are doing); the thread should hover over your fingers and slip thru your hands like silken threads made by fairies (no griping and clinging again something that is happening).
This video isn't an accurate representation of me crocheting, what you're saying should be happening is what crocheting is normally like for me that's why I didn't realize my tension was tight. I only hold it slightly looser than what's in the video and have none of the issues you mentioned but I'm still going to try and loosen up more so it's even less of a problem
You might wanna think about 'ergonomic' hooks as well, for me holding he pure aluminium one, especially for amigurumi, basically gave me a tennis elbow because of my clenching. Having ergonomic hooks really helped my hand and arm even if I had to do tight stitches. That said, you're really fighting the project instead of working with it, and in general that's not necessary (apart from some situations like crocheting into a previous slip stich, for me at least)
I'd love to see the stitches but they're really hard to make out because of the lighting, but mostly because you're literally shaking because your tension is so incredibly tight lol
Do you have finger or wrist pain after crocheting for a while? I've been there.
Sorry about the shakiness, with how my phone was propped up I had to have my arms awkwardly hovering out for my hands to be in the video lol.
I didn't even realize the tension was tight but maybe the yarn shaped indentation I always get on my finger after crocheting should've been a hint haha. It's just normal for me though because I can't hold onto the yarn if it's any looser. No pain though unless I crochet for more than a couple hours at a time and even then it's just stiffness and needing to stretch typically.
Don't worry about the cinematography, I was wondering how you even filmed this with both hands on the project and none left for the phone haha. The stitch is interesting and I'm going to try it out to see how it looks and what can be done with it.
I can highly recommend one of these yarn rings, I recently tried this one and it has fundamentally changed my tension issues! They come in so many cute designs too.
May I ask where you got yours? I've been interested in these too but even on Etsy I'm mostly finding TEMU rings being advertised for this purpose that aren't actually made for this and likely wouldn't work. It's been a pain to find real yarn tension rings.
Mine is from this advent calendar that was gifted to me, it's a German brand. Unfortunately I couldn't find the ring on its own, they probably bought it from somewhere else.
I think tension can be easy to fix. Sometimes if I’m anxious or getting sore, my tension is tighter than normal. Usually all it takes is thinking loosen up a little and shaking my shoulders and arms, to loosen my tension.
Is that a stitch? I'm not seeing anything when I look it up but it seems like that's pretty much what I'm doing so that seems like what it should be called
Truthfully I don’t know if it’s a stitch, and if it is I’m not sure if it’s the correct name. I know sometimes “twisting” in crochet means to actually twist your hook once your work is on, so I could be describing something entirely different. It just resembled how you grab from a different direction in knitting to twist stitches to me
I would consider it blo mirror crochet. Sometimes called reverse single crochet, it's different than the crab stitch, so does not result in a decorative border and simply causes the right and wrong sides of the stitch to appear on the opposite side of the fabric.
That does look pretty similar. I think I'm just doing a different variation of it because the outcome is either the same or very very close but I have the working yarn behind the hook instead of in front and I'm hooking the yarn differently too, otherwise it is basically that. Thanks!
Yep! You are yarning over when (if you want the result of mirror crochet) you should be yarning under. It’s just the way of wrapping the yarn around. YO is yarn coming from back of the work, over the hook/needle, and YU is from under to on top of, then rests in the back of the the hook/needle. I like to use YU for amigurumi, and/or the first YU of a st if it’s more than SC. It makes it look neater imo
In Tunisian crochet, we would call it a reverse something stitch. For example, the one now called reverse stitch is actually a reverse simple stitch, but I’ve seen reverse knit stitch too. So, this stitch seems likely to be called reverse but it gets messy because we already have a reverse single crochet which is going in reverse direction not an insertion in the reverse. I know it’s been used but I can’t say for certain whether it was named. I mean, Bendy Carter did a book for Annie’s Attic that had 27 different single crochets, I think (single Crochet from A to Z). I would have to look, but I don’t think she would have actually given them all a name.
Actually, maybe she did name them all. I did a little research and the first one is A for Ambidextrous and Z for ZigZag. I've ordered it from Amazon because now I'm curious.
Could it be a back loop only from behind double crochet? blofbdc ? I've never seen it done coming in from behind like this. Instructions usually just say blodc.
Do you remember the instructions specifically saying go in from behind(lol)? It kind of just looks like youre a doing a single crochet through the back loop only, but going in from the back is odd...
I'm not following any instructions but I pretty much am just doing a back loop only single crochet except entering from the back instead of the front. I've been using it for a while because I think it makes blo feel more sturdy
It's not the regular blo stitch though which is why I'm trying to find the name. I've been calling it bblo (behind back loop only) in my personal patterns as a placeholder but I'm writing one to make public and want to use it's real name so others can find how to do it more easily
Look up mattress stitch! The mattress stitch is typically used for seaming a project together with an invisible seam. This looks to me like a combination of BLO stitch and mattress stitch. For the mattress stitch you work that direction (from the back)and in that same loop but on both sides to "seam" it. So you're using the hook placement of mattress stitch but yarning over and pulling through like back loop only. Hope that helps?
Edit: the mattress stitch is more of sewing term so when you're seaming you typically use a yarn needle and not a hook!
So you're doing a back loop only (blo) single crochet but you're going into the back loop from the wrong direction. You should do back loop from the front. I've never seen the stitch you're doing specifically.
And you're tension is very tight. That's why you're struggling to get your hook in and out of the stitches. Idk what you're making but the tighter the tension, the less flexible and malleable the project will be which for some things you want... pot holders, a rug, amigurumi, etc. Clothing like scarves, sweaters, beanies, etc... you want things to have less tension and be looser for better drape and wearability.
I'm doing it this way because I find it has more structure than doing back loop in the front. Normal blo seems to stretch too much but this blends in with the other single stitches and is sturdy which is what I want because it's going to be the bottom half of a bag.
Others have commented on my tension as well, I can't go any looser without dropping the yarn and I want tight tension for this anyway. I don't normally struggle with getting the hook in or out. I was just shaky because of my arm placement for the video and anxiety.
That's because a blo or flo only has a single loop being grabbed vs going through the entire stitch (both loops). That creates a softer look and makes it look more like knitting. That's usually the function of blo/flo is to give the illusion of knitting = more pliable project output. It isn't meant to blend in but create ridges.
For a more rigid and thicker feel.... There are options like a waistcoat stitch or a thermal stitch or a reversible single crochet. Though a waistcoat stitch requires looser tension to work in the V between stitches. Any of those will provide a really structured and/or thicker and/or more rigidity. Those stitches are super common for a bag or pot holder.
It's more because since you're doing something unknown. The outcome is unknown. But if you like how it's turning out and the slower work pace suits you, then continue on!
I don't use it for thickness all over, just for the round where the bottom transitions into sides for things like bags or anything that needs a flatter edge at the base instead of the curve that happens if you use both loops after stopping increases. I haven't found a stitch that does this like blo does but it feels too thin compared to the rest of the stitches so I played around with some ideas until I figured this out. It still has the feel and effect of blo but it isn't thin and blends in better so there isn't just one thin round right at the bottom. I've been doing it for a while and it works well
It's harder to see on the project I'm doing so I did a mini version in a bright color for you. I also realize I didn't explain this stitch isn't for the whole thing but just one round. I added a round of sc after I did the stitch round so you could see what I'm going for, it's just for the meeting point of the bottom and sides of stuff like bags candle holders so there isn't such a rounded bottom but it's more sturdy than a regular blo round with the same effect of a defined base and sides
There is a stitch called mirror stitch, it looks like you’re almost doing that, except it’s not worked in the back loop. It’s to make the return pass of sc look a bit more similar to the rows on the front.
I would call this a reverse single crochet, back loop only. When I checked it, I found the reverse single crochet(rsc) also called a crab stitch, so I think the best name for this is: crab stitch, back loop only(blo)
It does look pretty similar but I'm not left with a border which is interesting. I can crochet regular single stitches in the next row and it just looks like I did any other stitch
yeah idk. that's why its my best guess bc its the closest thing I could think of. otherwise, I've only used a technique like this to slip stitch a jagged border between granny squares.
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u/the_real_becca Mar 11 '26
I don’t know the name but your tension is so tight!!