How to Crochet Shell and Popcorn Stitch
It is fun to crochet and combine a shell and popcorn stitch into one pattern. The texture is amazing, plus the two stitches create an amazing design. This works great for a blanket, scarf, shawl, bag, and more.
Suggested Yarn Types
The shell and popcorn stitch pattern can use pretty much any type of yarn and still look good. I’ve done this stitch pattern using fine crochet thread and it worked great. I’ve also done this with bulky weight yarn. In this video I happen to be using scrap pieces of medium weight, known as worsted weight, Red Heart Super Saver yarn.
What’s the difference between a popcorn stitch, bobble stitch, and puff stitch?
I’m glad you asked! Popcorn vs bobble vs puff. Sometimes designers will use those terms interchangeably. Technically there are differences between those terms from a traditional perspective.
A popcorn stitch is a stitch where you fully complete a set of stitches, for example 5 double crochet stitches, all in the same stitch. Then you remove your crochet hook, insert it into a designated stitch (usually the first one) and connect the stitches together.
A bobble stitch is a stitch where you partially complete a stitch, for example, you start a double crochet but don’t finish it, before you immediately move onto the next one in a series. A yarn over and pull through usually connects and completes the bobble stitch.
A puff stitch is a stitch where you perform a set of yarn overs and drawing up of loops several times in the same stitch. A yarn over and draw through all of the many loops on your hook usually completes the puff stitch.
Suggested Projects
I’ve always loved shell stitches. They produce a beautiful lace effect in whatever you are creating. And the popcorn stitch is a lot of fun. It adds a nice 3D texture to an otherwise flat stitch pattern.
The fabric formed by these shell and popcorn stitches is pretty closed. In other words you won’t see many holes in it. Because of that, several projects are very suited for this.
First, blankets are perfect with this shell and popcorn stitch. There is sufficient warmth, while at the same time, plenty of eye candy. Scarves and shawls also look nice with this pattern. You can use thinner or thicker yarn and both work really nice.
Clothing itself, like a tunic or skirt, especially look nice with this. I happen to favor a thinner yarn if you make clothes with this stitch. But feel free to experiment with other size and weight of fibers too. And finally, handbags look really neat with this shell and popcorn stitch pattern. Especially if you use a nice nylon thread.
As always I have a step-by-step video on showing how to make all rows of this stitch pattern. Check out the how-to tutorial video here!
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