Interlocking crochet with slanted lines: open structures, part 1

Index

This tutorial is too large to show on 1 page, so it is spread over multiple pages. Use the links in the index below to go to the page where you want to be.

Introduction, abbreviations and symbols, and start tutorial 1: click here
Start tutorial 1, setup and first rows: click here
tutorial 1: slanted lines, open structures, part 1: that is this page
tutorial 1: slanted lines, open structures, part 2: click here
tutorial 1: slanted lines, open structures, part 3, working at the back side: click here
tutorial 1: slanted lines, closed structures, part 1, with triangles pointing upwards: click here
tutorial 2: slanted lines, closed structures, part 2, with triangles pointing downwards: click here
combining structures and summary: click here
tutorial 3: click here

Video

For the basics with open structures you can watch this video: https://youtu.be/HXDFq8Cg82U.

The instruction chart

This is the chart for the next piece. Row 2b is repeated, to give you the image of the diagonal lines. A diagonal line runs over at least 3 rows. You can see here that the lines start in row 3b, and then go to the left or right where the arrows indicate, and end in row 2b, which we have already crocheted on the previous tutorial page.

Row 3a: a bit of solid squares

This row includes a section of solid squares with the corresponding notation.

Notation: Row 3a – front: color 2 to front, side st, 3f 7x, side st

This is standard notation for solid quares. The 3f means that you make 3 stitches in the front, right next to each other! This is different from f 3x, where you make a front stitch 3 times with chain stitches in between! Moreover, we repeat this 7 times, with 1 chain stitch after the 3 stitches next to each other.

Again, do the solid squares tutorial first so you get used to the notation for open and solid squares

You can see here that no strange things happen in the written instructions that you are not yet familiar with. In the pattern chart, however, you see slanted arrows, but you don’t do anything with them yet! So the cells where there is an ‘f’ with an arrow, you simply crochet as ‘f’.

This is an odd row, so read the instruction chart from right to left. Place the written instructions next to the chart again, and you will clearly see that the 7 3f’s are three stitches next to each other, followed by a chain stitch.

This is the side you worked on, so the front of the piece.

Row 3b: slanted lines!

Yay! We’ve come to the slanted lines! We are also going to make combined stitches, because the slanted lines here are combined with a mesh stitch.

I have written out the stitches to make below, but be sure to watch the video!

Notation: Row 3b – front: f, b 2x, *([fr+b], b)* 2x, [fr+b+fl], *(b, [b+fl])* 2x, b 3x

I’ll write this out in full first without the repetitions between the asterisks:

f, b 2x, [fr+b], b, [fr+b], b, [fr+b+fl], b, [b+fl], b, [b+fl], b 3x

A ‘fr’ or ‘fl’ stitch is a diagonal stitch that is longer than a regular double crochet: this is an extended double crochet! To do this, you yarn over once around your hook like a regular double crochet. The first time you don’t pull through 2 loops, but only through 1 loop! And then make a new yarn over and pull it through 2 loops. Watch the video where this is shown in detail!

We’re going to break this into pieces.

The row starts with ‘normal’ stitches: f, b 2x. This is a front stitch, a chain stitch, a back stitch, a chain stitch, another back stitch and a chain stitch. You have now arrived at the mesh stitch you would normally work in.
In the next part you see square brackets and a ‘+’: ‘[fr+b]‘. This indicates that it is a combined stitch, such as crocheting 2 double crochet stitches together. That’s actually what you’re going to do here, except where you insert your hook plays a role, and the diagonal stitch is an extended double crochet. In my written instructions I made the combined stitches red as an extra point of interest. See also the photos below.
1. You crochet the stitches in the order as written. The ‘fr’ stands for an extended double crochet that you crochet diagonally to the right. That’s what you start with. However, you do not complete the double crochet to the end, you leave the last loop on your hook, so that you now have 2 loops on your hook. You insert into the mesh stitch in the previous row, but one square to the right. That is a mesh stitch from the previous row in color 2.
2. Then you crochet the ‘b’. This is a double crochet that you crochet into the mesh stitch that you were originally going to work in.
3. At the end you crochet the last loop of the double crochet together with the other two loops on your crochet hook. A combined stitch therefore results in 1 stitch at the top.
4. You will then see the comma, so a chain.
Next comes ‘b’. This means that you make a back stitch, simply in the next mesh stitch. Then another chain.
Then you do steps 2 and 3 again. The original notation reads ‘*([fr+b], b)* 2x’. You will understand this now. It is a repeat of a combined stitch, and then a regular mesh double crochet.
The next part is [fr+b+fl]. This is a combined stitch, but with 3 double crochet stitches! So crochet 3 double crochet stitches together!
1. First you do the ‘fr’ (an extended double crochet!) and the ‘b’ (a regular double crochet) like in step 2 and 3, but don’t finish the second double crochet yet. Leave the 3 loops on your hook, because you also have to make the ‘fl’ (an extended double crochet!).
2. For the ‘fl’, insert into the mesh stitch in the previous row, but one square to the left. That is a mesh stitch from the previous row in color 2. It is now very important to remember that you have already worked ahead into the next mesh stitch!!!! You have only worked at the top of the underlying row. This is an extended double crochet.
3. At the end you crochet the last loop of the extended double crochet together with the other three loops on your crochet hook.
4. You will then see the comma, so a chain.
Then comes another ‘b’. So this means that you make a back stitch, where you insert into the grid stitch you just crocheted into with the ‘fl’, so this is the next mesh stitch. It is extremely important that you ‘finish’ the mesh. In the beginning you have to think about this regularly, but you will get used to it very quickly! Then another chain.
After this comes the [b+fl]. This is another combined stitch, which is made over multiple stitches at the base, but results in 1 stitch. This time we are actually working in the reverse order of the previous combined stitch, the [fr+b].
1. You crochet the stitches again in the order as written. You start by making the ‘b’, a stitch at the back. You don’t finish the double crochet.
2. Then comes the ‘fl’, which represents an extended double crochet that you crochet diagonally to the left in the next mesh stitch of the previous row in color 2. Once you have crocheted this stitch until there are 3 loops on your crochet hook, complete the stitch by crocheting the 3 loops together. Remember in advance that you have worked ahead! You can now make a chain.
Then you crochet the next ‘b’. This is a double crochet that you crochet in the mesh stitch that you would originally work in, i.e. the stitch where the ‘fl’ has just been crocheted. Then a chain.
Then again a [b+fl]. Then a chain.
And finally a ‘b 3x’, which is just 3 stitches at the back with chains in between.

Making a [fr+b]

Start like a regular dc. In the photo, I inserted into the mesh stitch of the previous row and the loop is pulled through. Now make a yarn over (as shown in the photo). Normally you would pull the yarn through the next 2 loops on your hook, but for an extended double crochet, now pull the chain through the 1st loop only!

Here you see the result of pulling the yarn through the first loop. Now make another yarn over and pull it through the first 2 loops on your crochet hook.

This is the result. The stitch is not ready yet. This was the ‘fr’.

Now we’re going to make the ‘b’ of the [fr+b]. Insert into the next mesh stitch.

Make the double crochet until you have 3 loops on your hook as shown.

Make another yarn over and pull the yarn through the 3 loops on your crochet hook. The result is 1 stitch made over 2 stitches at the base.

Making a [fr+b+fl]

You start by making a [fr+b] as before, but you stop when you haven’t finished the ‘b’ yet. There are now 3 loops on the hook.

Now first make an extended double crochet to the left, the ‘fl’. In the photo you see the situation where you first pull the yarn through the first loop only .

Here the ‘fl’ is made, but to the point that there are 4 loops on your hook.

Make another yarn over and pull the yarn through the 4 loops. Here the stitch is completed. The result is again 1 stitch made over 3 stitches at the base.