Another Way to Avoid the Turning Chain Hole

You may remember this post from a while ago...

In it, I show 3 ways to work turns for a dc (US terms) when working in rows that helps reduce the gap rather than working a chain 3. The 3 ideas work for me--my favorite being the third--made by stacking two sc's on top of each other. You can see all 3 methods and which one is your favorite here.


But, after designing my Toddler Teepee...

...I have begun using a fourth really nifty technique that might, for me, just tie with Option #3. I use them pretty much equally, whichever suits my fancy (or the yarn I'm using).

The teepee was designed using a linked dc (US terms) because I needed the height of a dc, but wanted a denser fabric with no "peeky holes" for light to get through. Hence, I chose a linked dc. Let me show you how it works on a turn...

But first, may I remind you of the ugly holes made by a ch-3 turning chain (which counts as a dc) so you typically skip the first dc--making the whole gap problem that much worse, right? And don't mention the challenge of working back into the ch-3 on the return. Not fun. Let me show you a better way...

Begin with a chain 2 as shown above.

Insert your hook into the 2nd chain from the hook, yarn over and...

...draw a loop through. Two loops are on your hook.

Then insert your hook into the top of the first stitch of the row. Yarn over and draw through the stitch.

With three loops on your hook you now finish the stitch just as you would a dc. Yarn over and draw through two loops, twice.

Ta-Dah!! As you can see above--it is slightly wider than a regular dc but has more width than the skinny ch-3 and matches the height of a normal dc.

Tidy and good-looking, huh? Especially compared to the ch-3 turning chains.

Another bonus, when you get back to it on the returning row...

You've got 2 loops to work into rather than forcing your hook into a chain. Fluid and tidy. I like that.

Give this a try if you haven't and let me know how it works for you.

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