Extended Single Crochet (esc) Stitch Tutorial

The extended single crochet, that’s an extended double crochet in UK terms, is one of those stitches I wish I had known about long before I did.

Extended crochet stitches (you can make them with double and trebles too) are easy and relaxing to crochet and are great for garments because they create a fabric with a beautiful drape. Extended crochet stitches create a slightly thinner fabric than traditional crochet stitches so you get more fabric from your yarn too.

I’ve done something different for this tutorial and decided to use super chunky yarn to make it easier to see the stitches.

I was making a swatch for the super chunky version of the Any Yarn Will Do sweater, so decided to use that opportunity to make the tutorial.

It’s harder to see the stitch pattern over a small swatch (don’t worry, I have lots of projects which use it so you can see what it looks like over a larger area), but easier to follow along with the video!

Essentially, extended crochet stitches are worked the same as their normal namesakes, but after you pull your first loop up through the stitch you’re working in, you yarn over and pull through 1 loop, then carry on with the rest of the stitch as normal.

Another way to put it is that you’re adding a chain into the stitch before making it – this is where that lovely drape comes from.

The fabric, when worked in simple rows, has a slight herringbone shape about it as the stitches tend to have more slant than their traditional counterparts.

The stitches are also taller, so it’s a great way to get your money’s worth from, your yarn as I find you can create a larger area of fabric with extended stitches. Another reason I love it for garments which often use a lot of yarn.

Extended crochet stitches can be a little top heavy, because of the chain at their base), so it’s good to work them with a reasonably relaxed tension to stop the top of the stitch dropping over the post.

You can use the extended crochet stitch method with pretty much any basic crochet stitch. This written and video tutorial shows you how to crochet the extended double (UK extended treble crochet) as well as how to make a decrease with the same stitch.

Extended single crochet – Video Tutorial

If I haven’t convinced you yet, check out the right handed video below or on YouTube and the left handed extended single crochet tutorial here.

As I mentioned earlier, I use extended double crochet in the Abundance cardi, substituting it for traditional double crochet in the block stitch the pattern uses.

Here’s a close up to give you an idea of how it looks (during a game of Heathers inspired croquet last summer!). Extended stitches have as much versatility as the basic crochet stitches.

Extended stitches look great in any size yarn and any fibre and have a lovely rhythm to them when making.

When you mix them with traditional stitches, they can also create beautiful texture – just take a peek at my free studio stripe scarf pattern which uses a combination of extended double crochet and half double crochet and you’ll see what I mean!