Dana Nield

I love this stitch! I’ve been eyeing the vintage shell stitch for years and I’ve happily created a baby blanket featuring this pretty arrangement of treble crochets.

Materials

• Size 5 bulky weight yarn, approximately 730 yards. For this pattern I used:
  • 3 Skeins Brown Sheep Company Shepherd’s Shades Yarn, 1 each in Pink Sapphire, Wintergreen, and Split Pea
  • 2 Skeins Hayfield Baby Blossom Chunky in shade 0350
• Size K/6.5mm crochet hook
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Abbreviations

• ch(s): chain(s)
• sl st: slip stitch
• sk: skip
• sp(s): space(s)
• trc(s): treble crochet(s)

Finished Size

Approximately 28″x32″

Notes

Here is a video tutorial on AllFreeCrochet for the Vintage Crochet Shell Stitch. Some of the stitch counts are slightly different than my pattern, but this video will give you the general idea for how to work up this stitch and especially where you place your hook in rows 2 and beyond.

To adjust the width of the blanket, chain any multiple of 6.

If you’d like to replicate this design identically, I worked the colors in the following order:

1. Dark Green
2. Variegated
3. Pink
4. Light Green
5. Variegated
6. Dark Green
7. Variegated
8. Pink
9. Variegated
10. Light Green
11. Variegated

Repeat these 11 rows to desired length.

Last, if you’d prefer not to change colors every row, you can work the pattern in the following way: at the end of each row, turn, then sl st across the 4 trcs to get to the ch 2 space. Sc and ch 2 in the ch 2 space and continue in the pattern as written.

Vintage Shell Stitch Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern

Ch 114.

Row 1: Sk 5 chs. In the 6th ch from hook, 4trc. *Sk 5 chs. In the 6th ch, sc, ch 2, 4 trc in the same ch sp.* Rep to end of row. In last ch, sc. Cut yarn and fasten off. Turn.

Row 2: With a new yarn color, pull up a loop in the ch 2 sp from the previous row. Ch 1 to attach. Sc, ch 2, 4 trc in the same ch 2 sp. *In the next ch 2 space and in each ch 2 sp across, sc, ch 2, 4 trc.* Cut yarn and fasten off. Turn.

Rows 3-38: Repeat Row 2.

Weave in all ends before proceeding to the border. Have a movie or a podcast going because this will take a while!

Border

The border is a very simple sc border, and just one round. I worked approximately 6 sc around each shell. In the starting ch, I worked 5 sc around each stretch of starting ch and 1 sc into the bottom of the 4 trc. Beneath the instructions I’ve included some visuals which I hope will help!

Round 1: Pull up a loop of yarn in any corner. Ch 1, then sc in the same sp to attach. Sc around the entire blanket, working approximately 6 scs around each shell. Sl st into the starting ch. Cut yarn and fasten off. Weave in ends.

Here is an image working along the top stitches, and beneath the 6 stitches per shell are highlighted:

Working into the sides was the most time consuming for me! Here is an example of where to place your 6 sc stitches along each shell as you work on the side, with the highlighted image beneath:

Last, here is what the sc border looks like along the starting chain. I worked 5 sc around the longer bars of the starting ch, and 1 sc into the bottom of each stitch where I’d worked 4 trc.

Good luck!!

I taught this pattern for a FaveCrafts Studio LIVE class! I’d taught my C2C Moss Stitch Blanket and my Suzette Stitch Baby Blanket and you can find those videos embedded on the project pages. Here is the Vintage Shell Stitch video tutorial if you’d like to watch. Enjoy!