Try This Stitch: Fanfare Crochet

Fanfare is a beautiful crochet pattern that’s delicate and elegant without being too difficult.

You don’t need to be an expert crocheter to make something like fanfare stitch. You need to know single and double crochet, chain, and how to work into a chain space. If you need help with the basics of crochet, check out the Learn section or the Learn to Crochet series that recently finished.

Fanfare looks nice in a heavier yarn, but would also be delicate and soft in something lighter. It makes a nice square — which could be combined with other stitch squares into a blanket — or repeated many times for a scarf or shawl. The sample here was crocheted using Lion’s Pride® Woolspun®. It is three repeats wide and three tall.

We have a large selection of knit and crochet stitches and motifs, called the Stitch Finder. In it, you’ll find all kinds of interesting things. Lace, cables, flowers, trims, you name it. You can make an entire blanket from the blocks you’ll find on that page, too. All the patterns listed are reprinted with permission from various books.

Fanfare Stitch

(ch a multiple of 6 sts + 4)

Row 1: Work 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc in next 2 ch, *ch 3, skip 3 ch, 1 sc in next 3 ch; rep from * across. Turn.

Row 2: Ch 1, 1 sc in first 2 sc, *skip 1 sc, 5 dc in ch-3 sp, skip 1 sc, 1 sc in next sc; rep from * end 1 sc in last sc. Turn.

Row 3: Ch 4 (counts as 1 sc and ch 3), skip (2 sc, 1 dc), 1 sc in next 3 dc, *ch 3, skip (1 dc, 1 sc, 1 dc), 1 sc in next 3 dc; rep from * to last 4 sts, end ch 3, skip (1 dc, 1 sc), 1 sc in last sc. Turn.

Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc in first ch-3 sp, *skip 1 sc, 1 sc in next sc, skip 1 sc, 5 dc in ch-3 sp; rep from *, end last rep 4 dc in last ch-3 sp. Turn.

Row 5: Ch 1, 1 sc in first 3 dc, *ch 3, skip (1 dc, 1 sc, 1 dc), 1 sc in next 3 dc; rep from * across. Turn.

Rep rows 2–5.

Stitch directions reproduced with permission, from Vogue Knitting Stitchionary: Volume Four, Sixth & Spring Books, 2007