These spring crochet wearable patterns are perfect for creating lightweight pieces you’ll reach for again and again. Spring is an ideal time to experiment with new stitches and fibers while making something you can wear right away. Save your favorites for later, and come back whenever you need inspiration for your next spring crochet project.

Every time you change colors on a granny square, that means two more ends to weave in, per square! If you make squares with 3 or 4 or more colors, and then dozens or even hundreds of squares to make a blanket… let’s just say that’s a lot of time spent on a crochet project when you’re not actually crocheting.

In the video tutorial below, I’ll show you a technique for weaving in the starting ends of each color as you go, so you can eliminate half the work of weaving in the ends on all your granny squares.

What NOT to do

One common solution is to crochet over the ends as you go. The only problem with this method is that, in the skipped sections between clusters, the end of the yarn lies on top of the previous row (which is a different color). It’s not hidden at all. Instead, you want to weave the end into the stitches of the same color as you skip the stitches below. That way, the end jumps over the skipped stitches and stays hidden.

Want to save yourself a lot of time and dread? Watch this video for a step-by-step tutorial to learn how to weave in the ends of granny squares as you go:

Put this technique into practice with these patterns:

As a refresher, the front loop and back loop are the two loops at the top of the stitch. The 3rd loop is on the back side of the stitch, just below the loops at the top. It depends slightly on the stitch, so in this post and video tutorial, I’ll show you the 3rd loops for single crochet, double crochet, and half-double crochet.

Why would you want to crochet in the 3rd loop? Usually you’ll see the 3rd loop used when crocheting in the round, when all the stitches are facing the same direction without turning. Crocheting in the 3rd loop pushes the front and back loops to the front of your item, which creates the look of a chain going across the fabric horizontally. It gives your project a knit look. I like to use this technique for borders.

Single Crochet in the 3rd Loop

The 3rd loop of the single crochet stitch is on the back of the stitch, just below the top loop (front or back, depending on which side you’re looking at). You can see it highlighted in orange below.

Double Crochet in the 3rd Loop

The 3rd loop of the double crochet stitch is on the back of the stitch, just below the top loop. You can see it highlighted in orange below.

Half-Double Crochet in the 3rd Loop

The 3rd loop of the half-double crochet stitch is on the back of the stitch, just below the top loop. It’s the longer loop that goes a little diagonal. You can see it highlighted in orange below.

Put these stitches into practice with these patterns:

Watch this video to learn these three ways to crochet in the 3rd loop:

The problem is that the ch-3 does not look like the rest of the double crochet stitches in the round, and the slip stitch to join the row creates a noticeable gap. The result is a seam running straight across your otherwise beautiful piece.

One alternative is to join with an invisible seam and then start each row with a Standing Double Crochet (Sdc) instead. I’ve included written instructions here, or you can watch the video tutorial below.

(dc = double crochet, ch = chain, st = stitch, YO = yarn over)

Invisible Seam

1. When you reach the end of the row, pull the loop out a little bit and remove the hook.
2. Insert the hook from back to front through the 2 loops on top of the first dc of the round.
3. Grab the loose loop with the hook and pull it through from front to back, and pull taut to cinch the first and last stitches together.

Standing Double Crochet (Sdc)

1. Pull the same loop until it is about 1 1/2 times the height of a dc row.
2. Holding the loop in place on the hook, YO the entire loop.
3. Insert the hook into the two loops where you joined (it’s a tight fit) and pull up a loop.
4. YO and pull through the first loop and both strands of the larger wrapped loop.
5. YO and pull through 2 loops to complete the Standing dc.

Watch this video to learn how to join double crochet rounds with an invisible seam:

To learn how to start a flat row without a ch-3, see my last blog post video, Three Alternatives to the Turning Ch-3 for Double Crochet.

The problem is that the turning ch-3 does not look like the rest of the double crochet stitches in the row, and it also leaves an unsightly gap between the ch-3 and the stitch next to it.

The following are a few alternative ways to start a double crochet row. I’ve included the written instructions, or you can watch the video below for a step-by-step demonstration of each stitch.

(dc = double crochet, ch = chain, st = stitch, YO = yarn over)

Stacked Double Crochet (Stdc)

The Stacked dc is essentially two single crochet stitches stacked on top of each other.

1. Turn without making a chain. Insert the hook into the first stitch, and pull up a loop.
2. YO and pull through 2 loops to complete the first part of the stitch.
3. Next, insert the hook back through the bottom left loop, and pull up a loop.
4. YO and pull through 2 loops to complete the Stacked dc.

Standing Double Crochet (Sdc)

The Standing dc makes a freestanding dc using an extended loop.

1. Pull the last loop of the row until it is a little more than the height of a dc row, and turn.
2. Holding the loop in place on the hook, YO the entire loop.
3. Insert the hook into the first st and pull up a loop.
4. YO and pull through the first loop and both strands of the larger wrapped loop.
5. YO and pull through 2 loops to complete the Standing dc.

* Note: Both Stacked dc and Standing dc may be abbreviated as Stdc. When using a crochet pattern, be sure to check the abbreviations to see which one you should be making.

Linked Double Crochet (Ldc)

Using a Linked dc at the beginning of the row, after the turning ch-3, eliminates the gap between the ch-3 and the next stitch.

1. At the end of the previous row, ch-3 and turn.
2. Insert the hook into the second chain from the hook, and pull up a loop (this acts as the YO of the double crochet).
3. Insert the hook into the second stitch and pull up a loop.
4. YO and pull through 2 loops, twice, to complete the Linked dc.

Watch this video to learn these three alternative ways to start a double crochet row:

Put these stitches into practice with these patterns:

Luckily, there is an alternative: Foundation stitches, where you create the chain as you go. It’s kind of like a cartoon I remember when they quickly built the train tracks as the train was going down the track.

I shared the Foundation Double Crochet (Foundation dc, or Fdc) in a previous post. Since then, I’ve learned a couple more tricks to make foundation stitches even better. So, this time, I’m showing you how to do the Foundation Single Crochet (Foundation sc or Fsc) with these extra tips added in.

The Foundation Single Crochet stitch creates the chain as you go, so you don’t have to make the chain first. To do the Fsc, first insert the hook into the chain from the previous stitch, so you have 2 loops below the hook, and pull up a loop. Next, yarn over (YO) and pull through only one loop. This creates the chain for the stitch you are about to make. Then, complete the stitch by doing a YO and pull through two loops.

As a result, the sc stitches are joined with a chain along the bottom as you go. You can make any stitch into a Foundation stitch by adding the extra loop at the beginning of the stitch and using that as the chain as you go across.

Watch this video to learn how to crochet the Foundation Single Crochet stitch:

Put this stitch into practice with these patterns:

Fitting a 5-point star into a 4-sided granny square was quite the tricky feat! The instructions for a couple of the rows are very detailed and can be a little tough to follow on paper. So, I made this video to show the step-by-step instructions for creating this unique square.

The written instructions are included in the Christmas Tree Afghan pattern, which is available in my pattern shops on Ravelry, Etsy, and this website.

Watch this video to learn how to crochet a 5-point star granny square:

Put this stitch into practice with these patterns:

The effect is often a pretty texture. However, the more stitches that make up the shell, the more distorted the stitch or space you’re crocheting into can become. Depending on the design, the distortion can take away from the overall look and symmetry of the item.

When this happens, you can use a new technique to avoid putting all the stitches into the same spot. It’s called a Foundation Shell Stitch. Similar to a Foundation stitch, you create an extra chain loop at the beginning of the stitch, and then crochet the shell into that loop instead. (Watch a video for how to crochet foundation stitches here.)

Let’s say you want to make a shell stitch made up of 6 double crochet stitches. To convert the shell stitch to a Foundation Shell stitch, here’s the written pattern (US terminology: dc = double crochet):

1. Yarn over and insert the hook in the spot where the shell should go. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through one loop only. The chain you just made is the foundation stitch that the remaining stitches will go into.
2. To finish the first dc of the shell, yarn over and pull through 2 loops, twice.
3. Crochet 5 more dc into the foundation stitch at the base of the first dc to complete the shell.

Notice when you follow these steps that the shell stitch now sits on top of the row below, rather than being crocheted directly into it. It’s this effect that prevents the row below from being distorted by the shell stitch.

Watch this video to learn how to crochet the foundation shell stitch:

Put this stitch into practice with these patterns:

I call it, unsurprisingly, the Cord Stitch.

The Cord Stitch is a 2-row repeat, in which the first row creates the cord effect, and the second row emphasizes it.

Here’s the pattern (US terminology: sc = single crochet, ch = chain, st = stitch):

• Chain as many stitches as you want, plus 1 turning ch.
• Row 1: First stitch: Make a sc. Then, with the first loop still on the hook, insert the hook back through the top loop, and pull another loop through, so there are 2 loops on the hook. After the 1st stitch: Insert the hook into the next st and pull up a loop. YO and pull through all 3 loops on the hook. Then, with the first loop still on the hook, insert the hook back through the top 2 loops, and pull another loop through, so there are 2 loops on the hook.
• Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the back loops only (there are 2 back loops) of each stitch across.

Watch this video to learn how to crochet the cord stitch:

Put this stitch into practice with these patterns:

When you make cables using front- and back-post double crochet stitches, you crochet around the post of a stitch and skip the top of it. This leaves an open stitch that sticks out and can make the back of your piece look like a lumpy, ugly mess.

That’s fine if you’re making something that you’ll only look at from the front. But if you’re making a cable blanket or another item that you’ll see the back of, you’ll want to clean it up a little.

You can easily clean up the back by adding a single extra loop to your cable stitches! All you do is start the front- or back-post double crochet as usual, and when you still have 2 loops on the hook, insert the hook into the top of the stitch that you would normally skip, and pull up a loop. Then yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on the hook. On the opposite side from the cables, it will look like a half-double crochet stitch instead of a skipped stitch.

Watch this video to learn how to connect both front- and back-post double crochet to the top of the stitch:

Put this stitch into practice with these patterns: