How to End a Shell Stitch Crocheted Scarf
Shell stitch crocheted scarves are a double-duty accessory, providing warmth along with a dash of personal style. But their ends are often not symmetrical — the beginning chain row is straight across, while the ending row is scalloped from the shells. Some crocheters like the differing edges and choose to leave them be, but if you prefer, you can even up the ends so they look almost identical. The process takes only a few minutes and a few extra yards of scarf yarn.
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Instructions
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1
End the shell stitch portion of your scarf with a row in which you make only full shells, not a row that needs half-shells at the beginning and end of the row.
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2
Work the established number of turning chains, as if you were going to continue in the shell stitch pattern, and turn your work.
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3
Look at the shells and remind yourself of the stitches that comprise them. To square off the end of the scarf, you'll work tall stitches into the "valleys" between shells and shorter stitches on the curved sides of the shells.
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4
Work one stitch of the tallest type from the shell pattern (double or treble crochet) in the stitch following your turning chain. If there are any other stitches before the beginning of the first shell, work a tall stitch into each of those as well.
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5
Work a medium-height stitch (half-double or double crochet) in the first stitch of the shell and a single crochet in the second stitch of the shell. Slip stitch through the third stitch (the shell's top), then single crochet in the next and work a medium-height stitch into the last stitch of the shell.
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6
Make a tall stitch in the "valley" between the first and second shells.
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7
Repeat Steps 5 and 6 across the row. Fasten off. Weave in all ends.
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Tips & Warnings
Use your best judgment and check your work often as you go. If a half-double crochet in the first stitch of the shell doesn't look tall enough, make it a double crochet instead, even if double crochet is the tallest stitch in the pattern. Or if a half-double looks too tall, use a single crochet instead.
Likewise, each shell may not need the same treatment. A half-double may work perfectly in the first stitch of one shell, but another shell may need a double crochet at that place.
Blocking the scarf can help both ends lie flat and square.
Maintain the same tension in the squaring-off row that you used in the body of the scarf. Too-tight or too-loose tension can pucker or flare the finishing end, ruining the symmetrical effect.
Resources
- Photo Credit Steve Mason/Valueline/Getty Images
