The puff stitch is excellent for adding texture to crocheted fabric. It shows on both sides of the work, which makes it useful for anything reversible, and it combines with almost any other crochet stitch.
It is fairly simple in principle but it is not a beginner’s stitch. It suits someone who has the basics already settled.
How it is worked
A puff is made by drawing up several loops in the same stitch and then closing them all together in one movement.
You yarn over, insert the hook into the stitch, and draw up a loop – then repeat that two or three more times into the same stitch without completing anything. You end up with a fan of loops on the hook. Then you yarn over and draw through all of them at once, which gathers them into a raised bump.
That is the whole stitch. The bump is the puff.
Why it is not for beginners
Two reasons, and both come down to control rather than complexity.
You are managing several live loops at once. Until your tension is consistent, some loops will be tighter than others and the hook will not pass through them cleanly.
The loops must be drawn up to an even height. If they are not, the puff comes out lopsided. Judging that height is a feel that develops with practice rather than something you can be told.
Work a practice row before starting a project. The first few will be uneven and the rest will be fine.
Getting them even
Draw each loop up higher than feels natural – to roughly the height of a double crochet. Short loops make a tight, mean little puff that does not stand out from the fabric.
Keep the loops loose on the hook rather than snug. The final pull has to pass through all of them, and a tight loop is what makes the hook catch.
Use a hook with a shallow throat if you have one. A deeply grooved hook snags on a fan of loops.
Yarn
A smooth yarn with good stitch definition. The puff is a raised shape and a fuzzy yarn will hide it entirely.
A solid colour shows the texture best; variegated yarn pulls the eye away from the shape.
Go up a hook size from your usual. Puff stitches pull the fabric in considerably, and at a normal hook size the result comes out stiff.
Where to use it
Blankets, scarves, cowls, hats and cushion covers – anything where texture is the point and drape is not critical.
Because it shows on both sides, it is particularly good for scarves and blankets where the reverse is on display.
It uses noticeably more yarn than a flat stitch, so budget generously for a large piece.
