I have been crocheting for over 50 years, but have done very little in filet crochet. Now I want to crochet a pattern I found on Pinterest. It’s well charted and looks perfectly normal, except there are multiple slip stitches in the pattern represented as little dots in the corners of the open meshes. No matter how I make that slip stitch, it does not show in my work. So, does anyone know how to use slip stitches this way? I’m going nuts. The URL for one of the patterns is: https://fashionarrow.com/the-beautiful-filet-crochet-technique/ You can see the slip stitches in the tail feathers and crest. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Filet Crochet Query
Welcome to the forum!
We need help with slip sts in filet crochet:
@OffJumpsJack
@ColoCro
@Snowfleas
Thank you for the welcome. My name is Lynn, by the way, but it’s already taken, so I used the transliteration of my Chinese name. I look forward to learning my way around.
Hi Lynn, welcome to forum.
Im not sure what you call slip stitch in filet crochet but that stitches in tail looks like to me as half filed square for tail but im not sure for dots on head. Found this picture it might work
. I would do half square or insert red thread.
That is not a crochet slip stitch. A slip stitch is used as an invisible join, or to move your working yarn along existing stitches with a minimal impact to the look of the stitches.
(Quote from the page you linked)
The Filet crochet is one type of the crocheted fabrics and it involves a grid like crocheted lace as it makes use of only 2 crochet stiches. The double crochet stich (also known as treble) and the chain stitch are the two types of crochet stiches the filet crochet technique uses.
I agree that the “little dot” stitches seem to imply partially filled squares. And I see they are specific to which edge of the square they are applied.
Can you share a portion of the written instructions about these small square stitches.
I know the common crochet symbols of solid oval, hollow oval, X, & T’s with one or more cross hatches. I do not think the filet crochet charts uses those symbols. Seeing the written instructions that explain the small squares might change my mind.
I will be searching the Internet for other examples of filet crochet chart patterns for comparisons.
I found this matching color, cross stitch chart. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/84653668007337617/
So maybe it will take a creative interpretation for filet.
I think the explanation of the "slip stitches in the pattern represented as little dots in the corners of the open meshes is in your post. I spent some time looking for info about slip stitches in filet crochet and couldn’t find anything. Because in the link here it was referred to as filet crochet I accepted it was a filet crochet chart. Now I think it was either intended for counted cross stitch or for use in multiple applications. In this video in the vicinity of 2.10 she states that charts were intended for various uses, not just crochet. I wonder how old the chart we’ve been looking at is - modern, vintage, antique?
Thank you to all who have replied.
@OffJumpsJack, I can’t locate written instructions.
We are all looking at the same pattern, I see. I am convinced it is a vintage pattern. And when I came across the coloured one last night, it occurred to me this might actually be a cross stitch pattern, even though the grid looks like filet crochet in my eyes. But the stitching looks more like cross stitch. I also posed my query in Craftree, the online tatting group I belong to, and a friend there suggested cross stitch as well. Thank you for the video, @GrumpyGramma; that just reinforces my thinking about this pattern being for cross stitch as well.
But I’ll just crochet this thing as filet. I came across another pattern, a bit smaller than I want and a little blockier, but I think I can adapt the crest on that one to replace the dots in the one I want to use. I’m also considering using a single crochet foundation chain for what looks like either part of the beak or the tongue. The dots in the tail feathers I think I’ll ignore. I’d considered using a 3 chain picot stitch for those dots, but I’m not sure I like how that looks.
As I said, I’ve crocheted for over 50 years, so this application of slip stitches baffled me. I am only familiar with them as joining stitches, or sometimes used to move from one element to the next in the case of decreasing. So I never considered these dots to be slip stitches till I found a chart of filet crochet symbols, and the slip stitch was represented as a dot. Unfortunately, again, no written instructions, so there was nothing to indicate the slip stitches weren’t meant to be used as a pattern embellishment. But you can take it from me, it definitely can’t.
Sigh! Once I wrap this one up, I think my filet crochet adventures will come to an end. I think at this point I have more projects lined up than I’m likely to live to accomplish.
But wow! I am so impressed with the speedy and on target responses from all of you. Thank you again.
I’ve never heard of using a slip-stitch in filet crochet, although it’s not my favorite technique so I haven’t done a lot of it.
I find this image online as either a cross-stitch pattern or an image of it as a knitting design. The cross-stitch possibly indicates a half-cross for those squares; the knitted version doesn’t show any difference in those locations. Maybe you can just ignore them? Here’s the knitted one I found:
I hadn’t seen the knitted one. That’s very interesting. I’m doing this is size 10 Aunt Lydia’s cotton, so I don’t think I want to knit it. I have enough knitting going on with a stack of socks right now. The crochet will be a pleasant break from all that. And yes, I will be ignoring the dots. A cross stitch of this pattern shows those dots as another colour in the design, but I think neither crochet nor knitting can incorporate this effectively, so I’m leaving them out. However, the cross stitch sample has an interesting adaptation for the crest that I think will be stunning in filet crochet, so I’m using that instead of this one. The pattern is basically the same except for the crest, and can be adapted quite well.