Spike Stitch Crochet Pattern: 8 Steps to Long, Bold Colour Spikes

Most stitches sit politely on the row below; the spike stitch refuses to. In this spike stitch crochet pattern you work an ordinary single crochet — but instead of inserting your hook into the row just finished, you reach down one, two or even three rows below and draw the loop up to the height of the row you are working. The result is a long, bold spike of colour diving through the rows beneath it. Learn it on a three-colour swatch with every row counted, then make a cushion front or a table runner from the same counts.

What Is the Spike Stitch?

A spike stitch is a single crochet worked into an earlier row. The loop travels further, so the stitch finishes longer than its neighbours, and in a contrasting colour it reads as a spike of colour running down the fabric. There are no increases or decreases in this spike stitch crochet pattern: every row keeps exactly the same stitch count, which makes it a friendly first colourwork technique. For another gentle texture, try our moss stitch crochet pattern.

Depth is counted from the row you have just finished: a spike one row below goes into the row directly underneath it, a spike two rows below skips one more row, and so on. The swatch uses

all three depths so you can feel the difference first.

Materials and Gauge

• Worsted weight (#4) cotton yarn in three colours: cream (A), terracotta (B), sage green (C). Swatch: about 20 m (22 yd) of each colour. Cushion front: about 450 m (490 yd) in total, split roughly equally. Table runner: about 950 m (1,040 yd). If yarn labels confuse you, the Craft Yarn Council’s yarn weight system explains the “#4”.
• 5.0 mm (US H-8) crochet hook
• Stitch markers (at least 2)
• Tape measure, tapestry needle and scissors
• For the cushion: a 40 cm (16 in) cushion insert

Gauge: 16 stitches and 18 rows = 10 cm (4 in) in plain single crochet. The 25-stitch swatch measures about 15.5 cm (6 in) wide. Spikes pull fabric inwards as well as downwards, so check your width as you go (Step 4).

Finished measurements: swatch about 15.5 × 10 cm (6 × 4 in) with the 9-row sequence worked twice; cushion front 40 × 40 cm (16 × 16 in); table runner 35 × 120 cm (14 × 47 in).

Useful Materials from Amazon

A smooth worsted cotton in three contrasting colours makes every spike read clearly; one 100 g ball of each covers the swatch and most of the cushion.

Drawing long loops up through earlier rows is repetitive, so a soft-grip 5 mm hook keeps your wrist comfortable.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• spike sc = spike single crochet: insert hook into the stitch the pattern names (one, two or three rows below), draw the loop up to the height of the working row, yarn over, pull through both loops
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• rep = repeat
• RS = right side

Counting note: spike stitch works over any stitch count — no multiple to memorise. This swatch uses 25 stitches, and every row — plain or spiked — ends with exactly 25 stitches.

The Spike Stitch Crochet Pattern, Step by Step

Work the nine swatch rows in order. After each spike row comes one plain row in the same colour — the “locking row” that anchors the long stitches and gives you a clean row to count.

Step 1 — Foundation Chain and the First Single Crochet Rows

With cream (A), ch 26.

Row 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in every ch across, turn. (25 sc)

Rows 2–3: Ch 1, sc in every st across, turn. (25 sc)

Keep these rows relaxed rather than tight — your hook soon travels down through this fabric, and tight stitches make hard work of it.

Step 2 — The First Spike Row: Spikes One Row Below

Join terracotta (B) at the end of Row 3 (Step 5 explains the tidy colour change).

Row 4 (spike row, one row below): Ch 1, turn. Insert your hook into the st in Row 2 that sits directly below the next st, yarn over and draw a loop up until it reaches the height of the row you are working, yarn over and pull through both loops — one spike sc made. Rep from * across, working every spike into Row 2. (25 spike sc)

Row 5 (locking row): Ch 1, sc in every st across, turn. (25 sc)

Each terracotta stitch covers the cream Row 3 stitch beneath it and reaches into Row 2: a row of spikes dripping into the cream. That is the whole trick of the spike stitch crochet pattern — everything else is depth and colour.

Step 3 — Deeper Spikes: Two and Three Rows Below

Row 6 (spike row, two rows below), cream (A): Ch 1, turn. Work a spike sc into the st in Row 3 directly below each st across — two rows below Row 5, the row just finished. Draw each loop up generously; these spikes cross Rows 4 and 5. (25 spike sc)

Row 7: Ch 1, sc in every st across, turn. (25 sc)

Row 8 (spike row, three rows below), sage (C): Ch 1, turn. Work a spike sc into the st in Row 4 directly below each st across — three rows below Row 7, crossing Rows 5, 6 and 7. (25 spike sc)

Row 9: Ch 1, sc in every st across. (25 sc) Fasten off, or repeat Rows 4–9 with the colours rotated for a taller sampler.

Keeping the height even is the only real skill here: draw every loop up until its top sits level with the stitches beside it — no higher, or the spike puckers the row above; no lower, or it drags the fabric down. Lay the work flat after each spike row and check the top edge is straight, not wavy.

Step 4 — Keeping the Fabric from Pulling In

Spikes spend yarn on the journey down and back; if your loops are even slightly short, the fabric narrows and cups. Measure the swatch after every spike row: it should still be about 15.5 cm (6 in) wide, as after Row 3.

If it has narrowed, your loops are too short — pull each up a fraction more and keep the locking row relaxed. If one row has pulled in badly, undo back to it; spikes do not stretch out later. If it keeps happening, your plain rows are probably tight: try a 5.5 mm hook for the spike rows only. A gentle downward pull is normal and disappears in blocking.

Step 5 — Changing Colours for the Classic Look

Change colour at the end of a plain or locking row, never mid-row. Work the last sc until two loops sit on your hook, drop the old colour, yarn over with the new colour and pull through both loops. Turn and carry on — the join hides inside that last stitch. Cut the old colour leaving a 15 cm (6 in) tail.

The classic arrangement is this swatch’s: plain rows, then a spike row whose colour dives back into an earlier colour, so every spike contrasts with the rows it crosses. Rotate three colours and the pattern plans itself; for a bolder fabric, use spikes one row below throughout and alternate two colours every two rows. The same end-of-row change is used throughout our two-colour cocoon cardigan.

Step 6 — Counting Stitches at the Row Ends

Every row ends with 25 stitches — no exceptions — your built-in safety net. The stitches most often lost are a spike row’s first and last spikes, whose tops sink and hide against the fabric’s edge. Before starting a spike row, clip a marker into the first and last stitch of the row below so you know where the row begins and ends.

Count the locking row, not the spike row: plain stitches are easy to see, and if the locking row is not 25, the spike row beneath it went wrong and is quick to undo. Counting spikes in groups of five as you work also helps.

Step 7 — Make It: A Cushion Front or a Table Runner

The swatch scales up by simple multiplication — any stitch count works.

Cushion front, 40 × 40 cm (16 × 16 in): With cream, ch 65. Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and across. (64 sc) Work the spike sequence from Steps 1–3 — plain rows, a spike row, a locking row — rotating the three colours until the panel measures 40 cm, about 72 rows. Crochet a plain back panel to match (64 sc per row), then join the panels wrong sides together with sc through both layers, slipping the insert inside before closing the last side. Our star cushion and the waffle stitch pillow show other finishes for a made panel.

Table runner, 35 × 120 cm (14 × 47 in): With cream, ch 57. Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and across. (56 sc) Work the same sequence until the runner measures 120 cm (about 216 rows), ending with a locking row. Our festive table runner pattern uses the same work-until-it-measures approach.

A firm 40 cm cushion insert keeps a spike stitch front smooth and square, so the long stitches lie flat instead of rippling over soft stuffing.

Step 8 — Border and Blocking

Weave in all ends, running each tail along the back of a row of its own colour. Then work the border in cream (A), in the round:

Border round: Join A in any corner. Sc in every st across the top and bottom edges (25 sc on the swatch; your stitch count on a project), 1 sc into the end of every row along the sides, and 3 sc into each corner stitch. Join with a slip stitch to the first sc. For a firmer edge, work a second identical round.

Pin the piece to its finished measurements on foam mats — 15.5 cm wide for the swatch — easing the sides straight where the spikes pulled them in. Steam gently from a few centimetres above, or wet block cotton and let it dry fully in place. The spikes settle a little longer and flatter than they looked on the hook, and the colour bands sit straight.

Once your swatch behaves, this spike stitch crochet pattern suits anything flat: placemats, tote panels and cushion fronts all take the same rows. Test a new colour order on a small cotton piece first — our crochet dishcloth patterns are the right size for experimenting before you commit to the runner.