When it comes to crochet bags two out of three times your work needs to be tight and rigid. To have a rigid crochet fabric you need a dense stitch. In my previous post, I’ve shared with you all my knowledge about the number one entry on my list of dense stitches. The waistcoat stitch. The stitch that I am going to talk about in this post, is one of the most favorite choices for bag crocheters. Not only because it’s dense but because is quite flexible and really beautiful. The Canestro stitch.
And by flexible I mean that the Canestro stitch can be worked in the round and in rows, it comes in numerous variations and it doesn’t take too much yarn. It produces a really rigid uniform fabric, if worked with chunky yarn it can have a very sporty look, but if worked with a thinner yarn, it can also look elegant. But what I love most about this stitch is that it’s quite easy.
The canestro stitch is comprised of a pair of two stitches. A regular single crochet and a longer single crochet placed under the stitch. It’s a reversible stitch that if worked in rows it produces a pretty straight fabric with nice edges. It’s not increasable or decreasable and as mentioned before it comes in many variations. In this post, I will only go through two of them along with the two basic methods of working the Canestro stitch.
Canestro stitch in the round
- Foundation
To work the canestro stitch in the round by joined rounds you need to chain an even number of chain stitches. To work the canestro stitch in a spiral you need an odd number of chain stitches.
Insert your hook into the last chain yarn over and pull through in a slip stitch to join the ends of your chain into a round. Then chain one.
- Round One
Insert your hook into the next chain and place a single crochet. Yarn over pull a loop. yarn over again and pull through both loops on your hook. Repeat into the next chain and continue until the end of the round. Join the round by inserting your hook into the first of the round and slip-stitching. Then chain one.
- Round Two
Insert your hook into the next stitch and place a single crochet. Insert your hook into the next stitch and place a canestro stitch. To do that go under the post of the stitch, yarn over pull a long loop that reaches the surface of the round, yarn over again, and pull through both loops on your hook. Repeat these two stitches until the end of the round. If you are working in the round by joined rounds you must always end with a stitch different than the stitch you have started with. In this case, you must end with a canestro stitch. Join with the invisible method.
- Invisible join
Release your hook, insert into the first stitch of the round from the reverse side of your work and insert into your open loop. Pull it in. Release again and insert your hook under this first stitch from the outer side of your work and through the open loop at the inside of your work. Yarn over and pull through your open loop. Pull a long loop to reach the surface of your round and chain one.
From the second round on the invisible join is worked as follows: Release your hook, insert into the first stitch of the round from the reverse side of your work and insert into your open loop. Pull it in. Release again and insert your hook under the second stitch from the outer side of your work and through the open loop at the inside of your work. Yarn over and pull through your open loop. Pull a long loop to reach the surface of your round and chain one. You can watch how to work the canesto stitch in joined rounds and the invisible join technique in the following video!
- Round Three
Insert your hook into the top of the next canestro stitch of the previous round and place a single crochet. Insert your hook under the next single crochet of the previous round and place a canestro stitch. Repeat these two stitches until the end of the round. Join with the invisible join.
- Round Four and on
Repeat Round three.
Variation
Shallow Canestro stitch
Follow the very same steps of the regular canestro in the round but instead of placing your canestro under the post of every single crochet, place it into the middle of the post as in a waistcoat stitch. This variation can be worked in a spiral in joined rounds and in the second case you can use the same method of invisible join. You can watch how you can work the canestro stitch in the following video.
Canestro stitch in rows
Four row repeat
- Foundation:
To work the canestro stitch in a row you need to chain an odd number of chains plus one. For example 23 chains plus one makes a total of 24 chain stitches.
- First Row:
You then insert your hook into the second chain from your hook and work a single crochet. To work a single crochet you insert your hook yarn over, pull a loop, yarn over again, and pull through both loops on your hook. You continue placing one single crochet into each chain until the end of the row. Then turn your work and chain one.
- Second Row:
Insert your hook into the first stitch and work a single crochet. Into the next stitch insert your hook under the post of the stitch. In other words under the inverted v that’s formed at the back of every single crochet. Then work a long single crochet: Yarn over pull a long loop that will reach the surface of the row, yarn over again, and pull through both loops on your hook.
This long single crochet that you placed under the stitch Instead of the top (the usual place to insert your stitch in regular single crochet is under the two loops at the top of the stitch), is a canestro stitch. Repeat placing a regular single crochet into the next stitch, followed by a canestro into the following stitch until the end of the row. Your last stitch must be a regular single crochet. Then turn your work and chain one.
- Third Row:
Place one single crochet in each stitch until the end of the row. Turn your work and chain one.
- Fourth Row:
Insert your hook into the first stitch and work a single crochet. Work one more single crochet into the next stitch. Place a canestro stitch into the next stitch. Insert your hook under the stitch of the previous row, yarn over, pull a long loop to reach the surface of the row, yarn over again, and pull through both loops on your hook. Then place a single crochet into the following.
This way you reverse the sequence of the stitches. So now you place a single crochet in the spot where on the previous row you placed a canestro stitch and a canestro stitch in the spot where on the previous row you had placed a single crochet.
Continue with a canestro into the next stitch, followed by a regular single crochet into the following stitch. Continue placing this last couple of stitches until the last but two stitches. Complete the row by placing two regular single crochet into the last two stitches (one in each stitch).
- Fifth Row and on:
Repeat Row one, two, three, and four until your work reaches the desired height.
Variation
Elongated canestro stitch
Three row repeat
- Foundation:
To work the canestro stitch in a row you need to chain an odd number of chains plus one. For example 23 chains plus one that makes a total of 24 chain stitches.
- First Row:
Insert your hook into the second chain from your hook and work a single crochet. Continue placing one single crochet into each chain until the end of the row. Then turn your work and chain one.
- Second Row:
Place one single crochet into each stitch until the end of the row. Then turn your work and chain one.
- Third Row:
Insert your hook into the first stitch and work a single crochet. Into the next stitch insert your hook under the post of the stitch two rows down. Work a long single crochet: Yarn over pull a long loop that will reach the surface of the row, yarn over again, and pull through both loops on your hook.
Repeat placing a regular single crochet into the next stitch, followed by an elongated canestro into the following stitch until the end of the row. Your last stitch must be a regular single crochet. Then turn your work and chain one.
- Fourth Row:
Place one single crochet into each stitch until the end of the row.
- Fifth Row:
Insert your hook into the first stitch and work a single crochet. Work one more single crochet into the next stitch. Place an elongated canestro stitch into the next stitch. Insert your hook under the stitch two rows down, yarn over, pull a long loop to reach the surface of the row, yarn over again, and pull through both loops on your hook. Then place a single crochet into the following.
Continue placing this last couple of stitches until the last but two stitches. Complete the row by placing two regular single crochet into the last two stitches (one in each stitch).
- Sixth Row and on:
Repeat Row two, three, and four until your work reaches the desired height.
Tips
- The canestro stitch is not decreasable and increasable and is therefore not appropriate to create circles squares or triangles. If you need to make adjustments to your number of stitches you best do that before starting your ground row of single crochet.
- As with all dense stitches when working the canestro stitch you should take extra care to not work your stitches too tight. Especially the long loop of the canestro stitch. If this long stitch is worked too tight it tends to squeeze the fabric and loose all it’s beauty. So remember to work it kind of loose.
- If you use a flat yarn to create this stitch the long loop of the canestro will present a tendency to twist. To avoid twisting, squeeze and straighten your yarn between your fingers. If this is two difficult for you you can untwist the loop after it’s completed, to have a more uniform look on your work.
- Alternating sitches can be quite confusing. Always make sure to insert your hook under the next sitch and not under the same stitch you ve just worked your single crochet. The best way to do that is to point at the top of the next stitch and then go down to insert your hook under it and place a canestro.
Dos
- Combine the canestro stitch with a nice thick yarn in the round to create amazing backpacks.
- The solid but not voluminous structure of this stitch is a great choice for medium size bags that need to hold their shape and load without being too heavy.
with thin macrame cord
Don’t’s
- Even though in theory canestro stitch is suitable for any kind of yarn it’s one of these stitches that absolutely look their best when worked with a thick yarn like a thick T-shirt yarn or a ribbon yarn. If you want to create a delicate bag that requires a thinner yarn like a 2mm macramé cord or cotton yarn the canestro stitch will produce an unsatisfying result.
- Don’t use this stitch if your yarn supply is borderline. It might not be one of the so-called yarn-eating stitches but it still consumes more yarn the many of the basic stitches.
