🌸 The Simple Open Shell and Chain Stitch: A Detailed Crochet Pattern

✨ Introduction: Lightweight Lace and Effortless Drape

If you are looking for a beautiful, delicate, and entirely reversible stitch that drapes like a dream, look no further! This tutorial guides you through the Simple Open Shell and Chain Stitch, inspired by the elegant motif in the video.

This pattern uses only basic double crochet (DC) and chain stitches to create alternating groups of 4 DC and 5 DC separated by light, airy chain loops. The resulting fabric is light, fast to work up, and perfect for projects where both sides will be visible.

Suggested Projects

Apparel: Beautiful scarves, infinity cowls, light summer tops, or cardigan panels.
Accessories: Shawls and wraps (perfect for this stitch’s drape!).
Home Decor: Lightweight runners or lacy curtains.

📌 Pattern Notes & Abbreviations

The stitch is worked in rows, and the motif requires a specific chain count for symmetry. The repeating pattern is centered on a core of 10 stitches, plus additional stitches for the stable Double Crochet borders.

Stitch Multiple

Chain a multiple of $10 + 6$ (for a balanced pattern with 4 DC edges).

(Example: For 4 pattern repeats, $10 \times 4 = 40$, plus $6 = 46$ starting chains.)

Abbreviations (US Terms)

Abbreviation	Meaning
ch	Chain
st(s)	Stitch(es)
sl st	Slip Stitch
sc	Single Crochet
dc	Double Crochet
sk	Skip
ch-sp	Chain Space

Materials

Yarn: Light Fingering Weight (Weight 1) or Sport Weight (Weight 2) is ideal for a light, lacy effect. The video uses a thinner, acrylic yarn.
Hook: A hook size larger than recommended for your yarn to enhance the open, airy quality of the lace. For Sport Weight, a D/3 (3.25 mm) or E/4 (3.5 mm) hook is recommended.
Tools: Scissors, tapestry needle.

🧱 The Foundation and Initial Setup

We begin with a simple row of Double Crochet to create a stable base for the lace pattern.

Foundation Row (Row 1)

Chain: Ch a multiple of $10 + 6$. (Example: Ch 46).
Row 1: Dc in the 4th ch from the hook (the 3 skipped chains count as the first DC) and dc in every ch across. (44 DC)([01:48] – [02:24])

Chain Base Row (Row 2)

This row establishes the chain loops necessary to place the motif shells in the next row.

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), turn. Dc in the next 3 sts. (4 DC Border)([02:30] – [02:45])
Ch 3. Sk 4 sts. Sc in the 5th st.([02:50] – [03:00])
Repeat: [Ch 3. Sk 4 sts. Sc in the 5th st.] Repeat the sequence across the row until you reach the last 5 stitches.([03:08] – [04:11])
End: Ch 3. Sk the next st. Dc in the last 4 sts (these are the remaining DC stitches, including the turning chain from Row 1). (4 DC Border)([04:20] – [04:40])

🐚 The Motif Repeat: Creating the Shells

The main pattern is built across two repeating rows (Row 3 and Row 5), alternating the placement of the 4 DC and 5 DC shells. The full vertical repeat is Rows 2-5.

Motif Row 1 (Row 3: 4 DC Shell Start)

Row 3: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), turn. Dc in the next 3 sts. (4 DC Border)([04:50] – [05:07])
Ch 1.
Shell Block 1 (4 DC Group): In the first Ch-3 sp, work 4 DC.([05:20] – [05:34])
Ch 3. Sc in the next Ch-3 sp.([05:36] – [05:40])
Shell Block 2 (5 DC Group): Ch 3. In the next Ch-3 sp, work 5 DC.([05:41] – [05:58])
Repeat Pattern Block:
- [Ch 3. Sc in the next Ch-3 sp. Ch 3. In the next Ch-3 sp, work 4 DC.]
- [Ch 3. Sc in the next Ch-3 sp. Ch 3. In the next Ch-3 sp, work 5 DC.]
- Continue the alternating groups across the row until only the final Ch-3 sp remains.([06:05] – [07:28])
End: Ch 1. Dc in the last 4 sts. (4 DC Border)([07:38] – [07:44])

Chain Base Row (Row 4: Shifted Loops)

This row creates new chain loops, positioning them over the center of the previous shells, which shifts the placement for the next motif row.

Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), turn. Dc in the next 3 sts. (4 DC Border)([07:46] – [07:56])
Shifted Loop 1: Ch 3. Sk the Ch-1 sp and the first 2 DC of the 4 DC Shell. Sc in the space between the 2nd and 3rd DC of the 4 DC shell.([08:00] – [08:08])
Shifted Loop 2: Ch 3. Sk the 2 remaining DC, the Ch-3 sp, the SC, and the next Ch-3 sp. Sc in the center DC (the 3rd DC) of the 5 DC Shell.([08:14] – [08:35])
Repeat: [Ch 3. Sc in the space between the 2nd and 3rd DC of the next 4 DC Shell. Ch 3. Sc in the center DC (3rd DC) of the next 5 DC Shell.] Repeat the sequence across the row.([08:35] – [09:18])
End: You will finish with a SC in the center of the last shell. Ch 3. Sk the final Ch-1 sp. Dc in the last 4 sts. (4 DC Border)([09:20] – [09:37])

Motif Row 2 (Row 5: 5 DC Shell Start)

Row 5: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), turn. Dc in the next 3 sts. (4 DC Border)([09:40] – [09:55])
Ch 1.
Shell Block 1 (5 DC Group): In the first Ch-3 sp, work 5 DC.([10:00] – [10:14])
Ch 3. Sc in the next Ch-3 sp.([10:15] – [10:19])
Shell Block 2 (4 DC Group): Ch 3. In the next Ch-3 sp, work 4 DC.([10:25] – [10:35])
Repeat Pattern Block:
- [Ch 3. Sc in the next Ch-3 sp. Ch 3. In the next Ch-3 sp, work 5 DC.]
- [Ch 3. Sc in the next Ch-3 sp. Ch 3. In the next Ch-3 sp, work 4 DC.]
- Continue the alternating groups across the row until only the final Ch-3 sp remains.([10:43] – [11:47])
End: Ch 1. Dc in the last 4 sts. (4 DC Border)([12:30] – [12:38])

🔃 The Vertical Repeat

To continue this beautiful lace pattern to your desired length:

Repeat Rows 2, 3, 4, and 5.

You will notice that the pattern alternates, with the larger 5 DC shells nesting over the 4 DC shells from the previous repetition, and vice versa. This creates the open, woven texture that makes the fabric so dynamic and reversible!