Removing the Gap From Treble Crochet Stitches

Do you love using the treble stitch in your projects but worry about the gap that appears at the beginning of a row when you use turning chain?

What Causes the Turning Chain Gap in Treble Crochet?

When you begin rows with turning chains, the purpose is bring your hook up to the height of the treble stitches that you will be using in that row.  It then represents your first treble stitch.  The gap that then appears as you work the rest of the stitches in the row arises because of two factors:

1.  The turning chain starts from the side of the stitch, whereas the rest of the treble stitches sit directly on top of the stitch below.
2.  The turning chain itself is actually narrower than the treble stitches

So in order to remove the gap we need to focus on both of these factors. There are a number of ways to do this:

1. Do Less Beginning Chains
2. Stacked Double Crochet
3. Alternative Chain
4. Linked Treble
5. Elongated Chain
6. False Treble

Do Less Beginning Chains

Make 2 chains at the beginning rather than 3, but don’t count this as the first stitch, and make your first ‘real’ treble into the top of the first stitch.  You need to remember when coming back along the top of that row that you do not work another stitch into the chains you made at the beginning.  This method is by far the easiest of all the ways to remove the gap, however it gives a thicker edge to your work and results in some rounding out or scalloping of your edges.

Stacked Double Crochet

Make a double crochet into the first stitch without making a chain, then chain 2.  This counts as your first stitch.  This method is also easy to apply and doesn’t result in thicker edges, but rather narrower curving edges.

Alternative Chain

Make a double crochet into the first stitch without making a chain. Insert the hook into the left-most leg of the stitch you just made (or the right-most leg for left-handed crocheters), yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through the 2 loops on your hook. This essentially results in 2 double crochets being placed on top of each other to achieve the same look/height as a treble stitch.  This method is also easy to apply, and does result in straight edges.

Linked Treble

You continue to make 3 chains at the beginning of your work which counts as a stitch, however you link the chain to the first ‘real’ treble you make to pull the chain towards the first stitch.  After making your three chains, put your hook through the second chain, yarn over and pull through a loop, (this acts as your yarn over for your first ‘real’ treble’, then place your hook into the second stitch and complete the treble as normal.  The third chain in this method gets pulled tight, so I recommend placing a marker into it once you complete the steps.  Like the stacked double crochet, this can result in narrower edges.

Elongated Chain

Replace your three chain with a ‘loosened elongated chain’.  This doesn’t count as a stitch, and you therefore work your first treble into the first stitch.   To make this elongated chain, pull up the loop on your hook to the height of your stitch, and work a loose chain.  Using this method gives a lightly thicker edge to your work, but not as thick as some other methods.

False Treble

Also referred to as the ‘Chainless Start’.  To make the false treble, pull up the loop on your hook slightly higher than the height of your stitch.  Place your finger on top of this loop to hold it in place as you move the hook under, and around the long loop – the long loop will resemble a ‘yarn over’ you usually make for a treble.  You may also need to move your finger to hold both of these in place.  Then yarn over and pull that yarn-over under the long loop you’ve wrapped around your hook. Yarn over again and pull through all remaining loops on the hook.  I suggest then placing a marker through the top of the stitch as this can get lost.

This is a very fiddly method but it is worth persevering with, as the stitch will look like the rest of the stitches in your row, and your ends will look consistent.  This method, like the alternative chain gives very straight edges.

You may find that each method is useful in different situations, and with different yarns.  It is best to practice and experiment with these methods to see what you are comfortable using and remove the gaps in your future projecs.  Of course there are bound to be other methods out there.

My favourite method is the false treble due to the straight edges its final appearance.  What is your favourite method to use?