Last time I shared a couple video tutorials with you demonstrating front and back post double crochet stitches (you can find that post here if you missed it!) and so I wanted to show you some projects that feature post stitches!
It turns out I actually have a LOT of patterns with post stitches, varying from being comprised almost entirely of post stitches to them being only a small detail in a the project.
Let's have a look!
(All pattern links go through to the Ravelry listing page unless noted otherwise.)
The Cave of Lovers Scarflette is one of those designs that's almost ALL post stitches. My inspiration for this design was simple: a leaf! I wanted to create texture that was reminiscent of the veins in a leaf and so I imagined the scarf as a sort of endless leaf, each vein branching off from the off-center midrib, as if you're looking at the leaf from an angle. There are even teeth along the edges! You'll use both front and back post double crochet stitches, as well as a back post half double crochet, post stitch decreases, and even some shallow post stitches, where you insert your hook under top 2 loops of the designated stitch and then around the body of the stitch.
Here's another one that's almost entirely post stitches! The Marl the Spectrum Cowl uses front and back post double crochet stitches to create a basketweave style stitch pattern. It also showcases two different ways to created marled fades using a set of rainbow minis!
The Brixel Cowl is another design featuring minis - AND more of that basketweave stitch! I was really excited about this cowl because I'd been wanting to design something with a set of mini skeins for some time and when I saw this subtle creamy brown set during a trunk show at my LYS at the time, I snatched it up right away! If you take a closer look at the edging, can you make out the subtle texture created by the front post single crochet stitches in the last row?
Oh, also, there's a new version of the Brixel Cowl that uses six mini skeins instead of five! Both files are available to download with your purchase. Here's a look at the sample I worked up with a Kobra Kai themed set of minis from Forbidden Fiber Co:
Up next, the matching hat! Well, in a different colorway. :)
In making a small cowl, I can't seem to resist re-imagining the design as a hat, which is what happened here! The Brixel Hat uses the same design as the cowl with modifications to the second edging to create the crown with the linen stitch. It was ... a pain in the tookus to work out! But it turned out beautifully in another masterfully curated mini skein set from Little Fox Yarns. I don't think she carries them anymore, unfortunately, but there are tons of options available from lots of different indie dyers for mini skein sets!
Another matching set, the Moroldian Skull Cowl and the Moroldian Mitts combine filet crochet (the skulls!) and crochet cables using, you guessed it, post stitches! I also deeply regretted my decision to add zippers - until I finally finished them and was reconvinced of their awesomeness! Sewing those things in was no joke, though. Sewing is NOT my forte. These two designs include front and back post double crochets plus some front and back post treble crochets for those cables!
Next up I want to share a couple of my more recent designs that include post stitches more as small elements within a stitch sampler style pattern. This is the Highclere Wrap and you'll find front and back post double crochets along the edge of the center triangle to create a raised line just inside the scallops. And that's it! Just one small detail in a small part of the design.
Highclere is also available in my Etsy shop.
Wendover is another stitch sampler style design using mini skeins (also from Forbidden Fiber Co!) and you'll find front post double crochet stitches along both edges. Do you see those little pops of yellow near the edge? Those are tiny puff stitches and the post stitches alternate with them by working the second set of post stitches on the row following the yellow! It's another small detail but I just loved offsetting those little yellow puffs like they were tiny flower buds or small flower sprays in a delicate spring garden.
Leann is currently sold out of the Incomparable mini skein sets (inspired by Bridgerton!) but the listing is still up, so maybe she plans to restock them! Wendover is also available on Etsy.
Next let's have a look at some designs that feature post stitches as an edging, kind of like ribbing for a cuff. This is the Briar Rose Cowl, which is a simple rectangle shape using the linen stitch that is then edged with mitered rows of double crochet post stitches, meaning you work back and forth in an L shape only on two edges of the rectangle.
This is the Herring Gull Wrap and you'll find the post stitches just on the very end of the wings there. I wanted to add a bit of extra texture for a nice finishing touch at the wingtips and so I used front post treble crochet stitches on every other row for the final few rows. You can also get the Herring Gull Wrap in my Etsy shop.
The Baublette Hat uses front and back post half double crochet stitches to create the brim, which is my favorite hat brim style! It makes a slightly denser ribbing than double crochet post stitches do. You'll also notice that I dropped the heavier black yarn that was marled with the teal for the body of the hat, which creates a nice snug brim for the hat.
This one is also available on Etsy.
In the Bifurcation Beanie, you'll find a slightly modified brim pattern using a sequence of 4 consecutive bpdc stitches and then 1 fpdc instead of the previously used 1 and 1 stitch sequence that alternates front and back post stitches. You'll also use the front post double crochet throughout the body of the hat to create the spiral of branches!
The Drumlin Shawl, published in Interweave Crochet, Winter 2020, utilizes a similar sequence of consecutive post stitches offset by one of the opposite in order to create a different sort of basketweave style stitch pattern. Hmm, this reminds me that I need to republish this one myself! Maybe I can get that added into my lineup for this coming winter.
Oh and I used this same pattern to make a scarf with an advent set of minis!
Isn't it gorgeous!?
Okay. ONE more pattern with post stitches because I think we're at about a dozen now. Whew! I didn't realize I had quite so many patterns using post stitches! But I DO love texture, so it probably should not surprise me!
Okay, here we go. Last one!
The Star Snowflake was actually the first design I had accepted for publication in a print magazine, which was SO exciting! If you happen to have a copy of Interweave Crochet, Accessories 2012 then you'll find it there under the name Stellar Snowflakes. It's also available from Interweave either individually or through their Plus subscription service. I DID republish this one myself, partly because they made some minor edits to the pattern instructions that I didn't care for, but also because I wanted to include a printable blocking schematic.
You won't find double crochet post stitches in this one; instead you'll use front post single and treble crochet stitches that are used to create that raised textured six-sided star in the center. It can be a bit of a challenge to do those stitches with a fine thread, so I do recommend trying this one with a heavier weight thread the first time! It's just much easier to complete that star when you can see better what you're doing!
All right. If you're still here with me, then congratulations! I feel like I should reward you, ha ha, because that was an extensive list! How about this? If you're not already subscribed to my newsletter, then head on over to do that and I'll send you a BOGO coupon code to use in my Ravelry shop in your welcome email!
And if you want to see the ENTIRE collection of my designs that feature post stitches, in large amounts or small, then I've put together a Post Stitch Projects bundle on Ravelry that I will continue to add future designs to as they come along.
If you're REALLY feeling frisky and want to check out even MORE project ideas to practice post stitches, try the advanced search in Ravelry! (The link will only work if you're already logged in.) You can further refine the search by category, yarn weight, yardage, etc.
Cheers and happy crocheting!