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Crochet waffle stitch is an easy pattern with a lot of texture based on double crochet stitch. It involves working some stitches as post stitches, which causes them to stand out from the fabric.
What is Crochet Waffle Stitch?
Waffle stitch crochet alternates regular double crochet stitches with front post double crochet, a method by which you work around the post (or the tall part) of the stitch from the row below.
After a base row of double crochet stitches, the pattern is a two-row repeat. It’s not reversible but it does have an interesting look on both sides.
The front side looks like a grid of squares similar to a waffle, thus its name. On the back it is more of a woven texture but it still looks cool.
Waffle crochet is a pretty quick and easy pattern to stitch, but it’s notoriously a yarn eater. You can try it on my waffle stitch washcloth crochet pattern, shown here so you can see both the front and the back.
Set Up for Waffle Stitch Crochet
To crochet waffle stitch, you need a multiple of 3 stitches to form the pattern, so your chain to start should be a multiple of 3 plus 2 more to make the height for the first double crochet stitch.
If you want to work along, here I’m using a worsted/medium/weight 4 yarn (Lion Brand Basic Stitch) and an H-8/5mm crochet hook.
How to Crochet Waffle Stitch
Here I started with a chain of 17 stitches (3 times 5 plus 2).
For the base row, start with a double crochet stitch (dc) in the third chain from the hook.
Then work a double crochet in each stitch across the row.
Chain 2 and turn. Here and throughout, the chain does not count as a stitch.
To begin the first row of the repeat, double crochet the first stitch.
The next stitch will be our first front post double crochet (also known as fpdc). It begins the same as a regular double crochet, with a yarn over.
Then take the hook behind the post of the stitch from the row below from right to left.
Yarn over and pull through a loop. You now have 3 loops on the hook.
Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. Two remain.
Yarn over and pull through both loops.
Double crochet the next 2 stitches.
Repeat working a fpdc and 2 dc stitches across until you have 2 stitches remaining.
Work a fpdc in the second to last stitch and a dc in the last stitch.
Chain 2 and turn.
The second row starts with 2 double crochet stitches.
Then work 2 front post double crochet stitches.
And 1 regular double crochet stitch.
Repeat working 2 fpdc stitches and 1 dc stitch until you have 1 stitch left in the row.
Work a double crochet stitch (this means the row ends with 2 dc stitches). Chain 2 and turn.
You will have to work this 2-row repeat a couple of times before the pattern really starts to emerge.
Reading Your Crochet
As you work crochet waffle stitch you’ll find that it’s easy to know where you are in the pattern based on how the stitches look. The stitches you need to work post stitches on will stick out from the fabric a bit, while the stitches that just get regular double crochet stitches recede.
On the right/front side, you work one double crochet to start (and end) the row, so you also work one fpdc each time you need to, and 2 dc everywhere else.
The wrong/back side rows are the opposite: they start and end with 2 dc stitches, and you work 2 fpdc stitches across with 1 dc in between.
Once you get the hang of it, waffle stitch crochet is easy and a lot of fun to stitch!
