When working on the pattern for my One Block at a Time Sampler afghan, I wanted a square with separated rows of diamond stitch. As always, it took a few tries to make it look right. But I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

I’d like to share what I did that’s different from the classic diamond stitch. And we’ll take a step by step journey through creating the diamond shapes. Understanding the stitch can be a bit tricky at first. But once you pick up what’s going on, it’s not difficult.

If you already know how to do diamond stitch, you can jump to the written pattern for all the rows.

1. Laying the Groundwork
   • Foundation
   • Building Height
2. Special Stitch: fptr2tog
3. Working the Diamond Rows | A Photo Tutorial
   • Bottom of the Diamond
   • Making Height (again)
   • Top off the Diamonds
4. Just The Rows – A Summary
5. Closing Thoughts

Laying the Groundwork

Note: A link to a table of abbreviations and symbols is always in the sidebar.

Foundation

Start with a multiple of 4 + 3 chs, or multiple of 4 + 2 other-kind-of-stitches (such as foundation single crochet).

1: (RS) ch2 (do not count as a stitch), work a multiple of 4 hdcs, hdc2tog over the last 2 stitches, hdc in the last stitch (the same last stitch you ended the hdc2tog in.)

Building Height

2: (WS) ch3 (do not count as st), turn, dc in first st and each st across, until you have only 2 unworked hdcs (remember not to count the turning ch), dc2tog over the last 2 hdcs, dc in last hdc.

Special Stitch: Front post treble crochet 2 together (fptr2tog)

Just the name is a mouthful, right? At first, the name of this stitch kind of threw me off. It sounds like the name of a reducing stitch, right? But nothing gets reduced. How does that work? Well, you’re going to hook it around posts of 2 stitches, but it’s still only one stitch in the working row. A helpful way to think of it is that it makes an upside-down V shape.

So fptr2tog has the same basic mechanics of our familiar reducing stitches. You work most of a fptr around one stitch. Then finish it up by working around another stitch. This results in a single stitch in your working row.

Fair warning, I’m about to throw a lot of words at you. If written descriptions aren’t generally helpful for you, you can skip ahead to the photo tutorial Or start with this video.

Written Instructions for Fptr2tog

These directions assume the bottom row of the hdc row (1) above. For the top fptr2tog row, we’ll work around different posts, but it will be the same stitch.

Now the stitch:

1. yo twice,
2. insert hook around post of the same hdc you last worked around 2 rows below,
3. yo & pull up a loop,
4. yo, pull through 2 loops, yo, pull through 2 loops (2 still on hook.)
   
   Now find the next spot you’ll insert your hook (in step 6). From the hdc you worked in the first half of this fptr2tog, you’ll skip 3 hdcs and work into the 4th.
   
   
5. yo twice,
6. insert hook around post of the 4th hdc 2 rows below,
7. yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull through 2, yo, pull through 2
8. yo, pull through all 3 loops on hook.

Was that confusing? Don’t worry, folks. When you get to actually working your 3rd row, with the help of some photos (and a chart if that helps you), it should start to make sense. If it still doesn’t, you could practice while following along with a good video. The video doesn’t start and end the same as described here, but it is the same stitch.

Working the Diamond Rows | A Photo Tutorial

3: Bottom of the Diamond

4: Making Height (again)

(WS) ch3 (do not count as a stitch), turn, dc in first sc each sc across until you have only 2 unworked scs, dc2tog over the last 2 scs, dc in last sc

5: Top of the Diamonds

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Just The Rows – A Summary

Foundation: multiple of 4 + 2 foundation scs.

1: (RS) ch2 (do not count as st), work a multiple of 4 hdcs, hdc2tog over last 2 sts, hdc in (same) last st.

2: (WS) ch3 (do not count as st), turn, dc in first st and each st across until 2 unworked hdcs remain (remember not to count the turning ch), dc2tog over last 2 hdcs, dc in last hdc.

3: (RS) ch1, turn, fptr around post of 3rd hdc 2 rows below (remember not to count the turning ch), sk dc ( current row) behind the fptr, *sc in next 3 sts of current row, fptr2tog:
(starting around same hdc’s post as last fptr/fptr2tog 2 rows below,
skipping next 3 hdcs 2 rows below,
ending around the post of the next hdc 2 rows below), sk dc (current row) behind the tr2tog, repeat between *’s until there are 5 unworked stitches left, sc in next 3 dcs,  
fptr around same hdc post as previous fptr2tog ended,
sc in last dc.

4: (WS) ch3 (do not count as st), turn, dc in each sc across, until 2 unworked scs remain, dc2tog over last 2 scs, dc in last sc.

5: (Top Diamond row) ch1, turn, sc in each of first 2 sts,
work a fptr2tog starting around post of first fptr 2 rows below and
ending around the posts of next fptr2tog, *sk dc (current row) behind the fptr2tog, sc in each of next 3 dcs, fptr2tog (starting around same posts as last fptr2tog and ending around the posts of next fptr2tog)*, repeat between *’s across, sc in each of last 3 dcs.

For the effect you see in my photos of finished work, I added a row of single crochets. Then started over with rows 1 – 5.

Closing Thoughts

If you’ve checked out any of my social media, you know that I’m working on a very special blanket for my daughter. I like the effect of diamond strips so much that I’ve decided to use it on her blanket as well.

Now that I’ve worked with separated strips of diamond stitches, I can imagine so many ways to use them. It would be great for a trivet. Maybe a pretty textured washcloth. You could have one diamond row along the bottom edges of a scarf, and maybe include a ring of diamonds around the bottom of a matching hat. What if you framed a blanket with a row along the top and bottom? Or even a border all the way ’round.

Whoa, am I getting carried away here? Well, I truly hope you found something helpful in this article. Better yet, I hope you use this stitch. I’m sure you have great ideas of your own. Let me know what you think. Send photos!

As always, if you have any issues or questions about this tutorial, ask them. I want you to succeed!