If you love crochet stitches with beautiful texture, the Turquoise Shell & Puff Crochet Stitch is one to add to your collection. It brings together delicate shell stitches, little raised puffs, and open chain spaces to create a fabric that looks detailed without being overly complicated.
The turquoise color makes the different stitches stand out beautifully. The shells create soft, fan-like shapes, while the puff stitches add a lovely raised texture. Between them, the small open arches keep the fabric from looking too heavy.
This stitch could be a lovely choice for a scarf, wrap, decorative blanket, or throw. Once you get comfortable with the placement of the shells and puffs, the repeating rows become easier to follow.
In this tutorial, you’ll find the materials list, special stitch instructions, a complete written pattern, sizing tips, and suggestions for finishing your project.
A quick note before you begin: This pattern is a written interpretation of the supplied stitch chart, not a verified original design. The seven-loop puff, turning chains, sample instructions, and optional border have been defined for this version. The original image does not specify the yarn, hook size, gauge, finished measurements, or yardage. Although the stitch placement and counts have been checked on paper, the pattern has not been independently test crocheted.
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Choosing Yarn and Colors
Turquoise is a lovely choice for this stitch because it brings out the contrast between the raised puff stitches and the open spaces. However, you don’t have to stick with turquoise. Cream, dusty rose, sage green, or a soft blue would all give the finished fabric a different look.
For your first sample, try a smooth medium-weight yarn in a solid color. Smooth yarn makes it easier to see where each stitch belongs, which is especially helpful when working into shell centers and puff stitches.
Before starting a large project, crochet a small swatch and look at it in natural light. Check whether the shells are easy to distinguish and whether you like the overall texture.
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It’s also worth checking how the fabric drapes. Fold your swatch, let it hang naturally, and see how it feels. A softer fabric may be ideal for a scarf or wrap, while a firmer fabric could work well for a decorative throw.
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Keep a note of the yarn you use, your hook size, and the measurements of your swatch. These details will help you estimate the width and yarn requirements for your finished project.
Materials
You’ll need the following supplies to get started:
- Smooth medium-weight (#4) yarn in turquoise or another color of your choice. This is a suggested starting point, not a yarn identification from the photograph.
- 5.0 mm crochet hook, adjusted if necessary to suit your yarn and tension.
- Scissors.
- Tapestry needle for weaving in the ends.
- Tape measure.
- Two removable stitch markers.
- Optional: a small kitchen scale for estimating yarn requirements.
Skill Level, Size, and Gauge
Suggested skill level: Intermediate, or confident beginner.
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You should be comfortable with chain stitches, single crochet, double crochet, and working into specific stitches or spaces.
The pattern is worked flat in turned rows. A 28-chain foundation is provided for the teaching sample, along with instructions for making the fabric wider or longer.
No original finished measurements or gauge are available from the supplied image. Your final dimensions will depend on your yarn, hook, tension, and the number of horizontal repeats you work.
Abbreviations
The pattern uses US crochet terminology.
- ch: Chain
- sc: Single crochet
- dc: Double crochet
- st / sts: Stitch / stitches
- sp: Space
- sk: Skip
- sl st: Slip stitch
- YO: Yarn over
- [ ]: Repeat the instructions inside the brackets as directed
Special Stitches
Before beginning the main pattern, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the two stitches that give this design its distinctive texture.
Shell Stitch
Work the following stitches into the same indicated stitch:
(3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc)
The chain-1 space between the two groups of three double crochets forms the center of the shell.
A half shell contains three double crochets. At the beginning of a row, a chain-3 followed by two double crochets counts as the three double crochets needed for a half shell.
Seven-Loop Puff Stitch
The puff stitch creates the raised texture that contrasts with the flatter shell stitches.
- Yarn over and insert your hook into the indicated stitch.
- Yarn over again and draw up a loop.
- Repeat the same movement two more times in the same stitch.
You should now have seven loops on your hook.
Yarn over and pull through all seven loops at once.
Do not add a separate closing chain. The first chain of the following chain-3 instruction locks the puff stitch and is included in those three chains.
Try to draw up your loops evenly so that the puff reaches approximately the height of a double crochet.
Pattern Notes
Read these notes before starting, as they will help you keep the stitch placement consistent throughout the project.
- The foundation chain is a multiple of 8 plus 4.
- Work Row 1 once, then repeat Rows 2–5.
- A beginning chain-1 does not count as a stitch.
- A beginning chain-3 counts as one double crochet.
- Row 4 begins with six chains. The first three count as a double crochet, and the next three form an arch.
- Work all six double crochets of a shell into the same indicated stitch.
- Work single crochet stitches into the shell’s center chain-1 space, not into one of the surrounding double crochets.
- On the mesh rows, skip the unmentioned double crochets and chain spaces. Work only into the specified stitches or spaces.
- The puff stitch does not need an additional closing chain beyond the following chain-3 arch.
Foundation Chain
The foundation chain follows this formula:
8 × N + 4, where N is the number of horizontal repeats.
For the teaching sample, chain 28. This gives you three horizontal repeats.
The three skipped chains at the beginning of Row 1 count as the first double crochet. Before you begin, place a stitch marker in the chain closest to your hook. This marks the top of that first counted double crochet.
Row 1 – Half Shells at Both Edges
Work 2 dc into the fourth chain from your hook. The three skipped chains count as the first dc, giving you a half shell at the beginning of the row.
Ch 1, skip the next 3 foundation chains, and work 1 sc into the next chain.
Repeat the following sequence until only 4 foundation chains remain:
Ch 1, skip the next 3 chains, and work 3 dc into the last chain.
Turn your work.
Row 2 – Puff Stitches Between Shell Centers
Ch 1. This chain does not count as a stitch.
Work 1 sc into the first dc.
Repeat the following sequence, working across the row:
Continue until all the full shells have been used.
Ch 3, work a puff stitch into the last sc, ch 3, and work 1 sc into the marked top of the beginning counted dc.
On the first pass, this is the marked foundation chain. On later passes, it is the top of Row 5’s beginning chain-3.
Turn your work.
Row 3 – Full Shells Between Single Crochets
Ch 1. This does not count as a stitch.
Work 1 sc into the first sc.
Repeat the following sequence across the row:
Continue across, making sure that each shell is worked into the top of a puff stitch rather than into a neighboring chain space.
Work the final sc into the last sc of Row 2.
Turn your work.
Row 4 – Offset Puffs With Double-Crochet Edges
Ch 3. This counts as the first dc. Mark the third chain you just made.
Ch 3 more to create the first arch.
Work 1 sc into the center ch-1 space of the first shell.
Repeat the following sequence across the row:
Continue until all the shells have been used.
Ch 3, then work 1 dc into the final edge sc.
Turn your work.
Important: Do not work puff stitches into the two edge sc stitches of Row 3. These stitches support the double-crochet edges instead.
Row 5 – Return to the Half Shells
Ch 3. This counts as the first dc. Mark the top of this chain.
Work 2 dc into the first dc.
Ch 1, then work 1 sc into the next sc.
Repeat the following sequence across the row:
Continue until all the puff stitches have been used.
Ch 1, then work 3 dc into the marked third chain of Row 4’s beginning six-chain edge.
The marked chain is the top of the edge double crochet, not the top of the chain-3 arch.
