How to Add Crochet Ribbing to Your Project

If you've been reading my blog, you know how much I hate sewing pieces together. *Imagine a sad little pile of disembodied amigurumis waiting to be put together*.

So whenever I have the chance to crochet it all in one piece, I will try and do that.

Many crochet projects that call for a cuff/ribbing are typically done at the very beginning of the project. You make a bunch of single crochet stitches all in the back loops, chain, turn, repeat.

Once you have the desired length, then you go and move on to the rest of your piece by crocheting along the edges of your ribbing.

Have you ever wondered whether you can add a cuff/ribbing to a project afterwards without needing to sew it on? Well, I'm always trying to find new shortcuts, or "crochet hacks".

What I didn't show you when I created my Sugar Rush Leg Warmers was that I actually crocheted the second cuff directly onto the piece without creating a separate cuff and then sewing it on.

In fact, I actually lost to a game of yarn chicken (i.e. I ran out of yarn) while making my last cuff.

But anyways, let me show you this magical "hack":

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Stitches & Abbreviations

• ch - chain
• sts - stitch/stitches
• sc - single crochet
• BLO - back loop only

Starting from the last st of your project (see photo 1), ch however wide you want your ribbing to be, plus one (+1) for turning (see photo 2).

Then sc in the second ch from the hook and down the ch (see photo 3).

Slst into the same st as the first ch, and slst AGAIN into the next st on the main piece (see photo 4). Turn your work, skip the 2 slsts you just made, and then sc into the BLO along the ribbing (see photo 5). Ch 1, turn your work and sc in the BLO along the other side of the ribbing (see photo 6).

Slst into the next 2 sts on the main piece as indicated by the red arrows (see photo 7).

Turn your work, skip the 2 slsts that you just made as indicated by the orange arrows, and sc in the BLO into the next as indicated by the red arrow and across the rest of the sts along the ribbing (see photos 7 and 8).

Ch 1, turn, sc in the blo down the other side of the ribbing, and then keep repeating the steps in photos 5 to 9 until you finish your cuff!

Now some people might not care too much about it, but here are a few reasons why you might want to know how to do this.

Take, for example, there's a design where you want to work a beanie from the top down but you want to finish it off with a ribbing, like a messy bun beanie!

Not only does this method save you a little bit of yarn, but it will also save you from weaving in more ends than you actually need to!

There are countless numbers of projects that this skill would be helpful with! Now go and change the world!

This is an original crochet tutorial written by Juli Anne of Once Upon a Cheerio. Please do not claim this crochet tutorial as your own. If you wish to share this crochet tutorial, you may link to this blog post but please do not reprint or steal my photos for your site. You may keep a copy for personal use but please DO NOT sell or distribute this crochet tutorial.