Today I’m sharing with you a tutorial for the crochet Spider stitch. This is a classic stitch, with a beautiful texture, so don’t let the name scare you off. It’s just called the spider stitch because it has a specific group of stitches that when combined, resemble spider legs. But once you’ve got several rows worked together, it’s really just a pretty fabric. No bugs involved! 

I love the way this fabric looks both close up and at a distance. It’s a fun texture that’s actually really easy to make.

Ready to get started?

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What is the Spider stitch and how do you crochet it?

The spider stitch is a repeating pattern of a single crochet, a chain, and another single crochet (a “spider”) all worked into the same stitch. Then in each following row, this “spider” is worked into the chain from the spider directly below it. 

Basically, it’s a mini V-stitch. 😜

Sometimes, in the crochet world, people like to give unique names to stitches. In the case of this stitch, “mini v-stitch” or “single crochet v-stitch” would do just fine…but I guess “spider stitch” works too!

Regardless of what you decide to call this stitch, it really is a fun one! I’m excited to show you how to make it.

Is the Spider Stitch beginner friendly?

Yes!

The Spider stitch is made of a short repeating pattern of single crochet and chain stitches. If you can make both of those, you can definitely crochet the Spider stitch.

One thing that can get a bit tricky is actually finding the ch-1 spaces. It seems like a straightforward thing to find, but because of the way the stitches lay, it can tend to get hidden.

But don’t worry, we will go through all of that in this tutorial!

Spider Stitch Crochet Video

In fact, if you’re worried at all about the level of this stitch, don’t – because I have a video to help you out! I don’t know about you, but sometimes having a step by step video is just the extra help I need to get a new technique down.

So, if you’re ever feeling stuck as you learn this stitch, just hit play below!

Use the Spider Stitch in Your Projects

This stitch is very versatile because of its short repeating pattern AND it is reversible. It can be used for just about anything.

Since it is made up of only single crochets and chains though, it is very slow to work up. 

Here’s a few project ideas:

• A dishcloth would be a great way to practice this stitch. It would work up so quickly!
• A spider stitch crochet scarf would be a bit slow to work up, but I think the finished result would be well worth it.
• If you want to incorporate the spider stitch into an afghan, I would recommend doing an afgan with blocks, and only making a few with the spider stitch. It would be a huge, slow project to make a blanket from this stitch all by itself.

Really, the possibilities are endless with this stitch! If you make something from it, make sure to come post pictures in my Facebook Group!

Tension & Holes

Now, there are a few other things to consider with the spider stitch. The finished feel of this hook will entirely depend on the hook and yarn combo that you use.

When I used worsted weight yarn and an H/5mm hook, this stitch ended up pretty dense. So if you’re going for a non-holey fabric, you might want to stick with the hook recommended on a yarn label.

HOWEVER – that being said, I didn’t necessarily love the density of this stitch with that hook and yarn combo. It was tricky to find the ch-1 space, and even slower to work up.

So, if you don’t mind a few holes (just small ones) I would recommend going up a few hook sizes. I think if I made this stitch with worsted weight and an I or J hook next time, I would like the feel of the fabric much better.

GET THE CLOSED STITCH DICTIONARY

Want a whole lot MORE closed crochet stitches for blankets and scarves? I would invite you to join 60+ others inside the Closed Stitch Dictionary!

In this dictionary, you get ALL my closed stitches in one PDF, with both photo and video tutorials ad-free. Not to mention, some fun bonuses you won’t want to miss!

More Stitch Tutorials

Looking for something similar but not quite sure what? I have lots of other stitch tutorials available to give you some inspiration. You can find them all here!

Here are a few that might interest you:

Jasmine Stitch / Trinity Stitch / Star Stitch / Lemon Peel Stitch

Spider Stitch Crochet Tutorial (For Beginners!)

• To pin this stitch to your Pinterest boards, click HERE
• To join the Closed Stitch Dictionary membership and get this stitch (plus many others) ad-free, click HERE
• And to subscribe to my YouTube channel, click HERE

Notes:

• The Spider stitch is worked in multiples of two, with one extra stitch for a single crochet at the end. You should always start with an odd number of chains or an odd number of foundation stitches plus 2 chains.
• Turning ch 2 counts as stitch.

Abbreviations/Stitches Used

• Chain – ch
• Foundation Single Crochet (optional) – fsc
• Single Crochet – sc
• Spider – [sc, ch1, sc]
• Stitch – st

I always like to start my work with a foundation row instead of chains whenever possible.

The greatest benefit of using a foundation row is that the beginning of your work will be just as stretchy as the rest, rather than having a tight chain. Watch how easy it is in my Youtube tutorial!

If you watch this and decide it’s not for you, you can still start with a chain. Just make an even number of chains to the length you want your piece, then do a row of regular single crochet so you’re at the same point as me with the fsc finished.

Materials:

This stitch can be worked in just about any size and type of yarn you’d like, with the size hook recommended on the label.

For this tutorial, I used a worsted weight yarn and a 6mm hook. As I mentioned earlier, I found that this hook was a lot easier to use than a 5mm, which ended up awfully tight.

Instructions:

Fsc 19, or any odd number. Turn.

Row 1: Skip first stitch. In the second fsc, *[sc, ch 1, sc.] (Spider stitch made). Skip the next stitch. Rep from * to the end of row. Sc into last fsc. 

Ch 2 and turn. 

Row 2: *[sc, ch 1, sc] into middle ch of spider. Rep from * to end of row. Sc into last st. 

Repeat row 2 to desired length.

See picture tutorial below for demonstration on where and how to place your hook to draw up your loops for each row.

Spider Stitch Crochet Picture Tutorial

Fsc 19 or any odd number. 

Chain 2 and turn. 

In the second stitch (where the hook is pointing below) make your first spider. 

Do this by creating a single crochet, a chain, and a second single crochet all in the same foundation stitch. 

The two single crochets will form the “legs” of the spider. 

Here we have a single crochet and a chain, and are going in the open space to add the second single crochet and form the first spider. 

Since the spider is made of multiple stitches, we will be skipping the next foundation stitch and making the next spider in the following foundation stitch. This prevents increasing your row. 

Continue making spiders until the end of the row. Then single crochet into the final stitch here.

To start a new row, Chain 2 and turn. 

You’ll be repeating the same pattern of single crochet, chain 1, single crochet, all down the following row. Only from now on, you’ll be working each new spider into the chain at the middle of the spider below. 

Here’s what that will look like. 

And this is where you’ll place your hook. 

I’m sorry for having to write this sentence, but now all you have to do is keep making a spider in each spider until the end of the row. Then single crochet in the last stitch to finish. 

Repeat this row until your desired length, and eventually you should get a fabric that looks something like this:

I hope you have enjoyed learning how to crochet this fun stitch pattern.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to email me: rachel@desertblossomcrafts.com. I would love to help!

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Happy crocheting!