The wave stitch makes soft, rolling stripes using only stitches you already know. Each wave row goes from short to tall to short stitches, and the next row fills the dips back in, so two colours look like gentle waves.
It is perfect for dishcloths, blankets and scarves. Below are the stitch repeat, step photos and a small striped dishcloth to practise on.
Wave Stitch Step by Step
What You’ll Need
- Sport / fine (size 2) cotton yarn: worsted (size 4) cotton in 2 colours, teal and cream, about 40 g of each
- 5 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Tapestry needle, sewing pins and a stitch marker
The finished size depends on your yarn and hook: thicker yarn and a bigger hook make a bigger piece.
Abbreviations (US terms)
- MR magic ring
- sc single crochet
- inc increase: 2 sc in the same stitch
- dec decrease (an invisible decrease gives the smoothest finish)
- ch chain
- sl st slip stitch
- hdc half double crochet
- dc double crochet
- tr treble crochet: yarn over twice, insert, pull up a loop, then (yarn over, pull through 2) 3 times
- R round; Row row worked flat; the number in brackets is the stitch count at the end
The Wave Rows
Count your stitches after every wave row: the repeat only lines up if every row has the same number.
Wave stitch dishcloth (teal and cream, make 1)
- With teal, ch 29 (a multiple of 6, plus 5).
- Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across (28 sc).
- Row 2 (teal wave): ch 1, turn. *sc, hdc, dc, tr, tr, dc, hdc*… work the sequence sc, hdc, dc, 2 tr, dc, hdc and repeat to the end, finishing with sc (28 sts). This row is tall in the middle of each repeat.
- Row 3 (cream fill): change to cream. Ch 4 (counts as tr), turn. Work the opposite: tr, dc, hdc, 2 sc, hdc, dc, repeat, finishing with tr (28 sts). The short stitches sit on top of the tall ones, so the edge becomes straight.
- Row 4: ch 1, turn, sc in each st across (28 sc).
- Repeat Rows 2-4, changing colour every 2 rows, until the cloth is square. Fasten off and add a sc border if you like.
Make the Dishcloth
- Weave in the colour-change ends along the side edges.
- Block the cloth flat so the waves sit evenly.
FAQ
Is wave stitch the same as ripple or chevron?
No. Chevron makes sharp zigzags with increases and decreases; wave stitch keeps straight edges and makes soft waves with stitch heights.
Why are my edges uneven?
Make sure every row ends with the right stitch: sc at the end of a wave row and tr at the end of a fill row.
Can I use more colours?
Yes. Change colour every 2 rows and use as many as you like.