Perfect Picots

The picot is an additional crochet technique, which has been done in a number of different ways over the years. Whether the crocheted picot is copied from that tatted picot, or vice versa, it is an additional method in which one might use to add a lace-like quality to their crocheting.

The first method in which I learned to make a picot, and certainly the one most frequently used in patterns, is to chain 3 (or however many) and slip stitch in the first chain done. Another one I’ve seen done actually involves a second stitch done within the same space (or stitch) as the last stitch done. To clarify, here’s an example of a pattern section: sc next 3 sts, ch 3 (for picot), sc in same stitch as last sc, sc in next 2 sts. While this might make a nice little picot, if your pattern calls for (or you’re designing a pattern which calls for) a stitch within the picot, this picot will have a tendency to separate and appear to look more like a v-stitch rather than a picot. I find this type of faux picot to work only if you’ll be working a larger chain row around it, but not to touch it, in the next row.

Another type of picot, an by far my personal favorite, is done using the last non-chain stitch done. This type of picot instructions might be worded such as this: sc next 3 sts, ch 3 (for picots), insert hook in top of last sc and out through side of same st, yo and draw through all lps on hook (picot completed). In my opinion, this is not only the most secure picot, but this picot is kept straight, snug and it doesn’t have the disadvantage of tightening up the chains as the original picot does.

If this latter picot is used to be the center of a group of stitches, I’ll frequently combine this st, picot, next st together to make it more uniform. Thus, a pattern group worked over several chain stitches, which might read as (sl st, sc, hdc, dc, trc, p, trc, hdc, sc, sl st) would be worked and written as (sl st, sc, hdc, dc, trc, [ch 3, insert hook in top of last trc made and out side of same trc], work next trc as ((yo twice, draw up lp around same ch, yo, draw through 2 lps, yo, draw through 2 lps, yo, draw through all lps on hook)), hdc, dc, sc, sl st).

I hope you’ll try each of these variations, and others as you hear of them, and decide for yourself which ones you like best or which ones you might prefer to use in a given situation. You might find, like myself, that you have a favorite picot that you’ll use in most all situations that you happen upon. Or, you might even invent another way to do a picot. If so, I hope you’ll share it with the rest of us.