Mermaid Crochet Stitch

Over time, I've had many inquiries about the stitch that I used in my Mermaid Cowl. I had been hesitant to share information about the stitch separate from the pattern because I didn't want to dilute its value. However, that's not really in the spirit of the crochet community. After all, I use stitch dictionaries to help me design patterns. Thus, I have decided to share my mermaid stitch pattern with you. Although, the extended information (specific stitch counts, step by step tutorial, etc) will remain with the pattern.

Crocodile or shell stitches are sometimes erroneously called mermaid stitch, but as far as I can tell there isn't a unique crochet stitch called mermaid stitch. Now there is! I hope you enjoy my mermaid stitch.

Start by chaining a multiple of two. 

Row 1: Starting in second ch from the hook, work 1 sc into each ch across.

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Work 1 sc into first st. *Work [dc, ch 3, dc] into the following stitch, work 1 sc into next*, rep from * to end of row.

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. *Work 1 sc into first st, ch 1 behind scale*, rep from * across, ending with 1 sc in final st.

Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Work 1 sc into first st. *Work 1 sc in ch 1 space, work [dc, ch 3, dc] in sc*, rep from * across ending with 1 sc in the final ch 1 space and 1 more sc in last st. 
 
Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Work 1 sc into first st. *Work 1 sc into next st, ch 1 behind scale*, rep from * across ending with 1 sc in each of the last 2 sts.

Row 6: Ch 1, turn. Work 1 sc into first st. *Work [dc, ch 3, dc] into next sc, work 1 sc into the following ch 1 space*, rep from * to end of row.

Row 7: Ch 1, turn. *Work 1 sc into first st, ch 1 behind scale*, rep from * across ending with 1 sc in final st.

Row 8: Ch 1, turn. Work 1 sc into first st. *Work 1 sc in ch 1 space, work [dc, ch 3, dc] in sc*, rep from * across ending with 1 sc in the final ch 1 space and 1 more sc in last st. 

Row 9: Ch 1, turn. Work 1 sc into first st. *Work 1 sc into next st, ch 1 behind scale*, rep from * across ending with 1 sc in each of the last 2 sts. 

Rows 10 through ?: Rep Rows 6 through 9 as many times as desired.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Mermaid Cowl

Autumn is a magical time. I may be biased (my birthday is in autumn), but I can't help but think that the chill in the air comes with a special spark of excitement, color, and wonder. Because of this it's the perfect season for unveiling my new, magical pattern. Introducing the Mermaid Cowl!

A big thank you to Katie for being my model! Isn't the cowl so fun and whimsical? The stitch pattern was completely invented by me. Although the crocodile stitch and the shell stitch are both excellent, I really wanted my Mermaid Cowl to look a bit more delicate and have a texture that was realistically scale-y. Hence the scale stitch was born! It probably already exists out there somewhere in crochet land, but I haven't seen it.

This pattern is available for sale on both Craftsy and Ravelry. I'd love to know what you think!