The Caramel stitch is a beautiful crochet stitch that is shown at its best when two colours are used – one for the background and one for the Caramel stitches. In this stitch guide I will show you how to crochet the Caramel stitch with all the pictures that you need along with a video guide that you can follow along with too.

Keep reading for the full written Caramel stitch tutorial, but if you’d prefer to crochet along with me then you can watch the video below which is available in both left and right handed versions.

Click here for the left hand video

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I first used the Caramel stitch in the FrankenScrap crochet along as one of the pieces of the quilt like blanket. You can access the whole pattern for free here.

The Caramel stitch is a fabulously pretty stitch, but it is a single crochet based stitch and works up slowly. It is technically a one sided stitch, but you will see detail on both sides, but you are going to prefer how one side looks over the other.

It is a lovely stitch to choose as an accent stitch on a larger piece, or even as an edging for blankets or clothing to give a plain stitch a decorative finish. It would look great if used on the cuffs and edging of a plain cardigan or sweater to make a quick and simple project a real pop of a finish.

You could use just a single colour for the whole of this stitch, and the Caramel stitches would take on an embossed look and still be visible. But I think this stitch is seen at it’s best when two colours are used.

This how to guide is part of Froggity Frog’s free crochet stitch dictionary – the Stitch Vault. Have you seen all the other stitches in there? You can take a look here all the guides are free to access and maybe you will discover some new stitches to create for yourself.

For the sample in the picture below I used DMC Petra in 2 different colours for this piece, a 100% mercerised cotton yarn. It is a lovely silky yarn that is a bit on the thin side for a DK yarn but it does look good and just glides over your hook as you use it.

The yarn I used in the pictures of this stitch guide below is Stylecraft Cotton Classique DK, a 100% cotton yarn. It’s a non mercerised cotton that is lovely and soft, but it can get a bit splitty if you frog it a couple of times. It does makes lovely cosy blankets though and is the yarn that got me hooked on cotton as my fibre of choice. I think I first got a ball of this yarn in a mystery bag I got off ebay, and it was a great yarn discovery for me and I’ve been loving using this yarn ever since.

I also used my trusty Clover Amour hooks which are perfect if you are looking for a good value ergonomic crochet hook that won’t cause your hand to ache if you are crocheting for long periods of time. I’ve tried many different crochet hooks over the years, but I always end up coming back to my trusty Clovers. They just sit so well in my hand and never let me down.

How To Crochet The Caramel Stitch

Click here for the left hand video

Click here for the right hand video

Abbreviations

• Ch = Chain
• St = Stitch
• Sp = Space
• YO = Yarn Over
• Sc = Single Crochet

Start by making a foundation chain in multiples of 2 plus 1 (plus 1 for your turning chain)

Row 1. In the 3rd ch from your hook make a sc (your turning ch counts as the first st of the row). Make a sc in each chain across.

Rows 2 and 3. Turn and ch1. Make a sc in the first st and in every stitch across the row. At the end of Row 3, switch colour in the last sc and cut off your yarn.

Row 4. Turn and ch1. Make a sc in the first st. *Make a Caramel Stitch – YO, insert your hook into the next st, YO and insert your hook into the st directly below in the previous row (see picture below for where to place your hook). YO, insert your hook into the st directly below the last one. YO and pull through all the loops on your hook.

Make a sc in the next st* Repeat between *and*, changing colour in the last stitch of the row and cut off your yarn.

Row 5. Turn and ch1. Make a sc in the first st and in each st across.

Repeat rows 2-5 until you have as many rows as you need.

How To Add A Border To The Caramel Crochet Stitch

The Caramel stitch is a nice easy stitch to add a border to as every row is a single crochet row including the Caramel stitch rows. This means that you just need to make 1 stitch into the side of every row and you have yourself a beautiful border.

I always recommend that you make a round of single crochet stitches around your piece first before adding any border pattern that you have planned, as doing this just helps to even your stitches out and make a nice solid round to add any further stitches into.

If You Enjoyed The Caramel Stitch

If you enjoyed the Caramel stitch, you might enjoy these other crochet stitches:

• Dales – this is similar in construction to the Caramel but isn’t as decorative and is more often made in a single colour.
• Spike stitch – another single crochet based stitch which uses stitches in a second colour to create a decorative finish. Also best used as a finishing edge to projects. Our Corn stitch guide is a great example of a spike stitch to try next.
• Butterfly – a very different looking stitch that can be made in a single colour and is very open but perfect for creating finishing details for open shoulder tops.

FAQs

How difficult is the Caramel stitch to crochet? The Caramel stitch isn’t a stitch for beginners, I would recommend this stitch for those with intermediate crochet skills.

Can I make the Caramel stitch with a single colour? You can, but the Caramel stitches won’t be as visible and will blend in more with the background.

Is the Caramel stitch quick to crochet? Absolutely not. This is a very slow stitch. It’s mostly single crochet and those Caramel rows start with single crochet stitches and then work on the front of the fabric you’ve already made. This makes it a very slow stitch to make.

What can I use the Caramel stitch for? It would look amazing to add decorative edges to sweater hems and cuffs, as the border around blankets or placemats. Anything that needs a decorative finishing touch.

You can find more free crochet stitch guides here in Froggity Frog’s stitch vault. Come on over to our Facebook group – Froggity Frog’s Ribbit And Stitch and show us what you made with the Caramel stitch. I’d love to see what you created with this crochet stitch. 

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