This stitch can be made in a single colour, or multiple colours can be used to make the single crochet rows stand out as accents of colour. Switching between 2 different colours each row can really accentuate the floating look of your boxes.

This article contains affiliate links, I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Floating Boxes crochet stitch makes for good breathable blankets and scarves. It works up quickly and makes a great crochet stitch for beginners as it only uses 2 types of crochet stitch and is very easy to keep track of the pattern without having to keep checking the instructions or wondering what your count is supposed to be.

This how to guide is part of Froggity Frog’s Stitch Vault collection. 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.

In the stitch guide below I used Stylecraft Special DK yarn in several different colours. This is an acrylic yarn in light worsted weight. It is a very popular yarn as it is a reasonable price, is widely available and comes in a huge choice of colours. Which are the reasons I chose it to make one of my Ray Of Hope Blankets in my 2nd crochet along. I also first used the Floating Boxes Crochet stitch as one of the outer rays in the Ray Of Hope CAL.

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.

The Floating Boxes Crochet Stitch Pattern

All of the terms used in the stitch guide below are in US terms.

Abbreviations

• Ch = Chain
• St = Stitch
• Sc = Single Crochet
• Dc = Double Crochet

To start your Floating Boxes crochet stitch, you will need to make a foundation chain in multiples of 5 plus 2 (plus 2 for your turning chain if your turning chain counts as the 1st st)

Row 1. In the 5th chain from your hook make a dc (the turning chain counts as a dc and a chain 1), make a dc in each of the next 3 chains *chain 1, skip a chain, dc in each of the next 4 chains* repeat between *and* until you have 2 chains left. 

Chain 1, skip a chain, and then make a dc in the last chain, changing colour in the last 2 loops of the last dc.

Your 1st row will look like the picture below.

Row 2. Turn and chain 1. Make a sc in the first stitch of the row, then make a sc in the chain 1 space. *Chain 4 and then make a sc in the next chain 1 space* repeat between *and* Finish the row by making a sc in the last stitch.

Row 3. Turn and and chain 1. Make a dc turning chain in the 1st stitch of the row. *Chain 1 and make 4dc in the chain 4 space* repeat between *and* and then chain 1 making a dc in the last stitch of the row and changing colour in the last 2 loops of that last dc.

Its making the 4 dc in the chain spaces that makes the boxes look like they are floating in mid air. Working around the chain hides that chain from view looking like there is nothing holding the boxes up.  Although you can make this stitch in a single colour, having that contrasting colour in Row 2 really makes those floating boxes look they are suspended in the air.

Repeat rows 2 and 3, ending in a repeat of row 3, until you have as many rows as you need for your project.

Your finished piece will look similar to the picture above. Sets of boxes stacked on top of each other, floating above those little nuggets of colour that are the single crochets. There’s no reason you can’t reverse this look and have all of your single crochet rows in one colour and stitch the colour each time for your Floating Boxes rows.

You can use as many or as few colours of yarn as you want for this stitch to create a whole variety of different looks. The Floating Boxes crochet stitch can look as neutral or as colourful as you choose it to be just by switching up your colour choices.

There are lots of other types of Floating crochet stitch such as the Aligned Puffs stitch, the Sieve stitch and plenty more besides. They all work the same way, rows of single crochet and chains followed by a row of the stitch that is featured as the floating stitch that is made in the chain spaces. I’ve used a fair few of these variations in my FrankenScrap Crochet Along that started in January 2024.

I hope you enjoy making the Floating Boxes crochet stitch, and I would love to see what you make with this stitch. Come and show us over in the Facebook group here.

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 Waistcoat stitch. I’d love to see what you created. 

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know about new stitch guides and new crochet pattern releases. You can sign up here and be the first to see what I’ve got cooking behind the scenes here at Froggity Frog