Crochet the 3-Strand Zig-Zag Stitch

Hi there, friends! Today I’m going to be sharing a fun stitch combination called the 3-Strand Zig-Zag Stitch. This is an intermediate stitch and will add some great open texture to your crochet pieces. I think you’ll love the eye-catching detail that this stitch adds, and how much fun it is to crochet.

There’s a lot packed into this tutorial post. I’ll be breaking down the stitches used and sharing a photo tutorial with you here. I also have a video tutorial linked below for extra help. And let’s not forget…you need to practice! I’ll give you a swatch tutorial and also link a couple of patterns that I used this stitch in! Let’s get started!

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About the Stitch Combo

So this stitch is called the 3-Strand Zigzag. It uses a combination of Double Treble crochet stitches to create a zigzagging effect. These little zigzags remind me of the peaks and valleys of a mountain range. With some slight adjustments, I nicknamed this stitch, the Mountain Stitch, to be used in the Pineapple & Pine Cowl and the Pineapple & Pine Beanie.

It is also a fairly open stitch pattern and gives a lacy effect to your work. This is a stitch that really looks best after blocking to open up the stitches so you can appreciate that laciness. Blocking this stitch will help it to “stand up” if you will, rather than the zig-zags to squish down and bow out. This stitch combination is worked in multiples of 6 +1. For example, if you wanted to do 3 repeats you would need 19 stitches (Ex: 6×3=18; 18+1=19).

In this stitch combination, there are rows of hdc between the “mountain ranges” to create spacing. I made a slight adjustment from the classic version of this stitch by using half double crochet rows instead of single crochet rows. This was mostly personal preference for a half double over a single, but you can definitely just substitute the single crochet right back in if you prefer a tighter look. The number of hdc rows that you use are totally up to you (I think it looks best with at least three rows); and you’ll need to do an odd number of hdc rows to keep your zig-zags facing the same direction. For this tutorial, I’m going to be using three rows of hdc between zig-zag rows.

I’m going to be walking you through this technique, giving you a practice swatch pattern, and linking the video below.

Stitches You Need to Know

This “stitch” is actually a combination of stitches. You’ll need to know three stitches to complete this combo: chain, half double crochet, and double treble crochet.

Half Double Crochet

Yarn over once, then insert hook into the stitch.
Yarn over and pull up a loop.
Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops.

Double Treble

Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the stitch. (4 loops on hook)
Yarn over and pull up a loop. (5 loops on hook)
Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. (4 loops on hook)
Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. (3 loops on hook)
Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. (2 loops on hook)
Yarn over and pull through last 2 loops.

Special Techniques

This stitch combo has a few special techniques that involving the Double Treble Crochet stitch. It’s important to be familiar with the DTR stitch before we get started though. I have a Youtube tutorial where I go over some basic crochet stitches. If you haven’t seen the double treble crochet stitch before, check it out (it’s the last stitch in the series)!

Double Treble Group (DTR Group)

Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 2 loops left on your hook.
Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the same stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 3 loops left on your hook.
Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the same stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 4 loops left on your hook.
Yarn over and pull through all 4 loops left on your hook.

Double Treble Group Two Together (DTRGroup2Tog)

Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 2 loops left on your hook.
Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the same stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 3 loops left on your hook.
Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the same stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 4 loops left on your hook. (1st Group Made)
Skip 5 stitches.
Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the next stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 5 loops left on your hook.
Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the same stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 6 loops left on your hook.
Yarn over 3 times, then insert hook into the same stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 times), leaving 7 loops left on your hook. (2nd Group Made)
Yarn over and pull through all 7 loops.

Pattern Swatch

Chain 25 (or another multiple of 6+1)

Row 1: Ch 1 and turn. Hdc in 2 ch from hook and each stitch across. (25)

Row 2: Ch 5 and turn (counts as first DTR). Sk first 3 st. DTR Group in next stitch. *Ch 5. DTRGroup2Tog beginning in same stitch as last* Repeat from * to * until 3 stitches remain. DTR Group in same stitch as last, stopping before you pull through the last 4 loops. Sk 2 st. Work 1 Dtr in last stitch until you have 1 loop remaining. Yarn over and pull through all 5 loops on hook. Ch 1 to close last DTR Group.

Row 3: Ch 1 and turn. *Hdc in top of DTR Group. Hdc 5 in ch 5 space.* Repeat from * to * across until you reach last DTR Group. Sk last DTR Group and Hdc in the 5th ch of the turning ch.

Row 4: Ch 1 and turn. Hdc in each stitch across.

Row 5: Repeat Row 4

Optional: For more spacing rows, Repeat Rows 4-5

Repeat Rows 2-4 one more time (or until work reaches desired height)

Photo Tutorial

denim blue yarn with a gold hook on white background — Chain multiples of 6+1.

denim blue yarn showing crochet half double crochet stitch with gold hook on white background — Hdc in 2nd stitch from hook and across.

denim blue yarn sample with gold hook on white background — Ch 5 (counts as first DTR).

denim blue yarn and gold hook demonstrating double treble crochet stitch — Sk first 3 st. Work DTR Group in 4th stitch.

denim blue yarn and gold hook demonstrating chain stitches on white background — Close DTR group. Ch 5.

denim blue yarn and gold hook showing double treble crochet group on white background — Start DTR Group in same stitch.

denim blue yarn and gold crochet hook showing connecting two double treble crochet groups together — Sk 5 st. Finish DTRGroup2Tog in next stitch.

denim blue yarn and gold hook demonstrating zig zag stitch repeats — Sk 5 st. Repeat DTRGroup2Tog.

denim blue yarn and gold hook demonstrating a double treble crochet group — Start next DTR Group in same st

denim blue yarn and gold crochet hook showing double treble crochet stitch — Sk 2 st. DTR in last stitch.

denim blue yarn and gold crochet hook showcasing zig zag crochet stitch — Ch 1 to close. Ch 1 again and turn.

blue yarn and gold crochet hook showing placement of half double crochet stitch — Hdc in top of first DTR group.

blue yarn and gold crochet hook showing placement of half double crochet stitches — Hdc 5 in ch 5 space.

hand using tapestry needle to point to stitch on a blue crochet sample with gold crochet hook — Sk last DTR Group, work last hdc in 5th turning ch.

blue yarn and gold hook showing finished half double crochet rows — Ch 1 and turn. Hdc across. 2x

blue yarn and gold hook showing finished zig zag row — Repeat zig-zag row.

blue yarn and gold hook showing finished 3-Strand Zig-Zag swatch — Hdc 1 in each DTR and hdc 5 in each ch 5 space. Sk last DTR and work last hdc in 5th turning ch.

Video Tutorial

Top shows front of stitch, bottom shows back of stitch.

My Thoughts on the Stitch

I think this stitch has some very unique attributes. For one, because it uses DTR stitches, it works up to be a fairly tall row. This allows you to build your work pretty quickly. Taller rows equal less repeats to reach your finished project size.

When I first shared this tutorial, I called it reversible. But I’ve since had a change of heart. I think there’s a noticeable enough difference in the front and back of the post stitches make sure your zig-zags face the same direction (shown in the photo). I’ve added an extra row of hdc’s in my tutorial swatch to accommodate, but heads up, the video still shows only two rows.

I would say this stitch combo doesn’t always play well with other stitches, as it can be on the wider side. (It works in the Pineapple & Pine Cowl because there’s only one zig-zag row.) So it works better on its own.

Patterns to Try it Out

01

Pineapple & Pine Cowl

02

Pineapple & Pine Beanie

Check out more Stitch Tutorials!

woman wearing charcoal colored crocheted cowl and holding it with two hands to show fabric

woman in background holding up mustard yellow crochet beanie

I hope you enjoyed this stitch. Be on the look out for more stitch tutorials in the future.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Crochet the 3-Strand Zig-Zag Stitch

About the Stitch Combo