Wide lace: Crochet Lace Edging Generator

Build width through stacked mesh rows

This four-row lace study starts from seventeen existing edge bases and develops eight chain-two arches in each working row. Its purpose is making a wider open finish by retaining a stable set of nine anchors while adding rows. It is not a single enormous shell and does not use an uncounted chain space as an extra anchor. The apparent width of the lace depends on row gauge and finishing, so four rows are a construction choice rather than a centimeter guarantee.

Prepare a counted openwork sample

Use smooth yarn with visible stitch tops and a matching trial hook. Make or identify a seventeen-stitch receiving edge, mark its first and last bases, and keep a needle and scissors ready. A separate practice strip can be made with eighteen chains followed by seventeen single crochets. That strip is preparation; its stitches are not part of the four generated mesh rows. Count the actual receiving bases before attaching the lace.

Understand the first expansion

Begin with one uncounted chain and a single crochet in the first base. Repeat chain two, skip one old base and single crochet in the next eight times. Nine anchors and sixteen new chains give twenty-five completed positions. The first row consumes seventeen old positions because its eight skipped bases lie between nine worked sources. It does not consume twenty-five old stitches just because it produces twenty-five positions.

Turn without adding anchors inside arches

For row two, turn and chain one without counting it. Work into the last single crochet from the previous row. Across the row, chain two, skip the entire old chain-two arch and work into the next single-crochet top. Repeat this through the final anchor. Rows three and four follow the same rule, reversing working direction each time. From row two onward, each row consumes the previous twenty-five positions and again produces nine single crochets plus sixteen chains.

Audit all four rows and finish

The four rows contain thirty-six single crochets and sixty-four structural chains, totaling one hundred produced positions over the full workload. That total is not the width of any one row. The outer edge still has nine anchors linked by eight arches. Fasten off after row four, weave in tails and finish the sample without forcing the arches to an arbitrary size. Compare its relaxed width with the receiving strip before using it on a larger fabric.

FAQ and repairs

Why does every row get wider?

Check whether you worked extra single crochets into the chain arches. Only the nine existing single-crochet tops receive anchors after the first row.

Can I substitute one chain per arch?

That changes both the structure and the position budget. Create a separately counted variant instead of treating it as the same saved project.

Why are my end arches pulling inward?

Check that the final single crochet was worked into the last anchor, and compare chain tension with the internal arches. Do not add an extra end anchor to compensate for tight chains.

Restore the exact construction

Download the exact saved edge JSON and restore it in the Crochet Lace Edging Generator. Use US terms and yarn #3D577D. The selected layout is straight, with 17 base positions and 4 mesh rows. In UK terminology US sc is dc and US dc is tr. See the chart-reading guide for symbols and source-map interpretation.

1. On an existing 17-stitch edge, ch1 (not counted), sc in first base. Repeat [ch2, skip1old base, sc in next] 8 times. 9 sc and 16 chains. Main count: 25.
2. Turn, ch1 (not counted), sc in last sc of previous row. Repeat [ch2, skip the entire old ch2 arch, sc in next old sc] 8 times. 9 sc and 16 chains. Work into sc tops only; do not add anchors inside arches. Main count: 25.
3. Turn, ch1 (not counted), sc in last sc of previous row. Repeat [ch2, skip the entire old ch2 arch, sc in next old sc] 8 times. 9 sc and 16 chains. Work into sc tops only; do not add anchors inside arches. Main count: 25.
4. Turn, ch1 (not counted), sc in last sc of previous row. Repeat [ch2, skip the entire old ch2 arch, sc in next old sc] 8 times. 9 sc and 16 chains. Work into sc tops only; do not add anchors inside arches. Fasten off and weave in. Main count: 25.