Learn · Finishing
Picot Edging, Step by Step
A picot is the tiniest loop in crochet: three chains closed into a ring with a slip stitch. A row of them round the edge makes a plain filet piece look finished, and softens the steps of a shaped edge. Here is how we work it, stitch by stitch.
The short version
- Picot: ch 3, sl st in the 3rd ch from the hook.
- Join the thread along a straight edge and ch 1.
- Work sc all round: 2 along each mesh at the top and bottom, 2 round each edge post at the sides.
- Outer corner: 1 sc more. Inner corner: 2 sc together.
- After every 3rd sc make a picot; join with a sl st and fasten off.
1One picot
A picot is a ring of three chains closed with a slip stitch. You make it on top of the stitch you have just worked:
- Ch 3.
- Put the hook into the 3rd chain from the hook: the first of the three, right at the foot of the ring.
- Slip stitch: yarn over and pull through the chain and the loop on the hook.
We use US terms. The single crochet (sc) of this guide is called a double crochet in UK terms; the chain and the slip stitch keep their names.
2The base: single crochet all round
The picots sit on a round of single crochet that runs along every edge of the piece. Join the thread anywhere along a straight edge and ch 1. Then:
- Top and bottom edges: 2 sc along each mesh.
- Side edges: 2 sc round each edge post, the dc (or the ch 3) at the end of every row.
Two stitches for every mesh in each direction keep the edge flat: it neither waves nor pulls in.
3Corners
Shaped pieces, like the masks, have corners that point outwards and corners that point inwards, where the edge steps in or out:
- Outer corner: work 1 sc more into the corner, so the edge can turn without pulling.
- Inner corner: work 2 sc together, so the edge doesn’t bunch up in the step.
If shaping a chart is new to you, Adding and Removing Meshes at the Edges shows where these steps come from.
4A picot after every third stitch
Now count as you go: 1, 2, 3, picot, and again, all the way round. After the last stitch, join with a slip stitch in the first sc and fasten off.
Don’t worry if the count doesn’t come out even at the end of the round: a picot one stitch early or late won’t show.
5Along a foundation chain
A picot edge also works on the other side of a foundation chain, as on our Insectarium mitts. Join the thread at a corner of the chain and work along it: *sc in the next 4 ch, picot*, repeat, and end with sc in the last chains. That is one picot for every 2 meshes.
6Open them when you block
Fresh from the hook, picots curl. Pin each one out to a point while the lace is damp, and they stay open once it has dried. How to Starch and Shape Crochet Lace shows how.
7Patterns with a picot edging
All three Spooky masks finish with this edging, corners and all.
Aranea · Spooky mask
A spider web across the whole face, with no eye holes: you look out through the lace. Bookmark included.
Mau · Spooky mask
A black cat with a crown of spikes and a lace grin from ear to ear. Bookmark included.
Vespertilio · Spooky mask
Two bats kiss under a little heart, and their lace wings close round your face. Bookmark included.
8Questions
What is a picot in crochet?
A small decorative loop: ch 3, then a slip stitch in the 3rd chain from the hook closes the chains into a ring.
How many stitches go between the picots?
In our edgings, three single crochets: a picot after every 3rd sc. Along a foundation chain we place one after every 4 sc, one picot for every 2 meshes.
Why does my edge wave or pull in?
A waving edge has too many stitches, an edge that pulls in has too few. Two sc for every mesh along the top and bottom and two round every edge post at the sides keep it flat.
Is single crochet the same as the UK double crochet?
Yes. The US single crochet (sc) is called a double crochet (dc) in UK terms.
