6 Tips for Making the Perfect Crocheted Bullion Stitch

© Copyright 2011 Patrice Walker All rights reserved

The bullion stitch is one of the staple stitches I use in my freeform crochet pieces. It’s a pretty versatile stitch that can be used to create crescent shapes, circles, spirals, and squares. The crocheted bullion stitch may seem tricky when you’re first learning to how to do it, but once mastered, you’ll be amazed at how easy it actually is to make.

One of the premier freeform fiber artists, Margaret Hubert, has created a wonderful video that shows you the basic steps to make a crocheted bullion stitch.

Watch the video and then continue reading to learn some of the tricks of the trade I’ve learned over the many months it took me to perfect this stitch.

Tip #1: Select the right crochet hook.

The photo above shows the front of three crochet hooks (all size “E,” believe it or not!). The top of the hook is called the head or point; next comes the throat (that curves downward), then the shaft, followed by the thumb rest (where the hook size is imprinted). The handle – the part that you hold – isn’t shown.

The crochet hook you use to make a bullion stitch is important. In the video, it looks like the head or point of Margaret’s hook is smaller than the shaft.

If the head of the hook is smaller than the shaft, then you can wrap the yarn around the hook somewhat snugly, as Margaret does.

Notice that she wraps the yarn around the thumb rest, which, on her hook, is the widest part. But then she pushes the wraps toward the head so that they are resting on the shaft, which has slightly less girth than the thumb rest.

The bottom line is that you want to be able to easily pull the head of the hook through the wraps. One way to accomplish this is to wrap the yarn more loosely around the shaft and thumb rest. This will allow the hook to easily slide through the tube of wraps, without getting snagged.

My Favorite Hooks

I have a preference for Susan Bates aluminum hooks because the head is a little rounder than the heads on Boye hooks. But my all-time favorite hook is the Clover gold-colored aluminum hooks (not the “Soft Touch” hooks which don’t have a round shaft), but they are hard to come by.

I’ve also seen hooks that have been designed specifically for the bullion stitch. I haven’t tried them, so really can’t comment on how well they work. In fact, a quick Google search came up empty, so I don’t know if they are still being made.

Whatever brand of crochet hook you choose, aluminum or metal hooks are probably going to work the best because they provide a smooth surface over which the yarn can easily move.

Tip # 2: Take it easy on the wraps.

While Margaret wraps her yarn around the thumb rest 10 times, you might want to start off with four to six wraps until you get the hang of sliding the hook through a longer tube of wraps.

On the other hand, if you’re more adventurous, by all means, try 10 wraps. But if you find sliding the hook through the wraps isn’t working because the hook is catching on the yarn, it’s perfectly okay to use your fingers to pick up each individual wrap and slide it over the head of the hook.

The wraps may look a little uneven when you do it this way, but I don’t you want to get discouraged and give up if the hook just doesn’t want to slide through. I picked the wraps over the hook head for a long time before I mastered this stitch, so you’re not cheating if you do it this way.

Tip # 3: Hold the last wrap with your index finger.

When you make the final wrap, take the index finger of the hand holding the hook and place it on top of the last wrap before inserting the hook into the stitch. The rest of your finger will fall along the top of the remaining wraps. This keeps the wraps from tightening up as you insert the hook, yarn over, and pull through.

Tip #4: Elongate the yarn-over.

But sometimes it’s hard to keep that final wrap from tightening up, so once I’ve pulled the hook back through the stitch, I elongate the yarn-over just a bit so that, when I turn the head of the hook down to begin sliding it through the tube, that final wrap loosens back up, and the hook slides right through.

Tip #5: Turn the hook head down before sliding through.

It's critical that, before pulling the yarn through the tube, you turn the hook so that the actual hook part that is holding the yarn-over is facing downward. If you don't do this, you run the risk of the hook catching on the wraps. Pulling the yarn through the wraps is the step that is the most challenging, so you want to make sure you have set up this pull-through to ensure success.

Tip #6: Gently hold the yarn wraps as you pull the yarn through.

Finally, I like the way Margaret lets go of the yarn in her left hand to gently hold the tube of wraps as she pulls the hook through with her right hand. I’ve found that this not only keeps the wraps stable, it prevents the hook from catching onto the wraps as it slides through.

This step takes a bit of practice because you have to let go of the yarn and quickly grab the tube, while keeping the yarn under the hook so that you can pull it through the tube.

Practice DOES Make Perfect

Don't be discouraged if it takes a while to get the hang of the crocheted bullion stitch. I know it's a cliché, but practice does make perfect. So keep practicing, and before you know it, you'll be making bullion stitches just like the pros.

Photo Credits

Thanks to noricum for the photo of the three "E" crochet hooks.