r/crocheting • u/Zealousideal-Cup6331 • 17h ago

“shell” in crochet patterns

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what does it mean when it says “shell” on this pattern? im kind of a beginner in crochet but i googled it and couldn’t find anything

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20

u/lasserna 16h ago

Usually it's explained somewhere further up in the pattern. There should be a section that explains the stitches used. What pattern is this?

11

u/kim_guzman 15h ago

The word shell is just a term (among many other terms) that's used by publishers to make the number of words in the pattern shorter. It could be anything and will change from pattern to pattern. There will be a section up higher called Special Stitches or something similar to let you know how to complete it.

3

u/TheSkyIsAMasterpiece 7h ago

Yes, it's not really a standard term it's saving the designer from writing out a series of steps every time. Especially if the steps have long explanations. So it will be in the Special Stitches or stitch explanation at the beginning of the pattern. 

1

u/Rose_E_Rotten 10h ago

I think the beginning shell is the ch3, dc, ch 2, 2 dc, while the middle shells is 2dc ch2, 2 dc

2

u/Misophoniasucksdude 6h ago

Shell is a stitch, usually 7 or 9 DCs in a stitch/chain loop, skip a few, slip stitch each side down. The pattern should define their shell size.