How To Work Crochet Into Denim

To crochet into denim, you just need to make holes in the fabric and crochet directly into it. First, you need to decide if you have thick or thin denim. If you think your material is sturdy enough to work in without fraying, then it's thick. If it feels a little floppy or has a lot of wear and frays easily, then it's thin. If it is thin, and you are sewing it, you would hem the edge of your fabric to prevent fraying. But since we crochet and like to keep things simple, all you need is an iron and some hemming tape, and then you can work just like you would with thick denim.

Tools
For the holes, you will need either a bradawl or a sharp knitting needle, or even a large embroidery needle that works well. You can also use a leather hole punch, which works just like a hole punch and allows you to easily work through cuffs and very thick material.

Instructions
Crochet into denim
The spacing of the holes depends on the thickness of the yarn you are using and the size of the crochet hook. So it's always a good idea to make a small pattern and use it as a template. Here is how.

Step 1

Ch12.

Row 1: tr into 3rd ch from hook, tr into each ch to the end.

Step 2

Using a washable pen, make a mark on your material every 2 stitches using the crochet sample as a template.

Step 3

Make holes in the fabric using whatever tool you have to hand. I really recommend investing in a leather punch; mine has come in so handy.

Step 4

You can use a knitting needle or a bradawl to make the holes bigger if required.

Step 5

Insert your crochet hook into the first hole, draw up a loop and work 2 chain stitches (these are not counted as a st).

Step 6

Work 2dc in each hole. Continue to crochet, using the holes as your stitches. The illustration shows working 2dc in each hole, as the distance taken from the template was 2 stitches apart.

If you wanted to do this with thin denim, first fold over the cut edge, hem with tape by following the instructions on the tape you have and then follow the above technique.

You can take a much more cavalier approach, by making some holes and seeing how many stitches fit nicely between each hole. This usually takes a bit longer and can involve ripping back an hour’s worth of crochet but we have all the time in the world, so who cares? Happy crocheting!