A soft, fan-shaped shell stitch panel in pink and cream — perfect as a small blanket, a cushion front, or a wrap. Every row is written out below.
What You Will Make?
A shell stitch panel made of fan-shaped shells (5 double crochets in one stitch) that sit offset row by row, like scales. The pink and cream colours change every row, so pink shells sit on a cream background and cream shells sit on a pink background — exactly the look in the photo.
Finished size (with the foundation given below): about 18 in (46 cm) wide. The length is up to you — just keep repeating the two pattern rows until you like it. A blanket of about 24 in (61 cm) long takes roughly 6–8 hours of relaxed crocheting.
Note: this pattern was written from the photo as a guide. It is not the original designer’s pattern, and the finished size depends on your yarn, hook and tension.
Materials:
Worsted weight yarn (4) — soft pink, about 150 g, and cream, about 150 g (300 g total for a 24 in long panel; buy one extra ball of each if you want it longer).
• Crochet hook 5.0 mm (US H-8). Go up to 5.5 mm if your shells feel stiff, down to 4.5 mm if they look loose and holey.
• Scissors, tapestry needle for weaving in ends, measuring tape.
• Optional: 2 stitch markers to mark the first and last stitch of a row while you are learning the repeat.
Abbreviations (US Terms) :
• ch — chain sc — single crochet dc — double crochet
• sl st — slip stitch st(s) — stitch(es) rep — repeat
• Shell — 5 dc worked into the same stitch. The 3rd dc of a shell is its centre — that is where the next row’s sc goes.
• Half shell — 3 dc worked into the same stitch (used only at the start and end of Row 2, so the edges stay straight).
Before You Start
• The foundation chain is a multiple of 6 + 2. The pattern below uses ch 62, which gives 10 shells across. For a wider panel, add 6 chains per extra shell; for a narrower one, take 6 off.
• Change colour at the end of every row: cut the old colour leaving a 4 in tail, join the new colour with a slip stitch, and weave the tails in at the end. Do not carry the unused yarn up the side — it shows through the open shells.
• Count your shells after Rows 1 and 2. If a row has 9 or 11 shells instead of 10, the pattern will drift — it is much easier to fix now than 10 rows later.
• Keep your tension relaxed. Shells need room to fan out; tight stitches make the panel curl and the shells disappear.
Part A — Foundation and First Shell Row:
Foundation (Cream): ch 62.
Row 1 (Cream): sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, *skip 2 ch, 5 dc (shell) in the next ch, skip 2 ch, sc in the next ch; repeat from * across. You should finish with a sc in the last ch, and count 10 shells. Turn.
Check: your work should look like a row of little fans separated by single crochets, with a sc at both ends. If the ends look uneven, recount — the most common mistake is skipping 1 chain instead of 2 before a shell.
Part B — The Pattern Rows (Repeat These Two):
Row 2 (Pink): ch 3 (counts as a dc), 2 dc in the first sc (half shell), *sc in the 3rd (centre) dc of the next shell, 5 dc in the next sc; repeat from * across, ending with sc in the centre dc of the last shell, 3 dc in the last sc (half shell). Turn.
Why the half shells? They fill the gaps at the edges so the panel stays rectangular instead of zigzagging in and out.
Row 3 (Cream): ch 1, sc in the first st, *5 dc in the next sc, sc in the 3rd (centre) dc of the next shell; repeat from * across, ending with sc in the top of the turning ch. Turn.
Rows 4 onwards: repeat Rows 2 and 3, changing colour at the end of every row (pink, cream, pink, cream…). Each new row’s shells land in the single crochets of the row below, so the fans sit offset — pink shells between cream shells, and cream shells between pink shells, just like the photo.
Size check: after about 10 rows, measure the width. It should still be about 18 in. If it is narrowing, you are missing the half shells at the row ends; if it is widening, you are adding an extra shell somewhere. Keep going until the panel is about 24 in long, or your chosen length, and finish with a Row 3 so both long edges match.
Part C — Border and Finishing:
Border (Pink or Cream — your choice): ch 1, then sc evenly around all four sides of the panel, working 3 sc in each corner so the corners lie flat. Work 2 rounds for a neat, slightly thicker edge. Fasten off.
Finishing: weave in every colour-change tail with the tapestry needle, following the direction of the stitches so the tails disappear. If the panel curls a little at the edges, block it lightly: dampen it, lay it flat, pat it into a rectangle, and let it dry completely before use.
Ways to use it: as a small blanket, sew it onto a cushion front, or join two panels for a wrap. The same two rows also work for a scarf — just start with fewer shells (ch 26 gives 4 shells).
Care and Troubleshooting :
• Panel curling: usually tight tension — go up half a hook size and block lightly.
• Shells look flat, not fan-shaped: you may be working into the wrong stitch — the sc of the next row always goes into the centre (3rd) dc of a shell, not the first or last dc.
• Edges slanting in or out: recount the half shells at both ends of Row 2. Missing one narrows the panel; adding one widens it.
• Colour stripes look uneven: make sure you change colour at the end of every row, not every two rows — the photo’s checker look comes from changing every row.
• Washing: hand wash cold, lay flat to dry. Machine washing can felt wool blends and stretch the open shells out of shape.
Quick Reference Card :
Keep this page beside you while you crochet.
1. Foundation (Cream): ch 62 — a multiple of 6 + 2. That gives 10 shells across.
2. Row 1 (Cream): sc, then *skip 2 ch, 5 dc (shell) in the next ch, skip 2 ch, sc* — repeat across, ending with a sc. Count 10 shells.
3. Row 2 (Pink): ch 3, 2 dc in the first sc (half shell), then *sc in the centre dc of the next shell, 5 dc in the next sc* — repeat across, ending with sc in the centre dc of the last shell, 3 dc in the last sc.
4. Row 3 (Cream): ch 1, sc in the first st, then *5 dc in the next sc, sc in the centre dc of the next shell* — repeat across, ending with sc in the top of the turning ch.
5. Repeat Rows 2 and 3, changing colour at the end of every row, until the panel is about 24 in long.
6. Border: sc evenly around all four sides, 3 sc in each corner, for 2 rounds. Fasten off, weave in ends, and block lightly.
Shell = 5 dc in the same stitch. Half shell = 3 dc in the same stitch. The sc of each row always goes into the centre (3rd) dc of a shell.