How to Place a Border on Double Crochet

Confused by where to place your stitches when working a border on double crochet stitches? Tired of big gaps in the sides of your work that weren’t there before the border? This tutorial on how to place the first round of a border on double crochet stitches, including how to avoid making big gaps, is for you.

Borders are incredible finishing techniques that can skyrocket the look and feel of our finished work. They can be as simple or as fancy as we’d like them to be which can heighten the finished look of the project.

But if you’ve never been taught how to crochet into the edges of your work, you might be wondering just how in the world you achieve the first round of a border.

Especially with double crochet stitches, how are you supposed to know where to place your border stitches so they don’t pull and warp your work?

Let’s take the confusion out of placing borders by going over how to place a border on double crochet stitches.

What to know before we get started

This tutorial will teach you how to place a border on a swatch of double crochet. When making the border in the tutorial, we use single crochet stitches. You can, however, use half double crochet or double crochet when crocheting the first round of the border.

The most important thing to know when learning to place the first round of a border is where to place the stitch, not what stitch to use.

Through this tutorial, I will teach you my preferred way to place a border on double crochet stitches, including where to place your stitches so gaps don’t form on the sides of your work and how to create corners using a chain 2 space.

The image above shows a swatch of double crochet stitches with a single crochet border using what I’m calling “Option 1” in this tutorial. You can see the gaps that are created on the sides of the swatch.

The image above shows a swatch of double crochet stitches with a single crochet border using what I’m calling “Option 2” in this tutorial. You can see that this technique avoids creating the large gaps on the sides. This is what I’ll be teaching you. I will also briefly teach you Option 1 but it is not the focus of this tutorial.

What to know before starting this tutorial:

• Get to know what the “raw edge” of your project means to help understand the border directions easier in a pattern. We will go over this below.
  
• You need to be able to count your rows properly to ensure that you’re placing the correct number of stitches. My How to Count Crochet Rows tutorial will teach you how to count your rows and what the “right” and “wrong” side of the stitches look like which will be very helpful in following this tutorial.

Notes to keep in mind when placing a border on double crochet:

There are a few things to keep in mind while placing a border on double crochet stitches that will help ensure your border doesn’t make your work wonky.

Generally, the “rules” of placing a border on double crochet stitches are:

• On the top (last row worked) and bottom (chains and first row worked), place the same amount of stitches as they are in a row.
  
  • This means if there are 10 stitches in a row, you will want to work 10 stitches on the top and bottom of your project (Numbers 1 and 2 in the image below).
    
• On the raw edges (sides of the work), place 2 single crochet in the side of each double crochet.
  
  • This means if there are 6 rows worked in your project, you will want to work 12 stitches on the raw edges of your project (Numbers 3 and 4 in the image below).
  • If you notice that your work is starting to pull inward, you can add more stitches as needed to get it to be flat.
  • If you notice that your work is starting to wave because there are too many stitches, you can remove a stitch here and there to get it to be flat.
  • Generally, though, 2 stitches per double crochet works out to be a nice even border.
    
• Each corner of your project needs to have a corner created to ensure that the border does not pull in. This is typically achieved by creating a chain 2 space or by placing 3 stitches into the last stitch on each side. I’ll teach you how to use a chain 2 to turn the corner.

What is the “raw edge”?

First things first, you need to know what a raw edge even is when we’re talking about borders. You may also see references to a “edge”, “raw side”, “the sides of stitches” or “the sides of rows”.

These all refer to the sides of the project that are not the top or the bottom of stitches. Let’s take a look at a swatch:

In this image, we can see a swatch of 6 rows of 10 double crochet. Each row of this swatch was worked by chaining 2, placing 1 double crochet in the first stitch and each stitch across. Each side of this swatch is labeled with a number.

Side 1 is the last row worked. This is the “top” of the project.

Side 2 is where we created chains and worked our first row. This is often referred to as “bottom of chains” or sometimes just “chains”.

Side 3 is one of the raw edges.

Side 4 is the other raw edge.

When placing a border, we have to use all of these sides. This is true regardless of if you’re working a border on single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet or a mix of these or any other stitches.

How to Place a Border on Double Crochet Stitches

We’ll begin our border on double crochet using the swatch below. This swatch has 6 rows with 10 double crochet in each row.

Typically when starting a border on any project, you would turn your work as if you’re going to work a new row. This is what we’ll learn here.

However, this is not always the case. Some patterns may tell you to not turn and instead start working down the raw edge (the sides of the rows) first. That’s okay and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ll simply work our first side last.

To begin placing a border on double crochets, we will turn our work.

If you’re using the same color as your swatch or project, you will chain 1 and turn.

If you’re using a different color like I am (for better visibility in these tutorial photos), you will turn your work and join the new color in the first stitch as seen in the image below.

Now, for the easiest part of placing a border on double crochet: We place 1 single crochet (or taller stitch, if you’d like) in each stitch across the row to the end as the black dots in the image above indicate.

You can see this completed in the image below.

Now, instead of chaining 1 and turning our work to begin a new row, we are going to instead rotate the project to work along the first raw edge. This makes it so that the sides of the stitches are facing up as if they were a row.

The black arrow that turns a corner in the image above indicates that we will rotate the work instead of turning the work.

When we rotate our work, we need to create a corner to ensure this border doesn’t pull inward. To do this, we will chain 2. This creates enough room for the border to lay flat and is an obvious corner for use in future rounds.

In the image above, I have rotated the swatch to now work down the first raw edge (or sides of the stitches). I have also chained 2, which a pink arrow points to. Black and white dots indicate the sides of the double crochet stitches we will place stitches into for this edge of the border.

We will work 2 single crochet into the side of each double crochet down the edge. Because there are 6 rows worked, we will work a total of 12 single crochet.

It’s important to note that the single crochet prior to the chain 2 we placed in the border does not count as the side of a row. This can be confusing if you’re using the same color because it certainly looks like the side of a row, though it’s easier to see in my images because I am using a different color.

In the image above, a black arrow points to the last single crochet I placed in the first part of the border. A red X is at the top of this arrow. This is to indicate that this is NOT a stitch to work into for the border.

There are 2 ways you can place your border stitches into the side of double crochets.

I’ll briefly show you one way and then show you the other way, which is how I prefer to do it.

Either way you choose to do this is fine – there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do this. These two ways do look significantly different, though, and you’ll want to consider how they look when putting a border on your projects.

Option 1:

Option 1 is objectively easier than Option 2 because we won’t look for any specific area to place each stitch. We’ll simply place 2 stitches around the post of the double crochet (or the chain 2 to turn the row).

In the image above, we’re looking at the “wrong side” of a double crochet. On this edge, when the wrong side of a double crochet is facing, we will have the chain 2 that started the row preceding the double crochet stitch.

With Option 1, we can simply place 2 single crochet into this chain 2 as if it were a chain space.

In the top picture of the image above, a tapestry needle is pointing to the space between the chain 2 and the first double crochet of the row.

In the middle picture of the image above, my hook is inserted between the chain 2 and the double crochet.

In the bottom picture of the image above, I’ve placed 2 single crochet.

This would complete the stitches required for the side of this row.

Option 2:

Option 2 is a little more involved than Option 1. Using this technique, we will split up where the single crochet are placed on the double crochet so that they’re made more evenly instead of clustered together.

To do this, we place 1 single crochet into the top of the double crochet. Then, we place 1 single crochet around the chain 2 that built height for the row.

In the top picture of the image above, a tapestry needle points to the top of the stitch. This is where we place our first single crochet. You can see the single crochet placed in the middle image.

In the middle picture of the image above, a tapestry needle points to the space between the chain 2 and the double crochet. This is where we place our second single crochet.

In the bottom picture of the image above, both single crochet are placed.

What’s the difference between these options?

The difference between the two options comes down to stitch placement and what that stitch placement does to the look of our project.

Option 1 is easier but creates gaps on the sides of the work that can be quite noticeable. That’s okay, of course, if that’s the look you want for your project.

Option 2 is a little more involved but splits up the border stitches so that they are more evenly laid out. This helps avoid the gaps that option 1 creates.

Your choice on which to use, of course! I prefer Option 2 and that’s what I’ll be teaching you through the rest of this tutorial.

If you’d like to see the difference between Option 1 and Option 2 with one raw edge completed or with the entire border completed, you can jump down to see the difference by clicking either blue hyper link.

Now we can move on to placing our border stitches in the side of the next double crochet as the black dots indicate in the image above.

The tutorial will continue to use and teach Option 2 moving forward. However, if you prefer option 1, you will place both single crochet into the same space in which the tutorial places the second single crochet.

The “right side” of the double crochet is facing us in the next row. When the “right side” of a double crochet is facing on this edge, there will not be a chain 2 to work into.

To place our 2 single crochet stitches in the side of this double crochet, we will work into the top of the double crochet and directly into the middle of the post of the double crochet.

The top picture in the image above has a tapestry needle pointing to the top of the double crochet. This is where we will place our first single crochet.

The middle picture in the image above has a tapestry needle pointing to the bottom V of the post of the double crochet, indicating we will insert our hook into the center of the V. Alternatively, you can work into the space between the two double crochet, though it will create a gap.

The bottom picture in the image above is a top down view of the side of the stitch, with a black arrow going through the two loops on the side of a double crochet that look similar to the top of a stitch. This is where we will insert our hook to place the second single crochet.

In the image above, you can see the two single crochet placed as indicated. Specifically, look at how the border single crochet (white) splits the post of the double crochet (blue) in half. This helps avoid the border creating gaps on the side of the work.

Let’s place our next 2 single crochet on the next double crochet.

The “wrong side” of the double crochet is facing us, which means we have a chain 2 that built height on the side. This means we will place 1 single crochet into the top of the double crochet and 1 single crochet around the chain 2 that built height for the row.

In the top picture of the image above, a tapestry needle points to the top of the stitch. This is where we place our first single crochet.

In the middle picture of the image above, a tapestry needle points to the space between the chain 2 and the double crochet. This is where we place our second single crochet.

In the bottom picture of the image above, both single crochet are placed.

We have placed 6 single crochet stitches into the side of the swatch for this border so far. We will continue placing 2 single crochet in the side of each double crochet down this first raw edge of the project.

Black and white dots in the image above indicate the sides of the 3 rows in which we still need to place 2 single crochet.

You can see all 12 stitches placed on this first side of the swatch in the image below.

In this image, we can see the two techniques for working into the sides of the double crochet on the raw edge. In the top image, Option 2 was used. You can see how the split placement of the single crochet stitches made a much more even border on the double crochet.

In the bottom image, Option 1 was used. You can see how placing both single crochet around the double crochet in the same place has created clusters and gaps in the side of the work.

Again, which option you choose is up to you and how you’d like your projects to look. Neither of these options are wrong.

Now that we are at the end of the first raw edge, we will chain 2 to create space for a corner and then we will once again rotate the project to work along the next side. Once rotated, the bottom of the chains will face upward as if they are a row to work into.

The black arrow that turns a corner in the image above indicates that we will rotate the work instead of turning the work.

In the image above, we can see the chains are now facing upward as if they’re a row to work into. Black dots over the bottom of each chain indicate that we will place 1 single crochet into each chain across this side. A pink arrow points to my chain 2 for the corner.

I prefer to crochet in the back bump of the chains, which creates a clean professional finish and is much easier to work into for borders.

My chains may look slightly different to yours because of this. Crocheting in the back bump of the chain makes the chain look like the top of a stitch, which you can see below.

As the black arrows in the image above indicate, we will place 1 single crochet in the bottom of each chain until we reach the end of this side.

You can see this completed in the image below.

Now that we are at the end of this side, we will chain 2 to create space for a corner and then we will once again rotate the project to work along the final raw edge. Once rotated, the final raw edge of the project will face upward.

The black arrow that turns a corner in the image above indicates that we will rotate the work instead of turning the work.

Now that we have chained 2 to create a corner and rotated our work, we can begin working up the final raw edge of the project.

It is important to note that the last single crochet we just placed in the bottom of the chains prior to the chain 2 does not count as the side of a row.

In the image above, a black arrow with a red X points downward to this stitch to indicate that it does not count.

A pink arrow points to the chain 2 that will become the corner.

On this next edge, the “right side” double crochet stitches now have the chain 2 to build height. This is the opposite of how it was on the first edge.

To place our 2 single crochet stitches into the side of this first double crochet on this edge, we will place 1 single crochet around the chain 2 that built height and 1 single crochet into what is the top of the stitch.

In the top picture in the image above, the tapestry needle points to the space between the chain 2 and the double crochet. We will place our first single crochet here.

In the bottom picture in the image above, the tapestry needle points to the top of the stitch (in which the double crochet from the next row was worked into). We will place our second single crochet here.

You can see the two single crochet of the border placed in the image above. A pink arrow points to the chain 2 corner.

Now we can place 2 single crochet into the side of the next double crochet. The “wrong side” double crochet stitch is now facing and there is no chain 2 to build height. This is the opposite of how it was on the first edge.

To place our 2 single crochet stitches in the side of this double crochet, we will work directly into the middle of the post of the double crochet and into the top of the double crochet.

The top picture in the image above has a tapestry needle pointing to the bottom V of the post of the double crochet, indicating we will insert our hook into the center of the V. Alternatively, you can work into the space between the two double crochet, though it will create a gap. This is where we will place our first single crochet.

The middle picture in the image above shows the tapestry needle going through the two loops on the side of a double crochet that look similar to the top of a stitch. This is where we will insert our hook to place the first single crochet.

The bottom picture in the image above has a tapestry needle pointing to the top of the double crochet. This is where we will place our second single crochet.

You can see the two single crochet placed in the image below.

Now we will place 2 single crochet into the next double crochet. The “right side” is facing us.

To place our 2 single crochet stitches into the side of this double crochet, we will place 1 single crochet around the chain 2 that built height and 1 single crochet into what is the top of the stitch.

In the top picture in the image above, the tapestry needle points to the space between the chain 2 and the double crochet. We will place our first single crochet here.

In the middle picture in the image above, the tapestry needle points to the top of the stitch (in which the double crochet from the next row was worked into). We will place our second single crochet here.

In the bottom picture in the image above shows both single crochet placed.

We have placed 6 single crochet stitches into the side of the swatch for this border so far. We will continue placing 2 single crochet in the side of each double crochet down this final raw edge of the project.

Black and white dots in the image above indicate the sides of the 3 rows in which we still need to place 2 single crochet.

You can see all 12 stitches placed on this final side of the swatch in the image below.

Now that all of the border single crochet stitches are placed, all we have left to do is create the final corner and join the round.

To create the final corner, we will chain 2 and we will rotate the swatch one final time so that the top of the swatch is facing upward.

In the image above, a pink arrow points to my chain 2 that will create the corner. A black arrow goes through the very first stitch placed in the border round.

To close the round, we will slip stitch into the first stitch (black arrow). You can see these steps completed in the image below.

This completes one round of a border on single crochet stitches. In the image above, pink arrows point to each chain 2 space which creates a corner. The image above used Option 2, which is my preferred method, throughout the border round.

Here’s an example of what it looks like if you use Option 1 instead of Option 2. You can see how the stitches cluster together and, because of the way they’re worked, create gaps in the sides of the project. This is totally okay, of course, if that’s what you’re looking for in a border.

As stated throughout this tutorial, I generally prefer Option 2 and it is how I work borders on double crochet. So if you use any of my patterns, this is what you can expect for me to have done.

Regardless of which option you use, you now have a nice even round that has cleaned up the raw edges on the sides. You can leave the border like this if you like or you can continue to work more rounds to create a fancier border if you prefer.

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Now that you’ve gone through this tutorial on how to crochet a border on double crochet stitches, I’d recommend practicing placing a border on swatches made of scrap yarn.

The more you practice a technique, the better you’ll be at using it, of course!

But I suggest practicing with a swatch made of scrap yarn so that you can really zero in and focus on learning without the pressure of finishing a project.

Once you’re comfortable with placing a border on double crochet stitches, you can learn how to place a border on other stitches like single crochet and half double crochet or on double crochet projects that start with Stacked Single Crochet.

And once you’re comfortable with all of those stitches, you can make swatches with rows of single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet to practice placing borders for when a project doesn’t just use one stitch.

Did you find this tutorial helpful? Save it for later and share it with others by Pinning it to Pinterest!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you might also enjoy these:

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Tired of your circles becoming hexagons? My How to Crochet a Perfect Circle tutorial will teach you how to make a more perfect circle with one easy change.

Did you know the slip stitch to close a round doesn’t count as a stitch? Let me tell you why that is and how to make sure you avoid using it.