Filet Crochet

[Misty Lucas Cma]

I woudl like to make a filet crochet pattern that are the letters of my brothers fraternity. I was wondering if I could make this using yarn instead of thread, or maybe a larger diameter yarn. I have used a 3 and a 10. I much prefer the 3, but the hook is still really small. Would yarn have the same effect as thread? Should I maybe use a sport yarn? I've never made one before.

[LI Roe]

Filet crochet is done in both yarn and thread. If you switch over to yarn, it will make the piece larger. You also would have to adjust your hook size to a larger size. Your best bet would be to do a gauge swatch with the yarn you are considering and a larger hook and see if you like it.

 

LI Roe

[RoseRed]

It really doesn't matter whether you do it in thread or yarn so long as the hook is the appropriate size for whatever you're working with.

[Granny Square]

What is the end product?  (A placemat? Blanket?)

 

If you want to keep the scale similar to a thread design, but make it in yarn and a larger hook instead, you might think of a graph-ghan or picture-ghan, where each color (if you think of simple filet open + filled meshes as 2 colors) is 1 sc stitch.  You could also make it in school or fraternity colors this way.

 

If you use yarn with the filet technique, the design will be much bigger and the design will be harder to see close up.  Think of looking at the pixels on your computer screen from an inch away versus a couple of feet.  For filet, smaller scale is better.

[Misty Lucas Cma]

In struggling to keep my lines straight while doing filet. I'm not sure if I should be stitching in the stitch right next to my chain 3 or not at the beginning of the row and if I am supposed to stitch in the last stitch AND the chain 3 at the end of the row...

[Granny Square]

Rainy, you treat filet the same as regular dc.  The last dc is always in the top of the chain 3, the first dc in the second dc unless the fist mesh is an open one.