Stitch recommendation, please: something not stretchy

[KimberHM1]

I'm going to make some straps that will hold a yoga mat for carrying and also help the user achieve better positioning for yoga poses. I have some lovely flax and cotton yarn, but can't decide on a stitch. 

Do you have recommendations?

The strap will be 1.5" wide and about 7 feet long. I could go along length or width. 

The strap must be firm; similar to what you'd want in a market bag so that it doesn't stretch much when you fill or carry it.

I'm going for decorative, but not elaborate. Considering the spike stitch or daisy/star stitch. 

I'd love to know your thoughts!

Thanks so much,

  Kimber

[Granny Square]

I'm sort of having trouble with 'not stretchy' (thinking more along the lines of sturdy) AND 'decorative'.  For not stretchy, but sturdy I think of maybe the potholder stitch, short single crochet, or some of the Tunisian stitches.

[KimberHM1]

"Sturdy!" of course that's the right word!

 

going to look up "potholder stitch" now. Not familiar with that one. 

[redrosesdz]

My go to stitch would work. It's sturdy, soft, and decorative. The Crochet Stitch Bible calls it waffle stitch, but it's not the waffle that you see when googling. Here's a blanket that I  made with the stitch...

Here are the instructions...

Special Stitch  (ss)

Insert hook, yo, pull loop through, insert hook in next stitch, yo, pull loop through, yo, pull through 2, yo, pull through 2. (Starts like sc2tog and ends like dc.)

Any odd # of stitches + 2.

Row 1: ss (starting in 3rd & 4th ch), ch 1 across, end with sc in last ch. Turn

Row 2: ch 2, ss in sc & ch sp, * ch 1, ss in right of vertical yarn which is the center of next ss & ch sp, repeat from * across, end with ch 1, sc in last ss. Turn

Repeat row 2.

[Granny Square]

The potholder stitch is sort of a two steps forward, one step back stitch.  It's a SC variation, but working into the side versus the top of the stitch below, so you end up not advancing as quickly as SC.  I couldn't think of it's other name yesterday, just found it by googling - thermal stitch.   Here's a tutorial: 

Just seeing Redrosesdz's recommendation of the Waffle Stitch, I have that book and certain pages are viewable on Google books including the Waffle stitch --this looks similar to her description but calls for ESC versus SC, you can see a pic and diagram.

[redrosesdz]

GS, that's the stitch! I called it special stitch, because I don't like the name in the book. "2 linked EXSC" reminds me of an extended sc. The stitch is a mix of an sc2tog and a dc, rather than an esc.

[Granny Square]

Gaa, derpy me again   (reference to my misreading another post yesterday), I need to stop scanning quickly! 

[redrosesdz]

Lol! I thought I was the one that misread yesterday! I  typed "smh",  because I figured that I had jumped down the wrong rabbit hole again.

[ReniC]

I used a stitch just like this video to make a strap for my daughter's yoga mat and it is still in use.

Also, I used 2 strands of RHSS yarn instead of 1 to give more stability. The strap hardly stretches at all.