Peacock Fan Stitch

Peacock fan stitch works large groups of tall stitches into a single point so they spread into a wide fan, like an opened peacock tail, with the fabric rippling up over each fan and dipping between them. A big spray of double or treble crochet fanned out of one stitch forms the tail, single crochet or a gathered cluster pulls the fabric back in at the valleys, and the alternation gives deep, dramatic scallops. Worked in bands of colour, each fan glows in its own shade and the ripple reads as rows of overlapping feathers, which is where the peacock name comes from. It is a bolder, more open cousin of the plain shell and ripple, and it is intermediate mainly because the fan and the gathering points must line up so the scallops stack; a stitch marker at each fan centre helps. It makes striking blankets, shawls, and wraps. It uses a fair amount of yarn for the tall fans, and it blocks out into generous, sweeping curves. Keep the stitch count in each fan constant so the tails match.