Puff Stitch

A puff stitch is built from several loops pulled up to the same height in one stitch, then closed together with a single yarn over and pull-through. Unlike a cluster, which joins several partly-worked stitches from different insertion points, a classic puff stitch usually works from one stitch and draws up multiple loops of equal height into it, giving a rounder, more padded look than a cluster's flatter bump. Loop count (commonly 3 to 5) varies by pattern.

There's no US/UK split on the term. "Puff stitch" is used the same way in both systems.

How to work it

1. Yarn over and insert your hook into the stitch.
2. Yarn over and pull up a loop to the same height as a half double crochet. You now have 3 loops on your hook (the original loop, plus the yarn over and pulled-up loop).
3. Without finishing the stitch, yarn over and insert your hook into the same stitch again, then yarn over and pull up another loop to the same height.
4. Repeat step 3 until you have the number of loops the pattern calls for on your hook (commonly 4 to 7 loops total, from 3 to 5 repetitions).
5. Yarn over and pull through all the loops on your hook at once.
6. Chain 1 to close and secure the top of the puff, then continue to the next stitch.

When to use it

Use puff stitches for a soft, rounded raised texture: puff stitch hats, cowls, and border edgings where a padded bump reads differently from the flatter texture of a cluster. Puff stitches use noticeably more yarn per stitch than single or double crochet, so expect projects worked entirely in puff stitch to use more yarn than the same size in a plain stitch.