Spike Stitch
elongated stitches worked down into earlier rows, drawn up as spikes over the fabric, often in a second colour
A spike stitch, sometimes called a dropped stitch, is worked down into a stitch one or more rows below the current row rather than into the row you are on. You insert the hook into the lower stitch, draw a loop up to the height of the current row, and complete it like a single crochet, which leaves a long vertical or slanted strand lying over the rows in between. Worked in a second colour on a single crochet ground, those strands read as bold dots, chevrons, or vertical dashes, so spike stitches are mostly used for graphic, low-effort colourwork without carrying floats on the back. The deeper you go, the longer the spike, and grouping spikes of different depths makes fans and V shapes. Keep the drawn-up loop loose enough that it does not pucker the fabric, since pulling a spike too tight distorts the rows it crosses. Because each spike anchors into a firm lower row, the fabric stays dense and hard-wearing, which suits bags and blankets.