Paintbrush pillow and afghan crochet pattern in rainbow by Susan Carlson of Felted Button | Colorful Crochet Patterns

::How-to Crochet Post Stitches::

Remember this little design--my Paintbrush Pillow & Afghan pattern?

As maybe you can tell, it has some post stitches. Front Post and Back Post stitches are those stitches used for cabling and other texture in crochet that produce a raised ridge that looks so nifty and pretty.

If you've ever struggled with them...

...here are some hints to help you with these fun, texturizing little guys.

The letters BP and FP before the traditional stitch abbreviations (sc, dc, tr, etc.) designate it as BACK POST or FRONT POST. (i.e., FPdc = front post double crochet, BPsc = back post single crochet.)
The most important thing to remember is that a front post is always worked through the front of your work, regardless of which side--wrong side (WS) or right side (RS)--is facing you. So if you are working on the wrong side (WS) of your work and it calls for a FPdc, you will still work around the post on the side facing you. A BPdc is always worked around the post on the side facing away from you--the back.
The funny thing about post stitches are a FP actually goes around the back of the post. But you poke your hook through the FRONT--around the post--back to the FRONT. Vice versa with a BP--insert your hook from the BACK. Get it?

Now I'm getting myself confused.

Let me show you...

See here above. The hook went around behind and under the post. (Now you will yarn over and draw the hook through.) This is a FPdc because your hook grabbed the post from the front--or the side of the work facing you.

Now looky here. The X marks the post of the stitch. This shows a BPsc. See how you are working through the side of the project away from you--the back. In other words, you poke your hook from the BACK to the front and then to the BACK again around the post before yarning over and drawing the hook in front of the post.

Once again...work a front post stitch through the side facing TOWARD you (front) and a back post stitch through the side facing AWAY from you (back).

Phew! That was hard. But it's really not so hard. If you haven't tried it--give it a whirl! It makes otherwise boring stitches have so much more personality and gives your crocheting so much more possibility!! I am really not a fan of rows of double crochet--boring and holey and uninteresting for the most part. Adding post stitches can make it all the better!

Speaking of post stitches...

...this is what I've been working on as of late...

Ahhhhh! The colors are so soothingly happy. And I'm having a ball playing with the textures and colors and stitch placements.

I'm off to stitch some more. So, as I used to tell my Jr. High and High School students as they left my classroom (with variations, of course, each day)...

Wear your seatbelts. Eat your veggies. Be kind to your brothers and sisters. Don't pick your nose. Don't litter. And do your homework.

Maybe that would be good advice for all of us. Maybe.

{On the Board} -- Stop watering the weeds in your life and start watering the flowers.