Pincushions are great projects for beginners to develop their crochet skills beyond the very basic stitches. As they are small and quick to create they are a great way to explore new techniques and ideas without investing lots of time or materials.

With this Nordic inspired pincushion I will show you how to work a ‘spike stitch’ (also known as ‘drop stitch’) to create a basic zig-zag style pattern by alternating two contrasting colours. Sometimes it can take a little while to master this stitch and get your tension just right so that your spikes aren’t too tight or too loose, but once you get it it is just like riding a bike - you’ll never forget!

This pattern is written in UK terms and the stated gauge is based on UK double crochet stitches. Accurate gauge is not essential for this project.