Very Shelley Crochet Bookmark with Scalloped Shells

The Very Shelley crochet bookmark is a narrow strip of paired shells that sits lightly between book pages. Ruth of Labours of Love Crochet shows it in several bright colors, with a small decorative end that stays outside the book. The shape is worked around both sides of one foundation chain rather than as two pieces joined later. This guide explains the source’s materials, shell structure and chart, with a note about its starting-chain wording.

Materials and finished length

The original lists approximately 5 g of 4-ply yarn, a 3.25 mm hook, a yarn needle and scissors. A button or bead can decorate the end, or you can finish with a light tassel. The PDF describes an eight-shell version as approximately 25 cm long. Treat that as a sample measurement rather than a guaranteed result with every yarn.

Smooth cotton or another firm, fine yarn makes it easier to see the shells while reading the chart. Choose a comfortable hook that produces distinct stitches without a bulky strip. A bookmark should close inside a book without forcing the pages apart, so use the source weight as your starting point rather than substituting thick blanket yarn.

Learn the shell arrangement

The design uses US terminology. Its shell is five dc in one stitch; sc means single crochet, ch means chain and sl st means slip stitch. Between the fan-shaped shells, skipped chains and single-crochet anchors form the narrow waist of the scalloped strip.

The first ch 3 counts as a stitch. Keep that convention consistent at the opening shell and at the final join. If you add a complete five-dc shell beside an already counted starting stitch, the first end may become noticeably wider than the rest.

Read the starting chain with the chart

The written line starts with ch 45 and places the first worked stitches in the third chain from the hook. The notes also describe a six-chain repeat plus one. Those statements need to be read together with the turning-chain allowance and the drawn chart; simply applying a multiple-of-six formula to the total 45 chains gives a mismatch.

Before working the full strip, mark the foundation positions shown in the chart. Check where each single crochet and five-dc shell lands, including the end shell. This is a source-reading guide: it does not silently replace the designer’s chain count with an untested alternative. For a resized strip, use the chart to add or remove whole repeats and confirm both ends before fastening off.

Follow the bookmark around the foundation

1. Make the starting chain and the opening fan according to the chart on PDF page two.
2. Work along the first side, alternating the single-crochet anchors and five-dc shells over the designated foundation chains.
3. At the far end, the source places an additional shell in the same end location. This makes the turn around the end of the strip.
4. Rotate the chain and continue into its unworked underside. Pair the returning shells with the layout on the first side.
5. Slip stitch to the opening stitch, then make the source’s ten-chain tail. Finish with the chosen button, bead or tassel.

A marker in the first counted stitch helps identify the final join. Avoid splitting the foundation yarn when working back along the underside; that can tighten one side and make the whole bookmark twist.

Finish a flat, book-friendly strip

Weave the ends through the thicker shell sections instead of across open gaps. Dampen and smooth the bookmark only as permitted by the yarn label, shaping both rows of scallops evenly. Let it dry fully before placing it in a book. Keep a hard button or bead outside the page block so it cannot press into the paper.

The original PDF and its chart are linked below, with credit to Labours of Love Crochet. Its photographs show the actual design and color variations. Use that chart for exact stitch placement, especially when adapting the length or interpreting the abbreviated written repeat.

Frequently asked questions

What is a shell in this pattern?

A shell is five US double crochets worked into the same stitch.

Is it worked in rows?

It travels along one side of the foundation chain, around the end and back along the unworked underside.

Can I change the length?

Use whole chart repeats and include the turning-chain allowance. The written chain formula and starting-chain line should not be used independently.

Original source and more crochet projects

Design credit: Ruth / Labours of Love Crochet, Very Shelley Bookmark (2021). This article explains the supplied source and its construction; it does not claim an independently tested sample. The photographs are from that source, and the checklist is an editorial reading aid.

Open the original pattern in Drive. Source location: Whole PDF. Keep the original instructions and diagrams beside you when working the project.

For another project, explore Anima Floris crochet coasters, or Strand Basket pattern.