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Retro Ric-Rac Afghan Square

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Another trip around the sun and another Afghan Square pattern for my readers. Once again I wanted to create a square that is a little easier than some of my other squares. This square has a bit of a Retro vibe with skinny V-stitches creating the fun Ric Rac border. The square starts off with a classic granny square for round 1, then alternating colors for each round worked in Linen Stitch to create a fun striped effect.

This square is Block #21 in the 2025 Moogly CAL. You can see Tamara’s notes on her square here at MooglyBlog.com as well as finding the links to the other CAL blocks.

Retro Ric Rac Afghan Square

Designed by Andee Graves

Skill level:         Easy Intermediate

Finished Size:  12” square

Materials:

Yarn  – Worsted weight yarn in 3 colors – Sample uses Red Heart “With Love” 100% Acrylic (7 oz/198 g, 370 yds/338 m),

Color A: #1101 Eggshell {aprox 31 g, 58 yds/53 m}

Color B: #1502 Iced Aqua {aprox 40 g, 74 yds/68 m}

Color C: #1538 Lilac {aprox 14 g, 26 yds/24 m}

Hook – J / 6mm or size needed to meet gauge

Notions – Yarn/tapestry needle, Locking stitch markers (4)

Gauge – First 6 rounds of pattern = 4” across square

Abbreviations/Special Stitches

(RS) Right Side: The side that will be the primary/public side of the fabric.

(WS) Wrong Side: The side that will be the back side of the fabric.

(PM) Place Marker

(sl st) Joining slip st: Insert hook in indicated place, YO, pull up a loop through indciated place and loop on hook, continue to pull up on working loop until original loop is tight. Where instructed for color changes, pull a loop of old color and new color through loop on hook.

(Standing dc) Standing Double Crochet: Make slip knot and place loop snugly on shaft of hook, yo and insert hook into indicated place, yo, pull up a loop, (yo, pull through 2 loops on hook) twice.

(SkV-st) Skinny V-stitch: 2 dc in indicated st or sp, next row or round 2 dc are worked between the 2 dc on previous row or round.

Pattern Notes:

Start square with an adjustable slip knot. Beginning tail tightens the loop on the hook.

Keep tails on wrong side of square as you work to help track which is wrong side and right side.

Stitch counts at the end of each round and row are shown in italicized brackets at end of each round.

Center will be started with granny shells then worked in linen stitch, switching between 2 colors each round {without cutting yarn} to create vertical stripes, then 5 rounds of Stacked Skinny V sts to create zig-zags changing colors each round. Final 2 rounds of single crochet are both worked as RS rounds.

Rounds are not turned for every round, check if Round is listed as RS or WS.

Instructions

Rnd 1 (RS) Color A: Begin with Color A. Starting with adjustable slip knot, ch 4 {counts as center and first dc},

(dc, ch 2, {3 dc, ch 2} 3 times, dc) in 4th chain from hook, sl st to join to top of beginning ch, PM in each ch-2 sp. [4 Shl, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 2 (RS) Color A: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, [ch 1, skip next st (sc, ch 2, sc) in marked ch-2 sp, move marker to ch-2 sp just made, ch 1, skip next st, sc in next st] 4 times, ch 1, sl st to join to first sc of Rnd pulling up a loop of Color B through sl st {you will have a loop both colors on hook} Do Not Fasten off Color A, pull up longer working loop of Color A and move to WS of square along with working yarn of Color A. [12 sc, 8 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 3 (WS) Color B: With Color B, ch 1, turn, [sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, skip next st (sc, ch 2, sc) in marked ch-2 sp, move st marker to ch-2 sp just made, ch 1, skip next st, sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1] 4 times, sl st to join to first sc of Rnd pulling up previous loop of Color A through sl st. Do Not Fasten off Color B, pull up longer working loop of Color B and move to WS of square along with working yarn of Color B. [16 sc, 12 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 4 (RS) Color A: With Color A, ch 1, turn, [sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, skip next st] 2 times, [*(sc, ch 2, sc) in marked ch-2 sp, move st marker to ch-2 sp just made, {ch 1, skip next st, sc in next ch-1 sp*} 3 times, ch 1] 3 times, Repeat from * to * once, ch 1, sl st to join to first sc of Rnd pulling up previous loop of Color B through sl st. Do Not Fasten off Color A, pull up longer working loop of Color A and move to WS of square along with working yarn of Color A. [20 sc, 16 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 5 (WS) Color B: With Color B, ch 1, turn, [*sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, skip next st*, Repeat from * to * until reach marked ch-2 sp, (sc, ch 2, sc) in marked ch-2 sp, move st marker to ch-2 sp just made, ch 1] 4 times, Repeat from * to * until reach beginning of Rnd, join with sl st first sc of Rnd pulling up previous loop of Color A through sl st. Do Not Fasten off Color B, pull up longer working loop of Color B and move to WS of square along with working yarn of Color B. [24 sc, 20 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 6 (RS) A: With Color A, ch 1, turn, [*sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, skip next st*, Rep from * to * until reach marked ch-2 sp, (sc, ch 2, sc) in marked ch-2 sp, move st marker to ch-2 sp just made, ch 1] 4 times, Rep from * to * until reach beginning of Rnd, join with sl st first sc of Rnd pulling up previous loop of Color B through sl st. Do Not Fasten off Color A, pull up longer working loop of Color A and move to WS of square along with working yarn of Color A. [28 sc, 24 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 7 (WS) B: Repeat Rnd 5. [32 sc, 28 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 8 (RS) A: Repeat Rnd 6. [36 sc, 32 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 9 (WS) B: Repeat Rnd 5. Fasten off Color B. [40 sc, 36 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 10 (RS) A: Repeat Rnd 6. Fasten off Color A. [44 sc, 40 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 11 (WS): With Color C and wrong side facing, begin with Standing dc in any ch-1 sp along a side, dc in same sp as first st {counts as first SkV-st of Round}, skip next st, [SkV-st in each ch-1 sp until reach marked ch-2 sp at corner, (dc, ch 2, dc) in ch-2 sp, move st marker up to ch-2 sp just made] 4 times, 2 dc in each ch-1 sp until reach start of Rnd, join with sl st to Standing dc at start. Fasten off Color C. [40 SkV-st, 8 dc, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 12 (RS): With Color A and RS facing, begin with Standing dc between 2 dc of any SkV-st along a side, dc in same place as first st {counts as first SkV-st of Round}, skip next 2 sts, [SkV-st in between the 2 dc of each SkV-st until reach marked ch-2 sp at corner, (SkV-st, ch 2, SkV-st) in ch-2 sp, move st marker up to ch-2 sp just made] 4 times, SkV-st in between the 2 dc of each SkV-st until reach start of Rnd, join with sl st to Standing dc at start. Fasten off Color A. [48 SkV-st, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 13 (WS): With Color B and WS facing, begin with Standing dc between 2 dc of any SkV-st along a side, dc in same place as first st {counts as first SkV-st of Round}, skip next 2 sts, [SkV-st in between the 2 dc of each SkV-st until reach marked ch-2 sp at corner, (dc, ch 2, dc) in ch-2 sp, move st marker up to ch-2 sp just made] 4 times, SkV-st in between the 2 dc of each SkV-st until reach start of Rnd, join with sl st to Standing dc at start.

Fasten off Color B. [48 SkV-st, 8 dc, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 14 (RS): Repeat Rnd 12. [56 SkV-st, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 15 (WS): With Color C, repeat Rnd 13. [56 SkV-st, 8 dc, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 16 (RS): With Color A and RS facing, attach with sl st to any st along the side, ch 1, [sc in each st until reach marked ch-2 sp, (sc, ch 2, sc) in marked ch-2 sp, move st marker up to ch-2 sp just made] 4 times, sc in each st until reach start of Rnd, join with sl st to first sc of Rnd. [128 sc, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 17 (RS): Ch 1, [sc in each st until reach marked ch-2 sp, (sc, ch 2, sc) in marked ch-2 sp, move st marker up to ch-2 sp just made] 4 times, sc in each st until reach start of Rnd, join with sl st to first sc of Rnd. [136 sc, 4 ch-2 sp]

Finishing

Weave in tails and block.

Granada Grand Square Pattern

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Another trip around the sun and another Afghan Square pattern for my readers. This one is a little easier than some of my other squares. But it’s a lot of fun to work up, you can experiment with the colors you use, or even how frequently you change the colors.

This square is Block #21 in the 2024 Moogly CAL. You can find links to the other CAL blocks here at MooglyBlog.com.

Granada Grand Square

Designed by Andee Graves

Skill level:         Intermediate

Finished Size: 12” square

Materials:

Yarn 

Worsted wt (Sample uses Red Heart “With Love” 100% Acrylic (7 oz/198g, 370 yd/338 m)

Color A: Eggshell (sample used approximately 44 yards)

Color B: Blue Hawaii (sample used approximately 40 yards)

Color C: Daffodil  (sample used approximately 19 yards)

Hook: J / 6 mm

Notions: Yarn/tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Gauge: First 2 rounds of pattern = 2” across square

Abbreviations/Special Stitches

Standing Double Crochet (Standing dc): make slip knot in yarn and place loop snugly on shaft of hook, yo and insert hook into indicated st, yo, pull up a loop, (yo, pull thru 2 loops on hook) twice. If substituting for a chain start of a round, do not work the first 3 chains of the round instructions.

V-stitch (V-st): (dc, ch 1, dc) in indicated st or sp.

Granny Shell (GrnShl): 3 dc worked in indicated st or sp.

Pattern Notes:

Start square with an adjustable slip knot. Beginning tail tightens the loop on the hook.

Instructions

Rnd 1 (RS): Starting with Color A, ch 4 (counts as center and first dc), (11 dc) in 4th ch from hook, sl st to top of beginning ch-4. Gently pull beginning tail to tighten center. [12 dc]

Rnd 2 (RS):  Ch 1, sc in same st as join, *(hdc, ch 2, hdc) in next st, sc in each of next 2 sts,* Rep from * to * 2 times, (hdc, ch 2, hdc) in next st, sc in next st, join with sl st to first sc of Rnd.  [8 sc, 8 hdc, 4 ch- 2 sps]  Fasten off Color A – R1-2 (1.6g/3 yds yarn)

Rnd 3 (RS):  Change to Color B, with RS facing (Standing dc, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in any ch-2 sp, [ch 1, skip 4 sts, {3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc} in next ch-2 sp] 3 times, ch 1, skip 4 sts, sl st to first dc. [24 dc, 4 ch-1 sps, 4 ch-2 sps]

Rnd 4 (RS): Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in each of next 2 sts, *(sc, ch 1, sc) in next ch-2 sp, sc in each of next 3 sts, ch 5, skip next ch-1 sp,** sc in each of next 3 sts,* Rep from * to * 2 times, Rep from * to ** once, sl st to first sc of Rnd. [32 sc, 4 ch-5 sps, 4 ch-1 sp] Fasten off Color B – R3-4 (4g/7.5 yds)

Rnd 5 (RS): Change to Color C, with RS facing, (Standing dc, 3 dc, ch 3, 4 dc) in any ch-5 sp, *ch 2, skip 4 sts, sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 2, skip 4 sts, ** (4 dc, ch 3, 4 dc) in next ch-5 sp,* Rep from * to * 2 times, Rep from * to ** once, sl st to first dc of Rnd. [32 dc, 8 ch-2 sp, 4 sc, 4 ch-3 sp]

Rnd 6 (WS): Ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first ch-2 sp {counts as first GrnShl}, [*ch 1, skip next st, GrnShl next ch-2 sp, ch 1, skip 4 sts, (GrnShl, ch 2, GrnShl) in next ch-3 sp, ch 1, skip 4 sts,* GrnShl in next ch-2 sp] 2 times, Rep from * to * once, sl st to top of beg ch-3. [16 GrnShl, 12 ch-1 sp, 4 sch-2 sp] 4 GrnShl each side between ch-2 corner sps

Rnd 7 (RS): Ch 4, turn, dc in same ch-1 sp as join {counts as first V-st}, [ch 1, (V-st, ch 2, V-st) in ch-2 corner sp, *ch 1, skip next GrnShl, V-st in next ch-1 sp, * Rep from * to * until reach next ch-2 corner sp] 3 times, ch 1, (V-st, ch 2, V-st) in ch-2 corner sp, Rep from * to * until reach end of Rnd, ch 1, sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-4. [20 V-sts, 16 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp] 5 V-sts each side between ch-2 corner sps Fasten off Color C – R5-7 (10g/19 yds)

Rnd 8 (WS): Change to Color B, with WS facing, (Standing dc, ch1, dc) in a ch-1 sp between V-sts {counts as first V-st}, [*ch 1, skip next V-st, V-st in next ch-1 sp,* Rep from * to * until work in ch-1 sp before corner, ch 1, skip next V-st, (V-st, ch 2, V-st) in ch-2 corner sp] 4 times, Rep from * to * until reach beginning of Rnd, ch 1, skip next V-st, sl st to top of Standing dc.  [24 V-sts, 20 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp] 6 V-sts each side between ch-2 corner sps

Rnd 9 (RS): Ch 4, turn, dc in same ch-1 sp as join join {counts as first V-st}, [*ch 1, skip next V-st, V-st in next ch-1 sp,* Rep from * to * until work in ch-1 sp before corner, ch 1, skip next V-st, (V-st, ch 2, V-st) in ch-2 corner sp] 4 times, Rep from * to * until reach beginning of Rnd, ch 1, skip next V-st, sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-4. [28 V-sts, 24 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp] 7 V-sts each side between ch-2 corner sps

Rnd 10 (WS): Rep Rnd 9. [32 V-sts, 28 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp] 8 V-sts each side between ch-2 corner sps. Fasten off Color B – R8-10 (17.1g/32 yds)

Rnd 11 (RS): Change to Color A, with RS facing, (Standing dc, ch1, dc) in any ch-1 sp between V-sts {counts as first V-st}, [*ch 1, skip next V-st, V-st in next ch-1 sp,* Rep from * to * until work in ch-1 sp before corner, ch 1, skip next V-st, (V-st, ch 2, V-st) in ch-2 corner sp] 4 times, Rep from * to * until reach beginning of Rnd, ch 1, skip next V-st, sl st to top of Standing dc. [36 V-sts, 32 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp] 9 V-sts each side between ch-2 corner sps

Rnd 12 (WS): Ch 1, turn, sc in same ch-1 as join, [*ch 1, skip next st, sc in next ch-sp,* Rep from * to * until reach corner ch-2 sp, (sc, ch 2, sc) in corner ch-2 sp] 4 times, Repeat from * to * until reach beginning of Rnd, ch 1, sl st to first sc of Rnd, turn. [76 sc, 72 ch-1 sp, 4 ch-2 sp] 19 sc and 18 ch-1 sp each side between ch-2 corner sps.

Rnds 13 & 14 (RS): Ch 1, sc in same st as join, *sc in each st or sp until reach ch-2 sp at corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in corner ch-2 sp,* Rep from * to * 3 times, sc in each st or sp until reach beginning of Rnd, sl st to join.

Rnd 13 – [156 sc, 4 ch-2 sp] 39 sc each side between ch-2 corner sps.  

Rnd 14 – [164 sc, 4 ch-2 sp] 41 sc each side between ch-2 corner sps – R11-14 (22g/41 yds)

Finishing

Weave in all ends securely and block.

Happiness in a Circle

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If you didn’t know, today is Pi-Day. For those of you that are new to visiting my blog I am a bit of a geek. I use geometry in my designing process all the time, but my favorite geometrical shapes are circles.

This blog post contains affiliate links, purchases through these links help support me without additional cost to you.

For those of you uncertain what Pi is and how it relates to circles…it is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, approximately equal to 3.14159. It also appears in many formulae across mathematics and physics. For most uses the abbreviated version of 3.14 is more than enough. March 14 is written as 3/14 for most of us here in the US, so some of us geeky souls like to refer to today as Pi-Day.

I have been playing with some circles lately, I made this fun little pouch as an experiment. It is still a work in progress, but so far I like what I’ve come up with. This was just 2 flat circles worked in 5 rounds of double crochet, I then crocheted them together and added a Romanian Cord to create a little wearable pocket for my phone and a few odds and ends when I am running around the house. The crochet hook is to give you a feel for the size of the pouch.

If you are wondering about how to get your flat circles as round as mine you can check out my post about Crocheting Really Round Circles here. I get very detailed in that post about crocheting flat circles and keeping their edges round.

If you are more interested in using Pi to crochet hats that fit the person they are made for, check out my Perfect Fit Crocheted Hat pattern. It is basically my Perfect Fit Crochet Hat class in a pattern. Everything you need to know for adjusting the size of your hat for fit and for the yarn you are using. You don’t even need to be a wizard at math, because I have some easy visual cheats included in the pattern. Once you have worked through the pattern you will understand how to adjust any crown-down constructed hat to fit your yarn and whomever you are making the hat for.

I recently purchased some 24 inch diameter floral hoops to use for creating some crochet art. The first piece I have been making is fairly free-form, so math hasn’t been as much help in this project. This is just the start of it. Once the hoop is filled in and the crochet open work is anchored to it, I’ll be adding crochet pieces to the foreground to make a fun little scene. The whole thing is currently anchored to my work surface so that I can stretch it as I go.

I do have some additional pieces planned that will involve more math as I fill in the hoop. I’ll share more images as these projects progress.

I bought my hoops on Amazon and am very happy with the quality of what I received. You can check them out by clicking here. These hoops are strong and well shaped without any distortion from shipping. They have them in variety of sizes, so I may be ordering some of the smaller ones for making framed snowflakes in the fall. The 24″ diameter ones were the largest offered on that product listing.

Quick Shamrock Pattern

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Saint Patrick’s Day is this coming Sunday and I decided to make up a little clover for all my lovely readers.

This quick little shamrock can be crocheted up in just a few minutes with about 4 yards of worsted weight yarn. I used Berroco’s Ultra Wool and a 5mm hook for the shamrocks shown above. You can sew or glue your shamrock onto a pin back to create a fun brooch to wear or sew the finished shamrock unto a hat, gloves, or scarf.

I have a PDF version available through my Ravelry shop that also includes a stitch chart. The PDF version is available for free in my Ravelry shop with coupon code 2024QSSPD through 11:30 p.m. Mountain Time Saturday, March 16, 2024. Just place the pattern in your cart and when checking out put the coupon code in the code spot.

Quick Shamrock Pattern

By Andee Graves

Skill Level: Easy

Finished Size: 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) tall x 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) wide

Materials

Yarn  Berroco “Ultra Wool” Worsted Weight, 100% Superwash Wool,

3.5 oz/100 g, 219 yds/200 m (1.8 g/4 yds for 1 Shamrock)

Hook  H / 5 mm or size needed to obtain consistent fabric

Gauge is not critical to this project; fabric needs to be consistent and tight. Shamrock can be worked with different weight of yarn, just adjust the size hook so you get the desired result.

Notions  Yarn/tapestry needle, pin back if turning into brooch/pin

Special Stitches and Abbreviations

Adjustable Slip Knot: Make like a regular slip knot but use the beginning tail to form the working loop. Pulling on the beginning tail snugs the working loop on the shaft of the hook. If desired can use the magic circle method instead, just count your circle as the first chain stitch. Click here for my YouTube video if you need help with the Adjustable Slip Knot.

2 Extended Double crochet Cluster (2ExDcCL):  [Yo, insert hook into indicated stitch, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull through 1 loop, yo, pull through 2 loops] 2 times, yo, pull through remaining 3 loops on hook.

Pattern Notes

This shamrock is worked from the center out in 2 rounds, at the end of the second round you chain a length then work back towards the body of the shamrock to create the stem.

Pattern Instructions

Rnd 1: Make an adjustable slip knot, ch 2, 6 hdc in second ch from hook, join with a slip st to first hdc of round. (6 hdc)

Rnd 2: (Ch 4, 2ExDcCL, hdc, 2ExDcCL, ch 4, slip st) in first st, [slip st loosely in next st, (slip st, ch 4, 2ExDcCL, hdc, 2ExDcCL, ch 4, slip st) in next st] 2 times, slip st loosely in next st,

{Stem} ch 6, sc in back bump of second ch from hook, slip st loosely in back bump of each of next 4 chs, slip st to join to Rnd 1 between last and first hdc. Fasten off.

(6 2ExDcCL, 3 hdc, 6 ch-4 sp, 7 loose slip sts, 1 sc)

I used Vanna’s Choice with an I hook (5.5mm) for the brighter green Shamrock shown above, you can see that it came out a bit bigger than the shamrocks made with Berroco Ultra Wool.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all my Irish and Irish Heritage readers.

There’s No Place like Gnome

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Happy National Crochet Month my friends! March has started off with a bang for me. I”m helping out with all sorts of fun stuff at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe and will be sharing more about that. Suffice to say that I’ve been so busy that I didn’t get a chance until today to do my first post of March to celebrate NatCroMo.

3 Colorful Crocheted Gnomes on a Gray background. Front Gnome had yellow body, gray beard and orange hat with floppy brim. Middle Gnome has bright blue body, white beard and magenta hat with small brim. Last Gnome has orange body with arms up in air, cream beard and green hat with small brim.

First of all say hello to my newest design, this is my “Cute Lil Gnome” pattern. This fun amigurumi is made using small bits of worsted weight yarn. Approximate yardage for each of the 4 pieces are: body -14 yards, Hat – 8.5 yards, Nose – 2 yards, and Beard – 3.5 yards.

Gnome held in hand with gray background. Gnome body is bright blue with a white beard, taupe nose and magenta hat. Hat has small brim.

I’ve been having fun making these little gnomes from various weights of yarn. The worsted weight gnomes are worked with Berroco Ultra Wool using a H (5mm) size hook and are 4.5 inches (10.6 cm) tall.

All my current crop of gnomes were having a little party with the Luv Bug at the shop on March 1st. The majority of the gnomes were made with Berroco Ultra Wool. The tiny one was made with KFI Collections “Teenie Weenie Wool”. The big one in pastel colors was made with some discontinued Lion Brand “Jiffy” that I had in my stash.

Crocheted toys, different sizes of gnomes surrounding a large Luvbug.

The big Gnome and Luv Bug are being crochet mascots at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe, so if you are in the area stop by and get your photo taken with them. We are also looking for suggestions for a name for the Gnome. If you stop in with a finished crochet project to get your photo taken at the shop, you can get a cute little butterfly or sheep stitch marker and enter the shop drawing to win an awesome product prize at the end of NatCroMo.

I designed this project so you only have to sew one seam. The hat is worked top down with the nose and beard crocheted at the end of the hat. The body is worked bottom up with the arms crocheted along the way. You fasten off the body with a long tail and use it to sew the body to the hat/head. A couple of fancy cluster stitches make the nose and hands, post stitches create the first round of the hat brim, but the rest of the project is single crochet, slip stitches and chain stitches.

The pattern currently has written instructions with some clarifying photo tutorials and 1 stitch chart. I’ll be updating the pattern at the end of March with stitch charts for all the parts and more photo tutorials. Once it is updated the price will go up. If you purchase your pattern now at the lower price, you will get the updated version for no additional cost when it is available.

Purchase the “Cute Lil Gnome” pattern here on Ravelry.

Make sure to check back regularly this month as I reveal more new patterns and all the creative ways I will be celebrating crochet with my local crochet community.

Spiraling Blocks Blanket

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This is the perfect way to wrap up my Spiraling October on the last day of the month! I’m so excited to be able to share with all my readers about this new project with Furls Crochet. This is my “Spiraling Blocks Blanket” that is available as a kit on the Furls Website. This lovely blanket is a fun way to work with spirals in blocks that are then sewn together for a cozy layer that is perfect for decoration and warmth.

The kit comes with an intermediate level pattern and has instructions for making the blanket in 2 sizes. The Small Throw Kit – 6 blocks x 8 blocks; 40” x 53” {100 cm x 132.5 cm} is $95. The Regular Throw Kit  – 8 blocks x 10 blocks; 53” x 66” {132.5 cm x 165 cm} is $145. That price includes your pattern, all the yarn for the size selected and a beautiful size I/5.5 mm Furls Streamline Hook.

For just this week my readers can get this kit for 15% off by using the coupon code ANDEE15 before November 3rd at 11 p.m. EDT, so go grab yours quick!

The kit is available in 4 color palettes at the Furls website: CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS! My blanket used the Vortex color pallette. Colors A – H (the first 7) are the arms of the spirals. For my blanket I picked the “Tundra” color as my Color A. Color I (the 8th Color) is your overall border color. It is used to border each spiral and for the finishing border of the blanket. You can see more details about the colors in each palette on the Furls website.

My Hawaiian inspired colors that I used.

The 8 Colors I selected for my blanket were colors that reminded me of my trip to Hawaii a couple years ago. A variety of blues and greens for the amazing changing shades of the ocean and some earthy tones for the gorgeous shoreline. If those colors aren’t appealing to you there are 3 other color combinations selected by the folks at Furls for you.

I designed this so my color A gives a pinwheel effect, yes it was the inspiration for my Block #21 for the Moogly blog that you saw earlier this month. You don’t have to fuss too much for this design as long as you have 1 arm of your spiral made with color A, it’s just all about how you orient the squares when you join them together.

The really great thing about this project is that it is very portable way of making a blanket. Each bordered spiral square is about 6.5 inches square, so they are super portable. I worked the individual spiral blocks carrying around the 4 colors I needed. Then had a bag of 10 spiral squares that I used while working on the outside border whenever I had a moment.

The photo above shows my pile of blocks as I was working on the block borders. I had a lot of fun taking this project along when I was running errands, especially when I was waiting in line.

Once I finished the blocks I laid them all out on my bed to decide on the order to join them. In the pattern I have provided a joining map and list of the number of blocks with the combinations of colors. I was going for a shore to sea feeling with my layout. You can mix and match colors and placement however you like it best though. That is part of the fun.

I hope you have as much fun making your Spiraling Blocks Blanket as I did. I was nice and cozy under it as I finished sewing together my blocks and then crocheting a final border around the outside. Be sure to grab your kit before November 3rd to get the 15% discount.

Thanks for going on this fun journey of spirals with me during the month of October. Next month is going to be all about Hats and the Holidays. If you are interested in taking my class on Zoom for the Linked Stitches Hat this coming Sunday, be sure to register online at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe.

Linked Stitches Hat

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October is almost done and I’m winding down my spiral blog posts. I wanted to share a different sort of spiral with you all today. As you know I love crocheting in the round, it is a great way to create amazing borders on a project as well as a fun way to create shaping. Today I want to talk about continuous rounds in crochet.

Working a continuous round in crochet is often a spiral style. Especially when you are crocheting top down hats or amigurumi. When you work concentric rounds in crochet you join the first stitch to the last stitch of the round, but for continuous rounds you are working the rounds without joins and step-up to the first stitch of the next round after the last stitch of the previous round. Continuous rounds also eliminate those pesky seams. When working an increasing circle, like for the crown of a hat, your rounds look like a classic spiral.

My flat fuzzy friend is an example of a classic double crochet spiral worked as a continuous round, then surface crochet is worked to emphasize the spiral.

I used the classic double crochet spiral as a continuous round for my Simple Double Crochet Hat design as well. But I don’t really like how open the stitches are for a hat made with double crochet stitches. That open stitch work is great for a warm climate hat, but on my mountain I need something a little less breezy. This inspired me to start playing around with how to work a double crochet hat that didn’t have all the open spaces.

Last spring I bought a beautiful silk scarf with a rainbow of colors and decided I needed a hat to go with it. I had lots of fun selecting a yarn at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe that would match it. The selected yarn was Cosette by Dream in Color and is a glorious cashmere blend that was a delight to work with. My plan was to use the yarn to crochet a double crochet hat that used linked double crochet stitches.

I took that project with me on my trip to Philadelphia and Ireland. It was a great project to work on when traveling as it was small enough to fit in my carry-on for flights and my day-pack during our various bus trips. After a lot of experiments and little bit of frogging I finally settled on how I wanted the design to work.

The finished hat is my Snowy Rainbow Hat. The pattern is available for purchase in my Ravelry Shop. This pattern includes stitch charts and instructions on making the hat in various sizes.

I’m also teaching a class on working this hat at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe, Sunday, November 5th 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Mountain Time) {2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Eastern; 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pacific}. This class will be a hybrid class, so you can join me via Zoom or In-person. You can register for the Zoom seats here on the Longmont Yarn Shoppe website, and for the In-person seats here. For the class I recommend working with a solid color worsted weight yarn, the image above shows the hat worked in Berroco’s Ultra Wool. In class we will make a baby size hat so you can practice all the elements of making the hat and learning linked double crochet stitches in the round.

With cold weather and holiday gift giving right around the corner, hats are a great project to have in your works-in-progress. If you want to personalize your hat gifts you can have fun adding little embellishments. I love to add flowers to my hats or little snowflakes. For the younger members on my gift list I will sometimes turn a basic hat into a monster face. I made one for my nephew years back and when he outgrew it he asked me to turn it into a ball.

Hats using Spirals

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In keeping with my crochet spirals theme I wanted to share some dimensional spirals with you. So far everything I’ve shared has been flat spirals but they are also wonderful for making hats with. I like making my hats from the crown down to the brim to take full advantage of the stretchiness of the fabric. My favorite method is to work continuous rounds, which is basically a spiral. Creating hat patterns that use different color spiral arms is an easy adjustment. 2 of my favorite spiral hats are below.

Whirlwind Hat

This hat pattern is sized for a small adult head (circumference 21″) here on my blog. This pattern uses a four-arm spiral to create a colorfully striped top-down hat. It is a great pattern for using up leftover bits of yarn from your stash. Each spiral arm uses approximately 28 yards, 1 spiral uses 46 yards as it is a spiral arm and the brim. Click here to check out the pattern.

Spiraling Stripes Hat

This 2 arm spiral hat that was inspired by the folks at Round Mountain Fibers. They hand-dye some incredible colors. I wanted to create a hat that would blend a semi-solid and variegated color together. The sample I made had some interesting pooling of the colors so I got an almost plaid look in the finished hat.

This is another sample I made from the pattern using 2 solid color worsted weight yarns. This was made with Berroco Ultra Wool. The pattern is available for purchase in my Ravelry Shop. The pattern includes stitch charts and is written for a small adult size (21″ circumference).

If you are interested in making these hats in smaller or larger sizes you just need to stop increasing the crown of the hat when you reach the size you want, then work the sides of the hat in keeping with the size of the crown.

If you want a really detailed run-down on adjusting the size of top down hats you can purchase my “Perfect Fit Crocheted Hat” pattern in my Ravelry Shop. This pattern is basically my hat class in pattern form, it walks you thru the ins and outs of making a hat just the size you want.

I hope you are having a wonderful October, I’ll have a few more fun posts about crocheting spirals before the month is out.

Dizzy Dot Blanket Square Pattern

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Hello my friends, today is my actual Birthday! I’m 60 years young today! So I have a 6 inch blanket square to celebrate my 60th. Doesn’t everyone love alliteration with their crochet patterns?

Like all small spiral projects this is a great pattern to use up those odds and ends of worsted weight yarn that you have remaining from other projects. Just pick 2 contrasting colors for your spirals, you’ll only need 7 yards for each spiral arm.

This square is part of the Melange Blanket Mystery Crochet-Along with Underground Crafter. This is a year long project that is coming to a conclusion soon. Be sure to check out this post at Underground Crafter that has all the links for the other squares, great information on joining your squares together and the information and links you need to get in on a chance to win some of the marvelous give-away prizes.

I also have an ad-free PDF version that includes a stitch chart available for purchase in my Ravelry shop.

Dizzy Dot Square

Designed by Andee Graves

Skill level:    Intermediate

Finished Size: 6” square

Materials:

Yarn 

Worsted weight (WeCrochet “Brava” 100% Premium Acrylic (3.5 oz/100g, 218 yd/199 m)

  • Color A: Marina #28437 (approximately 7 yards/ 3.2 grams) Spiral Arm 1
  • Color B: Seashell #28447 (approximately 7 yards/ 3.2 grams) Spiral Arm 2
  • Color C: Tranquil #28453 (approximately 20 yards/9.5 grams) Square Border

Hook J / 6mm

Notions

  • Yarn/tapestry needle
  • 8 Medium Locking Stitch markers (2 in one color, 6 in second color)

Gauge

First 5 rounds of pattern = 4” across circle

Abbreviations/Special Stitches

(Standing dc) Standing Double Crochet: make slip knot in yarn and place loop snugly on shaft of hook, yo and insert hook into indicated st, yo, pull up a loop, (yo, pull thru 2 loops on hook) twice.

(sl st loosely) Loose slip stitch: Insert hook in indicated place, YO, pull up a loop thru place and loop on hook keeping loose like making a chain st.

(sl st) Slip stitch: Insert hook in indicated place, YO, pull up a loop thru place and loop on hook, continue to pull up on working loop until original loop is tight.

(Edc) Extended Double Crochet: YO, insert hook in indicated st or sp, YO pull up a loop, YO pull thru first loop on hook, (YO, pull thru 2 loops on hook) 2 times.

Pattern Notes:

Start square with an adjustable slip knot. Beginning tail tightens the loop on the hook. If you prefer to start with a magic loop crochet 1 less chain stitch at start.

Stitch counts at the end of each round are shown in italicized brackets at end of each round.

Square starts with a 2 color hdc spiral circle as the center, then rounds are worked to square the circle.

When instructions specify “sl st loosely”, this means work those slip stitches similar to a chain stitch and do not pull the working loop to tighten them as in a joining slip stitch. You will be working into those loose slip stitches for the next round.

Instructions

Spiral Circle

Rnd 1 (RS): Begin with Color A, ch 2, (sc, 3 hdc) in second ch from hook, pull up long loop of color A and remove hook, insert hook in same ch as previous work, pull up a loop of Color B on shaft of hook, ch 1, (sc, 3 hdc) in same ch st, pull beginning tail of Color A to close center tightly. Place st markers in each st using a different color marker to indicate the last st of each color section. [1 sc, 3 hdc, in each color]

Rnd 2: Begin with Color A, *(2 hdc in marked st, move st marker up to second st worked) 4 times*, pull up loop of Color A, switch to Color B, Repeat from * to *. [8 hdc, in each color]

Rnd 3: Begin with Color A, *(hdc in next st, 2 hdc in marked st, move st marker up to second st worked) 4 times*, pull up loop of Color A, switch to color B, Repeat from * to *. [12 hdc, in each color]

Rnd 4: Begin with Color A, *(hdc in each of next 2 sts, 2 hdc in marked st, move st marker up to second st worked) 4 times*, pull up loop of Color A, switch to Color B, Repeat from * to *. [16 hdc, in each color]

Rnd 5: Begin with Color A, *(hdc in each of next 3 sts, 2 hdc in marked st, move st marker up to second st worked) 4 times*, pull up loop of Color A, switch to Color B, Repeat from * to * once,

**hdc next st, sc next st, sl st loosely in back loop and back bar of next st, sl st in back loop and back bar of next st**, fasten off Color B, switch to Color A, Repeat from ** to ** once, fasten off Color A. [21 hdc, 1 sc, 2 slip st, in each color]

Square Border

Remove every other st marker leaving 4 markers equally spaced around circle.

Rnd 6 (Round to Square 1): With RS facing attach Color C yarn with a standing dc in any marked st, 2 Edc in same st, *skip 2 sts, hdc next st, hdc & sc next st, sc next st, sc & hdc next st, hdc next st, skip 2 sts, (2 Edc, dc, ch 2, dc, 2 Edc) next marked st, move marker to ch-2 sp just made*; Repeat from * to * 2 times; skip 2 sts, hdc next st, hdc & sc next st, sc next st, sc & hdc next st, hdc next st, skip 2 sts, (2 Edc, dc) in same st as join, ch 2, sl st to first dc of Rnd. [16 Edc, 8 dc, 16 hdc, 12 sc, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 7 (Round to Square 2): Turn (sc, ch 1 {counts as first hdc}, hdc, ch 2, hdc ) in first marked ch-2 sp, move marker to ch-2 sp just made, [*hdc in each of next 4 sts, sc in each of next 5 sts, hdc in each of next 4 sts,*  (2 hdc, ch 2, hdc) in next marked ch-2 sp, move marker to ch-2 sp just made] 3 times, Rep from * to * once, sl st to top of first hdc. [48 hdc, 20 sc, 4 ch-2 sp {17 sts}]

Rnd 8: Turn, sc in first st, ch 1 {counts as first hdc}, [hdc in each st until reach marked ch-2 sp, (hdc, ch 2, hdc) in marked ch-2 sp, move marker to ch-2 sp just made] 4 times, hdc in each st until reach start of Rnd, sl st to top of first hdc. [76 hdc, 4 ch-2 sps {19 sts each side}]

Finishing Weave in tails and block.

Pinwheel Square Pattern

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In keeping with my love of crocheting spirals I have a fun afghan square pattern for you all. This idea has been kicking around in my brain for a couple of years. I finally sat down and worked out the design with yarn and wrote up the pattern. It has a few challenges to keep it interesting, but those of you that are feeling intrepid will have lots of fun with it.

This square is also Block#21 in the Moogly 2023 Afghan CAL. You can see Tamara’s notes on making this square and find out more about the Moogly 2023 Afghan CAL here.

You can purchase an Ad-free PDF version in my Ravelry Shop that includes stitch charts and additional photo tutorials.

Pinwheel Square

Designed by Andee Graves

Skill level:    Intermediate

Finished Size: 12” square

Materials:

Yarn 

Worsted wt (Sample uses Red Heart “With Love” 100% Acrylic (7 oz/ 198 g, 370 yd/ 338 m)

  • Color A: Eggshell (sample used approximately 67.5 yards/ 36 grams)
  • Color B: Bluebell (sample used approximately 14 yards/ 7.5 grams)
  • Color C: Bubblegum Pink (sample used approximately 14 yards/ 7.5 grams)
  • Color D: Country Blue (sample used approximately 14 yards/ 7.5 grams)

Hook Size J (6 mm)

Notions

  • Medium Locking Stitch Markers: 8 in 1 color, 4 in 2nd color
  • Large Locking Stitch Markers 4 in any color
  • Tapestry Needle
  • Scissors

Gauge Small spiral square = 4” across

Abbreviations/Special Stitches

Standing Single Crochet (Standing sc): make slip knot in yarn and place loop snugly on shaft of hook, insert hook into indicated st, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull thru 2 loops on hook.

Loose slip stitch (loose slip st): Insert hook in indicated place, YO, pull up a loop thru place and loop on hook keeping loose like making a chain st.

Joining slip st (slip st): Insert hook in indicated place, YO, pull up a loop thru place and loop on hook, continue to pull up on working loop until original loop is tight.

Double Crochet Cross Stitch (X-st): Skip one st, dc in next st, working around previously made dc, dc in skipped st. Each X-st uses 2 sts and creates 2 sts.

Pattern Notes:

Start square with an adjustable slip knot. Beginning tail tightens the loop on the hook.

Stitch counts at the end of each round and row are shown in italicized brackets at end of each round or row.

Square starts with 4 small four color dc spiral squares that are joined together as the center, then a border of 5 rounds  is worked as a frame.

When instructions specify “sl st loosely”, this means work those slip stitches similar to a chain stitch and do not pull the working loop to tighten them as in a joining slip stitch. You will be working into those loose slip stitches.

Instructions

Spirals (make 4)

Rnd 1: Begin with an adjustable slip knot in Color A, ch 2, (sc, hdc, dc) in second ch from hook {center ch st}, pull up working loop of current color and remove hook, place a large locking stitch marker in working loop to secure,

*insert hook in center ch st, pull up a loop of new color on shaft of hook, ch 1, working over beginning tail (sc, hdc, dc) in same ch st, pull up working loop of current color and remove hook, place a large locking stitch marker in working loop to secure*,

Rep from * to * with 2 other colors, 4 different colors total for the arms of your spiral, gently pull beginning tail of Color A to close center tightly. Place medium st markers in each st using a different color marker to indicate the last st of each color section. [1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc in each color]

Rnd 2:  Begin with Color A, *(2 dc in marked st, move st marker up to second st worked) 3 times, pull up working loop of current color and secure*, [switch to next color, Repeat from * to *] 3 times. [6 dc in each color]

Rnd 3:  Begin with Color A, *(dc in next st, 2 dc in marked st, move st marker up to second st worked) 3 times, pull up working loop of current color*, [switch to next color, Repeat from * to *] 3 times. [9 dc in each color]

Rnd 4 (Round to Square):  Begin with Color A,

*Tr in next st, (Tr, ch 1, Tr) in next st, 2 dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in next st, sl st loosely in next st, sl st in back loop of next st*, cut Color A with 10” tail, [switch to next color, Repeat from * to *] 3 times, cut Color B & C with 6” tail, cut Color D with 10” tail.  [3 Tr, 1 ch-1 sp, 2 dc, 1 hdc, 2 sc, 1 loose sl st, 1 sl st in each color, {44 sts and 4 ch-1 sp around. 2nd sl st is not counted}]

Weave in center tails of spiral. Weave in Color B & C ending tails. Sew 4 spiral squares together with a whip-stitch using Color A and D ending tails (refer to photo for placement).

PM in ch-1 sp corners of joined spirals block (Color C Corners).

Square Border

Rnd 1:  With RS facing, attach Color A in 3rd st to the right of corner ch-sp with a standing sc, *sc in each st and ch-sp until reach the marked corner ch-sp, (sc, ch-2, sc) in marked sp, move st marker up to ch-2 sp just made*, Repeat from * to * 3 times, sc in each st and ch-sp until reach beginning of Rnd, sl st to first sc of rnd to join. [104 sc, 4 ch-2 sp, {26 sc each side between ch-2 sps}]

Rnd 2: Ch 3, turn, dc in st before join {counts as first X-st of Rnd}, *X-st over next 2 sts*, Repeat from * to * 11 times, [(2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in marked ch-2 sp, Repeat from * to * 13 times] 3 times, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in next marked ch-2 sp, move st marker up to ch-1 sp just made, Repeat from * to * once, join to top of ch-3 with slip st. [52 X-sts, 16 dc, 4 ch-2 sp, {13 X-sts, 4 dc each side between ch-2 sps}]

Rnd 3: Turn, sc, ch 1 in first st {sc and ch 1 count as first hdc of Rnd}, [hdc in each st until reach marked ch-sp, (hdc, ch 2, hdc) in marked ch-sp, move st marker up to ch-2 sp just made] 4 times, hdc in each st until reach end of Rnd, join to first hdc with slip st. [128 hdc, 4 ch-2 sp {32 hdc each side between ch-2 sps}]

Rnds 4 & 5: Repeat Rnd 3.

Count end of Rnd 4 [136 hdc, 4 ch-2 sp {34 hdc each side between ch-2 sps}]

Count end of Rnd 5 [144 hdc, 4 ch-2 sp {36 hdc each side between ch-2 sps}]

Finishing

Weave in tails and block.