I wish I could go to the northern hemisphere!, Hate winter time, cold and dark, we do not have snow, but days are almost always clouded, and rainy. I began to work with nice summer colors, and I thought I could crochet a sun…..

Crochet: N° 00 steel hook, or E (3,5 mm) hook
Scrap thread (cotton) white, yellow and orange

8" (20 cm) diameter

Gauge not important, just use always the same hook size.
Mine was 3 rows 1" (2.5 cm), 5 sc 1" (2.5 cm)

For a dishcloth use 1 strand worsted cotton, do not block. (that was mine)

For a pot holder , you can use 2 strands together for a thighter stitches, do starch ( I use 1 part water, 2 parts sugar, heat until the sugar is dissolved, no more, or it will turn brown!), and block it. Believe me, it will be very stiff.

Row 1: with white Ch 3 join
Row 2 ; 5 sc in ring
Row 3: ch1 sc in same ch1, 2 sc in the next 4 sc ( 10 sc)
Row 4: ch1 sc in same ch1, 2 sc in the next 9 sc (20 sc)
Row 5: With yellow, ch 10 and join to ring with sl st
Row 6 : work 8 sc, 2 sc in the last 2 ch ( 12 sc) turn ch 1 to turn
Row 7 : work 2 sc in the first 4 sc BLO from now on, , work 4 in the next sc, work 3 sc in the next sc, work 5 sc in the next 5 sc do not join to ring
Row 8: join orange to last yellow sc, repeat row 6 and row 7, work sl st in the next white sc to join.
Row 9: join yellow to last orange sc, work 8 sc, 2 sc in the last 2 sc ch 1, turn
Row 10: work 2 sc in the first sc, work 4 sc, next st work 3 sc, work 5 sc and join to white with sl st.
Repeat row 5-10 until all the white sc are worked.

This is my first stab at a crochet pattern. I wanted to make a square design in the round. I had found plenty of patterns for working from the middle out, but I could not find any for working outside in, so I printed a grid chart and got to work figuring out how to do it.

This pattern can be used as a coaster, like the sample, a dishcloth, or, if you stop after a round or two, a cute picture frame.

I will first give the pattern used for this specific sample, and then give a formula you can use to make a square of any size.

Any yarn you desire using any size hooks you wish.

For this sample, I used Sugar 'N Cream yarn with a size J-10 hook.

This sample ended up being 5 x 4.5 inches.

Gauge isn't important for this pattern.

This pattern uses slip stitch, single crochet, and decreases.

Chain 69 and join for a ring. Make sure chain is not twisted when joined.

Round 1 - Skip first ch. (Dec over 2 ch. 10 sc. Dec over 2 ch. Skip 3 ch.)* Repeat 3 times. Dec over 2 ch. 10 sc. Dec over 2 ch. Skip 2 ch.

Round 2 - (Dec over next two sts. 8 sc. Dec over next two sts.)* Repeat 4 times.

Round 3 - (Dec over next two sts. 6 sc. Dec over next two sts.)* Repeat 4 times.

Round 4 - (Dec over next two sts. 4 sc. Dec over next two sts.)* Repeat 4 times.

Round 5 - (Dec over next two sts. 2 sc. Dec over next two sts.)* Repeat 4 times.

Round 6 - (Dec over next two sts. Dec over next two sts.)* Repeat 4 times.

Round 7 - (Dec over next two sts.)* Repeat 4 times.

Round 8 - (Dec over next two sts.)* Repeat twice.

Round 9 - Dec over remaining two sts.

Finish work by weaving ends in.

This will give you a square of 18 stitches by 18 stitches.

If you wish to make a larger or smaller square, follow this formula:

(x * 4) - 3 = ch, where x equals the number of stitches you want per side and ch equals the length of the chain to start with.

For the first row, after chaining and joining: skip the first ch, (Dec, (x - 8) sc, Dec. Skip 3 ch.)* Repeat 3 times. Dec, (x - 8) sc, Dec. Skip 2 ch.

For each row afterword reduce the sc in each section by 2.

This was another design that was inspired by my beginning class. I made this as an example of what can be done with the 3 most basic of crochet stitches; single crochet, double crochet and the chain stitch.

I originally posted this on my crochet Livejournal and wanted to share it here also. On my journal, someone had commented that this would also make a nice afghan square too.

~Lily’s Sugar and Cream 100% cotton worsted weight
in Cream (A), Light Blue (B) and Delft Blue (C), 1 ball each for tri-colour or
1 ball of Cream for single colour or colours of your choice.
~Size G hook
~tapestry needle

approx. an 8x8 in. square, give or take

gauge really isn’t that important in this project, but mine is 4 sc per inch

Stitches used:
~Chain (ch)
~Slip Stitch (slst)
~Single Crochet (sc)
~Double Crochet (dc)
~X-Stitch (X-st)
~Eyelet Picot (picot)

Special Stitches:
X-Stitch (X-st): Sk next stitch, dc in next stitch, going back to skipped stitch, yarn over, crossing over stitch just made, insert hook in skipped stitch, yarn over, draw through stitch, complete stitch as a dc, X-stitch completed. Repeat as pattern indicates.

Eyelet Picot (picot): sc in stitch indicated in pattern, ch 3, slst into the side of sc just made, eyelet picot completed. (I call it “Eyelet” Picot, because, when completing the picot on top of the sc, the slst made on the side of the sc opens the stitch up creating an “eyelet”.)

NOTE: Instructions are for the 3 colour dishcloth, but it can be made with only 1 or 2 colours. For 1 colour, work the same, just don’t break the yarn at the end of every row. For 2 colours, label colours just as A and B and alternate following the same directions.

With colour A, Ch 27

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (26 sc)

Row 2: Change to colour B, ch 3 (counts as 1st dc), dc in next sc, ch 1, skip next sc, [dc in next 2 sc, ch 1, skip next sc] 7x’s, dc in last 2 sc (18 dc, 8 ch 1 spaces)

Row 3: Change to colour A, sc in each dc and ch 1 space across
(26 sc)

Row 4: Change to colour C, ch 3 (counts 1st dc), [X-st (see special stitches above) over the next 2 sc] 12x’s, dc in last sc (2 dc, 12 X-stitches)

Row 5: repeat Row 2

Rows 6-19: Repeat rows 2-5, Do Not finish off.

For edging: