tutorial picnic blanket part 1

June 16, 2013 by elisabeth andrée 11 Comments

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a few dear blog friends i promised to write a tutorial for the yellow picnic blanket.

so i started, writing and taking pictures, but after so many weeks, it is still not finished.

this morning i thought i already publish the first part and here it is.

hopefully it is clearly written.

 

used materials:

before you start: the type of yarn and the colors do not matter. if you choose a thin yarn, you just make more rows to get the squares larger, you can choose different colors from your stash, for example for every square another color and one color for the edges.

i have taken fresh yellow as the main color, an acrylic yarn that is suitable for hook 3.5 – 4 mm, but i have worked with hook size 5.5 mm.

for the edges of the squares i have chosen two shades of gray and white acrylic yarn for the outer edge of the blanket, which colors i have from my stash.

used stitches (american english):

• ch: chain
• ss: slipstitch
• sc: single crochet
• dc: double crochet

 

pattern for a square

the squares are a variation on the basic granny square, they are slightly different. 

anyway, have fun with your hook!

• first make a magic ring
• row 1. 1 sc, 2 ch, 1 sc, 2 ch, 1 sc, 2 ch, 1 sc, 2 ch, close the magic ring, make a slip stitch into the first sc
• row 2. slip stitch into the first 2 ch space and make 2 ch, 1 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc into the same space (is corner),
  1 ch, (2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc into the next space, 1 ch) 3 times, skip the 2 ch at the beginning of the row and
  make a slip stitch into the dc (see photos)

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photo 1. square picnic blanket end of row 2photo 2. square picnic blanket end of row 2

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• row 3. slip stitch into the first 2 ch space (corner) and make 2 ch, 1 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc into the same space, 1 ch,
  2 dc into the first 1 ch space, 1 ch, (2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc into the next space, 1 ch, 2 dc into the next 1 ch space, 1 ch)
  3 times and end the row in the same manner as row 1

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• row 4 – 14 or further: the square is getting larger but basically each row you do the same, you’re just making more stitches. that means every row you: 

1. slip stitch into the first 2 ch space and make 2 ch, 1 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc into the same space, 1 ch (first corner)
2. make in all the 1 ch spaces: 2 dc, 1 ch
3. make in the other three corners: 2 dc, 2 ch, 2 dc , 1 ch
4. end every row with: skip the 2 ch at the beginning of the row and make a slip stitch into the first dc of the row
5. make in this way 14 rows in the main color
6. note: the last row you don’t end with a slip stitch but after the last chain you cut the yarn, then you weave in the yarn end.
   how to do that neatly you can see via this link

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• row 15. attach the second color to any the first space just after a corner and make 2 ch, 1 dc, 1 ch, and from here you follow the pattern until the end of row.
  finish this row the same way as row 14.

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this way you crochet 16 squares.

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end of part 1 of the tutorial, i’ll let you know when part 2 is ready.

enjoy!

close up of picnic blanket square

square of picnic blanket

close up of picnic blanket square

square of picnic blanket

how to crochet the picnic blanket

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