Granny's Circle in Square Archives - ............Beatrice Ryan Designs............

Crochet with Me!! Winter 2015 CAL.. Week 3!!

Here we are!!! Week 3 of our Crochet with Me!! Winter 2015 CAL…

This week shows some really fun Crochet progress… You can now see how this Retro Afghan will start to unfold and become more than just Granny Squares!! I really hope you are loving this design!! The next few weeks will have a few more fun twists..

Week 3 using Loops and Threads Impeccable yarn!

This week you see the classic Chevron added to our project!! This is an easy, fun stitch that packs a lot of punch!!

Week 3 using Red Heart Unforgettable!!

If you are just joining in the fun, or have been with us all three weeks… It is easy to have some fun with this Retro Style Afghan… You can click on the Crochet with Me tab at the top of the page for previous weeks instructions and all the details of how to join in the fun on Facebook, Pinterest, Ravlery and Instagram!! So Let’s get started with our Weekly Assignment and instructions!!

Assignment…

This week you will be making a full strip in the Chevron Pattern… Don’t worry, it is easy and goes by quickly!! Next week we will be finishing off this strip using a special technique… So make sure you DO NOT skip ahead and edge or try to join it quite yet!!!

Tips

Your strip should be almost as wide as your Granny’s Circle In the Square strip… minus the edging!! If it is way to narrow, you can adjust by using a larger hook or blocking it into shape when done crocheting this week. If your strip is turning out to wide,,, you will want to go down a hook size… A little difference in with won’t hurt anything.. Your afghan will have some natural spreading once done.

For the length ,,, this will be more important! I have crochet a specific number of rows that worked for me to get the correct length. Your new strip should be shorter than your Granny’s Circle in Square strip(approx 1″), this will allow us to do the last 2 rows of the Chevron strip next week and the edging… So Carefully compare your strip and you can add or subtract rows as needed to get the correct length for your own afghan!!

We will be using HDC instead of DC for this strip,,, You may be wondering why!! The Chevron HDC gave a much nicer look than when using the Dc technique,,, The DC Chevron was more like a wave than the more pointy HDC Technique.

*For Self-Striping Yarn… Just keep making your rows until the correct length.

*For Traditional Color Changing, You can change as often as you like, I liked the look of changing color every 3 rows.

Stitches:

Ch ~ Chain Sl St ~ Slip Stitch Hdc ~ Half Double Crochet Sk ~ Skip

Instructions:

Ch 21

Row 1: Hdc in the 2nd Ch from hook and the next 3 Chs, 3 Hdc in the next Ch, Hdc in the next 4 Chs, Sk 2 Chs, Hdc in the next 4 Chs, 3 Hdc in the next Ch, Hdc in the last 4 Chs. = 22 Hdc(The turning ch counts as a Hdc)

Row 2: Turn, Sl St in the first 2 Sts, Ch 2 (Counts as Hdc now and throughout), Hdc in the next 3 Sts, 3 Hdc in the next St, Hdc in the next 4 Sts, Sk 2 Sts, Hdc in the next 4 Sts, 3 Hdc in the next St, Hdc in the next 4 Sts, Leaving the last St unworked. ( Your 3 Hdc in one stitch should be in the center stitch of the previous rows same 3 Hdc stitch combo.This will make the peek of your chevron. So be careful to achieve this. The Sk 2 Sts will always be over the previous rows Skipped stitches too!) = 22 Hdc

Repeat Row 2 until your Chevron Strip is approx. 1″ Shorter that your previous strip. I had 105 rows in my Chevron Strip!!

You have now completed week 3!!! Way to go!! Let me know how you like it so far… I love to hear from you!! AND don’t forget to hop over to Facebook on Wednesday evenings at 6 PM Est for our special Crochet with Me Show and Tell Post…

Happy Crocheting!!

Elena

Crochet with Me… Winter 2015 CAL!!! Week 2

So many great Granny’s Circle In Square’s!!! Week 1 had 5 squares to complete and now we are ready for week 2!!! I loved seeing all the great pictures on Wednesday night over on Facebook during our Show and Tell!! So are you ready to finish 1 Strip Segment ??

Here is what we will look like at the end of Week 2…

My first afghan is done in worsted weight yarn, using traditional color changing… Loops and Threads Impeccable!

My second afghan is done in self-striping yarn… Red Heart Unforgettable!!

Week 2 Assignment and Instructions..

This week you will be making 4 more Granny’s Circle in Square to complete one full strip of 9 squares, We will be blocking the squares to get the right shape and then joining them to complete one full strip segment!! So let’s get started!!

*If you are just starting you can refer to the Crochet with Me tab at the top of the page for all the week’s instructions!

Week 2~ Make 4 Granny’s Circle in Square… If you need the instructions… Click Here!!

Next… Let’s block our squares to make them even in size and shape!! If you haven’t blocked a crochet piece before… There are 2 methods you can use, Wet Blocking and Steam Blocking, I usually use the Steam Method, but you have to be very careful not to damage your yarn! For video tutorials on both techniques we will head over to my good friend Tamara’s site,,, MOOGLY! She has made a great tutorial for both!!

For Steam Blocking… Click Here! For Wet Blocking… Click Here!

Ok,, Now it is time to join your blocks into one long strip segment! There are more than one method for this too!!

*Make sure you put wrong sides together when sewing so they all come out looking the same!

1. You can whip stitch the edges together using a yarn needle and yarn, you will do this for each block until all 9 are joined.

2. You can crochet them together with a single crochet (this is the method I used). I crochet in one loop from each square, the closest one facing me.

Or you can join with some fancy techniques… Again, You can head over to Moogly to see 12 ways to join… Click Here!

Just make sure you use the same joining technique throughout the entire project..

That’s it… You have completed Week 2!! Simple enough right?? Next week we will be starting our next strip segment… And… It is not squares so don’t sneak ahead and make more quite yet!!

Don’t forget to join me Wednesday night on Facebook for The “Show and Tell” Post at 6pm EST… and you can also post to our Pinterest Board, Ravelry page and those of you who follow me on Instagram got a Sneak Peak last night of this week!!!

Happy Crocheting!!

Elena

Crochet with Me!! Winter 2015 CAL.. Week 3!!