Crochet Squares Round Up - plus DK yarn recommendations

 The 'Sol Square' is proving to be very popular, so I thought I would do a round-up of all the squares I currently have on offer. This post does contain affiliate links

Some of these squares match, some don't! Some could be modified slightly to fit with others, by adding or subtracting a row or two. That's the beauty of crochet - make it your own!

The Sol Square has been made in a worsted weight yarn, but all the others are in a DK - which is my go-to yarn. There's no reason the Sol Square can't be made in DK either - it'll just work out a little smaller. I've included a few recommendations with links - which can also be helpful for yarn substitution. If you are Australian, you might think of DK as 8ply. It can also be classified as #3 Light.

Coboo - A cotton bamboo blend that comes in 18 colours, and is beautifully soft and light. 

Mandala Yarn - An Acrylic yarn  that comes in many gradients 

You can read my review on Mandala here.

Ice Cream Yarn - a soft Acrylic yarn in 12 colours ideal for baby and kids. Icecream is very similar to Mandala, but the colours repeat throughout. 

Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK - available in 56 shades

Paintbox Simply DK - available in 49 shades

And now for the squares: 

First up - the Sol Square. This one is part of the Friendship CAL and you can find the post here.

Let me know if you've made one already! 

Nebula Square is a bit smaller and simpler - but can be used to create a beautiful effect using variegated yarn - like Lionbrand Ice cream! 

Berirlee Square - Yes, I am a little bit obsessed with squares that start with a circle! 

the 'Big Circle Grannies' were first made to meet a donation request.

Celestial Square work with the Nebula Square, to create a little bit of texture. 

Dahlia Pinnata is a beautiful floral square. 

Good Old Grannies - if you want to go down the classic route. 

Thank you for reading,

Happy Crocheting!

Emma

Sol Square: the Friendship Blanket CAL

 The Sol Square is part of the 2021 Friendship blanket CAL

This awesome CAL is hosted by Helen from Sunflower Cottage Crochet and is a collaboration of 25 designers, where each designer designed a square (or two) for this blanket.

How does the CAL work?

The CAL began on January 15th and will end on April 18th. A new square will be released every week on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 9 am GMT. Some of the squares will be available for download as a PDF with a coupon code that will be provided, and some will be available as a blog post. (Designer’s choice!)

All squares are made with an Aran/Worsted (#4) weight yarn.

(Ravelry Link)

Read my intro post here, which includes some yarn suggestions. 

The Sol square is a combination of many stitches, including puff stitches for texture! I was inspired by the sunflowers of the Sunflower cottage. 

Don’t want to wait?

If you don’t want to wait for each square to be released, or prefer your patterns organized together, you can get a bundle for all 40 squares patterns for only $10 (US) (only 25 cents per pattern)!

Grab the bundle HERE.

 

Keep reading for the free pattern. I have also provided an ad-free, premium PDF that is available to buy on Ravelry and will be uploaded to Etsy and Love Crochet as soon as possible (post will be updated once that has been completed) This paid version contains a chart. 

For the duration of the CAL, this PDF will be free to download on Ravelry -using the code: Squares

Code is case sensitive, but please get in contact if the code is not working for you. [email protected] 

Abbreviations (US terminology):

ch -           chain

sc –          single crochet

dc –  double crochet

hdc – half double crochet

hdcV –    half double V stitch

ps – puff stitch

sl st - slip stitch

sp/s – space/s

st/s – stitch/es

rep – repeat

( ) – indicate stitches worked in same st or sp

* * and [ ] – indicate section to be repeated

BLO – back loop only

Special Stitches (detailed at the end of the pattern)

hdcV

shell 

corner shell

puff stitch

standing sc (stsc)

standing dc (stdc)

standing hdc (sthdc)

magic ring

Materials:

Yarn: Any #4 worsted weight. Total used: 30g

Hook: US H (5.0 mm)
Notions: yarn needle
Gauge: 6 rows x 15 sts (dc) = 4 inches
Size: 9 inches
Skill level: Adventurous beginner

#friendshipblanket21

Pattern notes:

The pattern worked in rounds.
The pattern is written with a standing stitch and colour change at the start of each round. Standing stitches can be replaced with a starting chain, or preferred alternate method. 

Make a magic ring
Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc) 11dc, sl st to 3^rd ch. (12dc)
Round 2: (stsc, 1ch) in any st, (1sc, 1ch) in each st around, sl st to stsc. (12sc, 12ch)
Round 3: (stsc, 2ch) in any ch-sp, (sc, 2ch) in next sp, and every ch-sp around, slst to stsc. (12sc, 24ch)
Round 4: (sthdc, 1ch, hdc, 1ch) in any ch-sp, (hdcV, 1ch) in next ch-sp, and every sp around, .(12 hdcV, 12ch)

Round 5: Ch 2 (not counted as st) (ps, 3ch) in ch-sp of any hdcV, *sk next ch-sp (ps, 3ch) in next ch-sp, rep from * around (12 ps, 36 ch)
Round 6: (stdc, 3dc, 1ch) in any ch-3 sp, (4dc, 1ch) in next ch-3 sp and every sp around. (48 dc, 12ch)
Round 7: (stdc, dc, 3ch, 2dc, 1ch) in any ch sp, *[(shell, 1ch) in next ch] twice, 1ch, corner shell, 1ch, rep from * twice, [shell, 1ch] twice. (8 shell, 4 corner shell, 12 ch)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Round 8: (stdc, dc) in any ch-3 sp, *BLOdc in each st and ch to next ch-3 sp, (2dc, 2ch, 2dc) in ch-3 sp, rep from * twice, *BLOdc in each st and ch to next ch-3 sp, (2dc, 2ch) in ch-3 sp, slst to stdc. (100dc, 8ch)
Round 9: (stdc, dc) in any ch-2 sp, *BLOdc in each st and ch to next ch-2 sp, (2dc, 2ch, 2dc) in ch-2 sp, rep from * twice, *BLOdc in each st and ch to next ch-2 sp, (2dc, 2ch) in ch-2 sp, slst to stdc. (116dc, 8ch)

Special Stitches

hdcV:  (hdc, 1ch, hdc) worked in same sp

Shell: (2dc, 1ch, 2dc) worked in same sp

Corner shell: (2dc, 3ch, 2dc) worked in same sp

Puff stitch: [yo, insert the hook in stitch, yo, pull up loop] 3 times in same st, yo, pull through all 7 loops on hook.

Standing sc (stsc): yo, insert hook in st, yo, pull up loop, yo, pull through 2 loops on hook

Standing dc (stdc): yo twice, insert hook in st, yo, pull up loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops on hook] twice

Standing hdc (sthdc): yo twice, insert hook in st, yo, pull up loop, yo, pull through 3 loops on hook. 

Stdc tutorial: can be found here.

Magic ring tutorial: can be found here.

I hope you enjoy the square! If you'd like to keep up to date with my designs - sign up for my newsletter

Don't forget to share your squares on social media!

Happy Crocheting 

Emma.