Well here it is! My first blog post and free crochet pattern. I’m usually not one for many words and when I do try to write, I feel that it either isn’t going to be good enough or I’m just rambling on. So keep this in mind for my blog. I prefer to let my photos do the talking.
Last Monday whilst working on my current wips I thought I should make my mum a birthday present. Her favourite colour is blue and she needed something pretty, so I decided on a cushion in tones of blue and a hint of yellow. I made three circles and was very happy with them. The colours worked really well together, complimented each other nicely and had that right amount of ‘pop’. I was on a winner here!
Fast forward to Friday night just gone and I started to square the circles up. UH OH.. why was I left with 2 extra stitches on every circle? Well I’d crocheted 18 clusters instead of 16, and after a couple attempts at getting the right number of stitches (and right stitches) in their place, I had made a square! Woo hoo. I had solved my problem and found a solution that didn’t involve frogging my 18 circles, I was winning.
That brings us to today, a glorious Monday where I was determined to finish this cushion and write the pattern up to share with the crocheting world. So here goes nothing..
THE SUNSHINE CUSHION PATTERN
Materials:
- 3mm & 5mm hook
- 8ply yarn or dk yarn in 5 different colours (50g each for circles and 100g for borders)
- yarn needle
- scissors
- stitch markers
- Cushion insert size 16 or 41cm x 41cm
Notes:
- This pattern is written in US terms with UK in brackets ( )
- The cluster stitches are all worked in the same stitch and are either made using 2dc (2tr) together or 3dc (3tr) together. To make a cluster; *yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through 3 loops* repeat once for 2dc (2tr) or twice for 3dc (3tr), yarn over and pull through 4 loops.
- The beginning chain on any round does not count as a stitch unless stated
- This cushion is made up of three panels. So you will only need to complete Round 3 of ‘Squaring off the Circles’ for three of them. They will become the square in each panel that you start to join the other squares to (which finish at Round 2) See ** in ‘Squaring off the Circles’.
Stitches used in this pattern: US first (UK in brackets)
| US | UK |
|---|---|
| chain(ch) | chain(ch) |
| single crochet (sc) | double crochet (dc) |
| double crochet (dc) | treble (tr) |
| half double crochet (hdc) | half treble (htr) |
| triple crochet (trc) | double treble (dtr) |
| slip stitch (sl st) | slip stitch (sl st) |
Table found at http://www.yarnfwd.com/main/crochet.html
Ok so here goes with the pattern…
Using the 5mm (H) hook and colour 1; ch 4, ss to 1st ch to make a loop. Round 1: Ch 2 (doesn’t count as dc/tr) make 18 dc (tr) in loop, join with ss to first dc (tr) made. Break yarn.
Round 2: Join colour 2, ch2, dc (tr) in same st as starting ch, ch1 *2dc (2tr) cluster in the next st, ch1* repeat till 18 clusters. Join with ss to 1st cluster. Break yarn. (18 clusters)
Round 3: Join colour 3 in sp between clusters. Ch 2, 2dc (2tr) cluster in same st as starting ch2, ch1, *3dc (3tr) cluster in next ch sp, ch1* repeat till end, join with ss and break yarn (18 clusters)
Round 3 finished.
Ok so now onto the ss round using colour 4. Insert hook in any sp.
Yarn over and pull through.
Insert hook into next sp, yarn over and pull through.
Continue with ss until you get back to the starting stitch.
Break yarn and pull through so you have a closed stitch as the last stitch.
Thread yarn onto needle and insert in the very first ss as pictured.
Now to begin squaring off the circle. Using the main colour for border (or anything you like), join in any stitch made in round 3. Round 1: Ch2 (the starting chains on the squaring rounds are counted as stitches).
2tr (2dtr) & dc in same st as starting ch. Dc (tr) in next st, hdc (htr) in next st, sc (dc) in the next four st, hdc (htr) in next st, dc (tr) in next st. (these take up 9 sts, one side of the square).
*Dc (tr), 2tr (2dtr) & dc in same st as starting ch. Dc (tr) in next st, hdc (htr) in next st, sc (dc) in the next four st, hdc (htr) in next st, dc (tr) in next st.* Repeat 2 more times till you are back to the starting ch. Join with ss.
Round 2: Ch 2, *dc & tr (tr & dtr) in the next st, tr & dc (dtr & tr) in the next st, dc (tr) in the next 10 st* repeat three times, join with ss to the top of starting ch.
** Continue to the last round for only 3 of your squares (see notes) This is where you stop for 16 squares, do not break yarn move onto ‘Joining the Squares’.
Ch 1 (doesn’t count as st), sc (dc) in the next two sts, *3sc (3dc) in the sp between the 2 tr (2dtr), sc in the tr (dtr) st {or you could just do 4sc in the sp between the 2 tr (2dtr) – whichever you prefer}, sc in each st till you get to the sp between the 2 tr (2dtr)* repeat from * to * till you get to the first sc (dc) join with ss and break yarn.
Yay you have completed your first square. You will only need to sc (dc) around 2 more squares as a join as you go method is used in this pattern.
JOINING the squares
You will need to have squared off another circle and stopped at the end of Round 2.
Ch1, sc (dc) in next 2 sts, 2sc (2dc) in between the tr (dtr), now with the ‘Starting’ square which has the sc (dc) find the 2nd sc (dc) you made in the corner, you need to count the sc (dc) you made in the tr (dtr) if you didn’t just do 4sc (4dc) in the sp on the previous round.
Insert the into the 2nd sc (dc) on Square 2, pick up loop from 2nd sc (dc) on Square 1.
Pull loop through.
Sc (dc) back into sp on Square 1. Let go of loop ready to pull through the next sc (dc) on Square 2. (each sc (dc) on one square has it’s ‘joining partner’ on the other square)
Insert hook into next sc (dc) on Square 2. Pull through loop from 3rd sc (dc) on Square 1. Then sc (dc) either into the tr (dtr) made from previous round or just into the space like the 3sc (3dc) you just did.
In each corner there is a total of 4sc (dc) – 3 in the sp and one in the tr (dtr) st or just 4sc (dc) in the sp. Now continue to sc (dc) in each st until you get to corner and then do the 3sc (dc) sc, or 4sc (dc) like you just did. Once you have finished this last round, join with ss to beginning ch, break yarn and weave in.
It is entirely up to you the order in which you join your squares but when you get to joining 4 like this, just remember that each sc (dc) has a matching sc (dc) with the other squares. Try and keep the stitches lined up nicely matching their ‘partner stitch’ you will know if you have done something wrong or missed a st if it doesn’t line up neat.
Here you can see the three components that the cushion is made up from and why you need 3 ‘Starting Squares’ with a round of sc (dc) already complete).
Continue to join the square so that you make up these three panels.
BORDERING THE PANELS
Panel 1 (9 squares) – Start anywhere and sc (dc) in each st and 2sc (dc) in the two corner sts to keep it square.
Panel 2 (6 squares) – You will crochet 3 rows of dc (tr) on the top part only) Start at the top right square and attach yarn into first sc (dc), ch2 and dc (tr) in each st until that one side is done. *Ch1, turn, dc (tr) in each dc (tr) again * repeat twice (total of three rows). Once you have finished the last dc (tr) on row 3, sc (dc) down to the other sts and sc (dc) around entire panel, making sure to do 2sc (dc) in both of the two corner sts. Join with ss to first sc (dc) made at the top left of the left square. (The couple of sc (dc) that you did along the dc (tr) to get to the square aren’t in line very well).
Panel 3 (3 squares) – Start at the bottom of the first square (left) sc (dc) in each st until you get to the join sc (dc) in the last st before join and ch 5, sc (dc) across to next join and ch 5, sc (dc) around the entire panel, making sure to do 2sc (dc) in both corner stitches to keep it square. Join with ss and break yarn.
BUTTONS (make 2 working in continuous rounds)
Using the 3mm hook and main colour yarn Round 1: ch2, 6sc (dc) in first ch.
Round 2: 2sc (dc) in each st (12 sts)
Round 3: sc (dc) in each st (12 sts)
Round 4: dec 6 sc (dc) (6 sts)
Break yarn and leave enough to join to panel 2.
ASSEMBLING CUSHION READY FOR JOINING PANELS
It’s important to have the cushion lined up perfectly st for st before starting to join together. I used stitch markers for this. Wrong sides facing each (right sides out), place panel 1 right side facing down and place panel 2 then panel 3. Panel 3 covers the dc (tr) rows.
Starting down the bottom of the cushion attach yarn and pull through both sc (dc) sts from border. Ch1, sc each st around until you get to the corners, 2sc (dc) in each st to maintain a square.
When you get to joining the three panels together, remember you will need to sc (dc) through all of them together, so 6 sts on the hook. Continue to sc (dc) around the entire cushion remembering the 2sc (dc) in both corner sts. Join to first sc (dc) with ss. Break yarn and weave in.
BUTTON PLACEMENT
Attach the buttons along the joining stitch just below the sc (dc) row. Break yarn and weave in ends. You can either flatten the button or puff it up by pressing it to get the desired look.
Insert cushion into cover and close with buttons. Ta-daaaa you’ve finished!
If you do not like the join as you go method, you could probably use Attic24’s method of joining the squares instead http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/joining-granny-sqaures.html or any other other preferred joining method as long as it doesn’t use long stitches such as a dc (tr) or bigger, as it will be too loose fitting for the cushion.
I hope you have enjoyed making your Sunshine Cushion and I would love to see what you made. You can follow me on Instagram @theloopystitch and tag #sunshinecushion and myself in the photo. I am more than happy to post photos of finished cushions here too 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to read this pattern and my first blog. My next post will be about making the Minecraft Blanket for my eldest son and quite possibly the pattern… here’s a teaser…
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