My first few attempts were perfectly square - but that was really all they had going for them! I just did not like them......
I have three very "heavy" colours that need to be the main focus of the project - grape, purple and bottle green. Looking at the squares just made me feel claustrophobic!
Instead of finishing up one of my WIP's I sat obsessing about these squares!! Then it hit me - all that heavy colour was literally "suffocating" the square. I frogged the last two rows, and made them a bit more lacy
Tried a few different versions before I was satisfied - and would you BELIEVE it? I actually wrote the pattern down as I went::
EIGHT PETAL GRANNY SQUARE PATTERN:
5ch, ss to form ring
Row 1: Into the ring, 2ch 1dc cluster, 1ch; *2dc cluster, 1ch* crochet *to* 7x (8 clusters), ss to close
Note: a 2dc cluster is formed as follows - yarn over hook, work the first part of the stitch leaving 2 loops on your hook, repeat this once more (three loops on hook) Yarn over hook and draw through the loops on the hook to form your cluster
Row 2: Into any 1ch sp, 2ch 3dc cluster, 3ch; *4dc cluster, 3ch* crochet *to* 7x (8 clusters), ss to close
Note: a 4dc cluster is formed as follows - yarn over hook, work the first part of the stitch leaving 2 loops on your hook, repeat this 3 x more (five loops on hook) Yarn over hook and draw through the loops on the hook to form your cluster
Row 3: Into any 3ch sp, 3ch 4dc 1ch: *into next 3ch sp, 5dc, 1ch* *to* 7 x ss to close
Row 4: Into any 1ch sp, 3ch, 2dc, 3ch *into next 1ch sp, 3tr, 3ch, 3tr, 3ch (corner); into next 1 ch sp, 3dc, 3ch* *to* 3x; into last 1ch sp, 3tr, 3ch, 3tr, 3ch; ss to close
Row 5: ss into first sp between dc; 3ch, 1dc into next sp between dc; *3dc into 3ch sp; 1dc into the next two spaces between dc; 3dc, 3ch, 3dc into corner, 3dc into next 3ch sp, 1dc into each of next 2sp between dc* *to* 3x; 3dc into 3ch sp; 1dc into the next two spaces between dc; 3dc, 3ch, 3dc into corner, 3dc into next 3ch sp; ss to close
Note: this pattern was written in US terms
This pattern has not been tested by anyone other than me! Please let me know if you find any errors or if something does not make sense (I do make mistakes!)
I then played around with colours for the "flowers" until I came up with a combination that was just right for the project:
Of course by then I had a neat pile of squares (16 to be exact), none of which were exactly perfect having been frogged and rearranged a few times.
Now what can I do with 16 squares?????.........