Afghan Project of the Month: February

Crystal Treasure

Design by Jennifer McClain

Rows of beautiful flowers captured in delicate, lace-edged panels create the gracious, old-time charm and elegance of this easy strip design that's as pretty as an English country garden.

Skill Level
Intermediate

Size
52 x 61 inches, excluding Fringe

Materials

• Medium (worsted) weight yarn:
  • 50 oz/2,500 yds/1,418g white
  • 11 oz/550 yds/312g pink
  • 7 oz/350 yds/198g green
  • 3 oz/150 yds/85g dark pink
• Sizes G/6/4mm and H/8/5mm crochet hooks or sizes needed to obtain gauge
• Tapestry needle

Gauge
Size G hook: 2 sc and 2 V-sts = 2 1/4 inches; 3 sc rows and 2 V-st rows in pattern = 2 1/4 inches.
Size H hook: Block is 6 inches square

Pattern Note
Use size H hook for Blocks and size G hook for Border.

Special Stitches
Beginning cluster (beg cl): Ch 2, [yo, insert hook in same sp, yo, pull Ip through, yo, pull through 2 Ips on hook] 3 times, yo, pull through all Ips on hook.
Cluster (cl): Yo, insert hook in next ch sp, yo, pull Ip through, yo, pull through 2 Ips on hook, [yo, insert hook in same sp, yo, pull Ip through, yo, pull through 2 Ips on hook] 3 times, yo, pull through all Ips on hook.
Puff stitch (puff st): Yo, insert hook in ch sp, yo, pull up 5/8-inch-long Ip, [yo, insert hook in same sp, yo, pull up 5/8-inch-long Ip] twice, yo, pull through all Ips on hook.
Beginning V-stitch (beg V-st): Ch 4, dc in same st.
V-stitch (V-st): (Dc, ch 1, dc) in indicated st or ch sp.
Long single crochet (lsc): Working over next ch sp, sc in next, sk next st or ch on row before last.

Instructions

Strip
Make 4.
Block
Make 10.
Rnd 1: With dark pink and size H hook (see Pattern Note), ch 2, 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook, join with sl st in beg sc. (8 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in first st, ch 2, [sc in next st, ch 2] around, join with sl st in beg sc. Fasten off. (8 ch-2 sps)
Rnd 3: Join pink with sl st in any ch sp, beg cl (see Special Stitches), ch 3, [cl (see Special Stitches) in next ch sp, ch 3] around, join with sl st in beg cl. Fasten off. (8 cls, 8 ch-3 sps)
Rnd 4: Join green with sl st in any ch sp, ch 1, (puff st -- see Special Stitches, ch 2, puff st) in same ch sp, ch 3, *(puff st, ch 2, puff st) in next ch sp, ch 3, rep from * around, join with sl st in beg puff st. Fasten off. (16 puff sts, 8 ch-3 sps, 8 ch-2 sps)
Rnd 5: Join white with sc in any ch-2 sp, *ch 1, working over next ch-3 sp, 3 dc in next cl on rnd before last, ch 1, sc in next ch-2 sp on last rnd, ch 1, working over next ch-3 sp, (3 tr, ch 2, 3 tr) in next cl on rnd before last, ch 1**, sc in next ch-2 sp on last rnd, rep from * around, ending last rep at **, join with sl st in beg sc. (24 tr, 16 ch-1 sps, 12 dc, 8 sc, 4 ch-2 sps)
Rnd 6: Sl st in first ch-1 sp, ch 1, sc in same ch sp, ch 1, *sk next st, sc in next st, ch 1, [sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1] twice, sk next st, sc in next st, ch 1, sk next st, (sc, ch 2, sc) in next corner ch-2 sp, ch 1, sk next st, sc in next st, ch 1, sk next st**, [sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1] twice, rep from * around, ending last rep at **, sc in last ch-1 sp, ch 1, join with sl st in beg sc. (32 ch-1 sps, 4 ch-2 sps)
Rnd 7: Sl st in first ch-1 sp, ch 1, 2 sc in same ch sp, 2 sc in each ch-1 sp and 3 sc in each corner ch-2 sp around, join with sl st in beg sc. Fasten off. (76 sc)

Placing Blocks tog side to side to form Strip, with white, sew tog across 20 sts (from center st of 1 corner to center st of other corner).

Border
Row 1: Working across 1 long edge of Strip, join white with sc in first center corner st, [sc in each st across to next joined corner st before seam, hdc in joined corner st, dc in seam, hdc in next joined corner st after seam] across to last Block, sc in each st across ending in center corner st, turn. (209 sts)
Row 2: Working this row in back Ips (see Stitch Guide) only, ch 1, sl st in each st across, turn.
Row 3: Working in rem Ips of row 1, ch 1, sc in first st, [sk next st, V-st (see Special Stitches) in next st, sk next st, sc in next st] across, turn. (53 sc, 52 V-sts)
Row 4: Working this row in front Ips (see Stitch Guide) only, beg V-st (see Special Stitches), [sc in ch sp of next V-st, V-st in next sc] across, turn. (53 V-sts, 52 sc)
Row 5: Working this row in back Ips only, sl st in first st, sl st in next ch sp, ch 1, sc in same ch sp, [V-st in next sc, sc in next V-st] across, turn.
Rows 6 & 7: Rep rows 4 and 5.
Row 8: Working this row in back Ips only, ch 1, sl st in each st and in each ch across, turn. Fasten off.
Row 9: Working in rem Ips of row 7, join pink with sc in first st, [ch 1, sk next st or ch, sc in next st or ch] across, do not turn. Fasten off. (105 sc, 104 ch-1 sps)
Row 10: Join white with sc in first st, Isc (see Special Stitches), [ch 1, sk next st, lsc] across to last st, sc in last st, do not turn. Fasten off. (104 Isc, 103 ch-1 sps, 2 sc)
Row 11: Join pink with sc in first st, ch 1, sk next st, [Isc, ch 1, sk next st] across to last st, sc in last st, do not turn. Fasten off. (104 ch-1 sps, 103 Isc, 2 sc)
Row 12: Join white with sc in first st, 2 Isc in each Isc on row before last across to last Isc, Isc in last Isc, sc same Isc and last st on last row tog. Fasten off. (209 sc)

Rep on opposite edge.

With H hook and white, hold 2 Strips RS tog, matching sts of last row on Border, sc Strips tog. Rep with rem Strips.

Edging
Working in sts and in ends of rows across 1 short end, with H hook and white, join with sc in first row, sc evenly across to opposite corner, fasten off.

Rep on opposite end.

Fringe
For each Fringe, cut 1 strand white 16 inches long. Fold in half, insert hook in st, pull fold through, pull all loose ends through fold, tighten. Trim ends even.

Attach Fringe in each st across short ends of Afghan.

DOWNLOAD
Click here to download the PDF (357.7 KB)

Other project series:

• Purses, Bags & Totes Project of the Month
• Scrap Project of the Month
• Doily Project of the Month