Dot - free blanket pattern and tutorial

Hello! Today I'm going to talk through the making of Dot step by step. It's a nice and easy pattern for beginners and experienced hookers alike.  If you don't need step by step help, please feel free to skip to end where there's a written motif pattern for you 😊

It's made from Scheepjes Colour Crafter which is 100% premium acrylic and is available in 100g balls. A blanket designed to be easy care. My blanket is a cot sized blanket (34"x48") but you can easily make more squares to increase the size.

Ok let's get started!

Ingredients

Scheepjes Colour Crafter in the following colours:

Sint Niklaas x 2 balls

Malmedy x 1 ball

Den Helder x 1 ball

Bastogne x 1 ball

Terneuzen x 1 ball

Wilnis x 1 ball

Knokke x 1 ball

Charleroi x 1 ball

4mm crochet hook

Scissors

Darning needle to weave in ends

Blocking board and pins

How To

(We are working in UK English crochet terms)

Please bear in mind that I am left handed when looking at the photos 😉

Begin with your chosen coloured yarn. 

Make a magic circle (I always wrap my yarn around my fingers twice to make a secure circle)

Round 1. Working into the circle, chain 3 to make your first stitch and then work another treble crochet and chain 1. Next work 2 treble crochet stitches and chain 1, repeat this 6 more times so that you end up with 8 sets of 2 treble crochets separated by a chain stitch. 

Join with a slip stitch into the third chain of your first stitch. Now pull the tail of your magic circle tight. 

Round 2. Slip stitch into the next chain space to get you into the starting position for this round. Now we are going to make some treble clusters into the chain spaces made in the previous round. The first cluster is made slightly differently as we need to make the first stitch. Chain 2 to make the first stitch, yarn over hook and insert into the chain space, pull through 2 loops, repeat this twice more (you should have 4 loops on your hook) yarn over hook and pull through all 4 loops and chain 3. Yarn over hook and insert your hook into the next chain space, pull through 2 loops. Repeat this 3 times. You will have 5 loops on your hook (see photo above). Yarn over hook and pull through all 5 loops, chain 3. Repeat this 6 more times.

Join with a slip stitch to the first cluster.

Round 3. In this round we are going to make some puff stitches. A little fiddly but effective!

Slip stitch into the next 3 chain space. Yarn over hook, insert into the chain space and pull through, repeat 4 times so you will have 11 loops on your hook (as in photo above),  yarn over hook and pull through all 11 loops....this is the tricky bit!

It should like the photo above!

Now secure this by chaining 2. Work a double crochet into the top of the next cluster and chain 2. Make another puff stitch into the next chain space, chain 2 and double crochet into the top of the next cluster, chain 2. Repeat this for the rest of the round.

Join with a slip stitch. Fasten off yarn.  Don't worry if your circle curls up a bit at the edges, that will settle when we work the next round. 

Round 4. With the grey yarn, join in any 2 chain space. Chain 2 (counts as first half treble crochet) and work 2 more half treble crochets into the same chain space. Into the next 2 chain space work 3 half treble crochets. It should look something like the photo above. 

To  make the corner, into the next chain space work 1 half treble, 1 treble and 1 double treble, chain 1 and move onto the next chain space. Into that space work 1 double treble, 1 treble and 1 half treble. Your corner should look like the photo above!

So continue to work 3 half trebles into the next 2 sets of chain spaces and then make a corner as before. 

It should look like this! Fasten off and weave in the ends. 

So that's how you make the squares. 

For a cot sized blanket measuring approximately 34"x48" I made a total of 117 squares which when blocked measured 4" each. 

I made 17 squares in each of 5 colours and then 16 in the last 2 colours. 

Next step is to block your squares. I pinned mine to my blocking board and then gave them a good soaking with the spray gun!

Joining

Lay your squares in the order that want them to be joined. 

(Mine are unblocked for this tutorial!)

Next place right sides together and work a double crochet in the corner chain space. Chain 3 and work a double crochet in the space between the next set of 3 stitches. Repeat this to corner space. Instead of fastening of pick up your next pair of squares and repeat the process.

You should end up with a row of sets of squares joined like this although yours will be longer! Continue joining your squares like this. So on the next row you will be adding 1 square at a time to the 2 already joined if that makes sense?

You'll end up with rows of horizontal joins. Joining by using this method cuts down on joining and fastening off and ultimately doesn't have so many ends to weave in which is always a bonus!!!

Once you have made all of your horizontal joins you can start on the vertical joins using the same method.

It should end up something like this on the reverse..... 

And this on the right side! I don't weave my ends in at this point as I find it much neater to weave them into the border stitches but it's entirely up to you. 

Border

I have opted for a very simple border of linen stitch. Using the grey yarn, start by joining into a corner chain space, work a double crochet, chain 3, double crochet into the corner space, chain 1 miss 1 stitch and double into the top of the next stitch. Continue along each edge in this pattern and work a double, chain 3 double into each corner space. Join with a slip stitch. You may have to fudge a little for the first round 😉 On the next round you are going to make your double crochets into the chain spaces and a double, chain 3 double crochet into the corner spaces. Work another round in the grey and finish by working the final round in one of the colours. Fasten off and weave in your ends. 
TADA!!! Your blanket is finished!

Motif Pattern

UK English terms.

Using one of the coloured yarns, make a magic circle.

Round 1. Ch3 (counts as first tr) tr into circle, ch1, *2tr, ch1. Rep from * 6 times. Join with slst in 3rd ch of 1st st. 

Round 2. Slst into ch-sp. Ch3, 3trcl, ch3, *4trcl, ch3, rep from * 7 times. Join with slst.

Round 3. Slst into next ch-sp. *Puff st in ch-sp , ch2, dc in top of cluster, ch2. Rep from * 7 times. Join with a slst. Fasten off yarn. 

Round 4.  Using grey yarn join into any ch-sp. Ch2 (counts as htr for this group of htr only) 2htr into ch-sp, 3htr into next ch-sp, (htr, tr, dtr) in next ch-sp, (dtr, tr, htr) in next ch-sp (corner made) Rep around motif. Join with slst. Fasten off yarn. 

Weave in ends and block to 4" square. 

Joining and border made as above. 

Hope you find my instructions useful. 

Enjoy!

Til next time x