I joined the Knitcraft Granny Square crochet-along which took place this Summer (details can be found on the Hobbycraft blog here ). Some of the squares used black and white yarn along with other bright colours and I really loved the combination. After playing around with alternating black and white granny square rounds I came up with my design of the ‘Ghost Train’ square. It incorporates an unusual 3D round which uses back post treble stitches, which I think looks really effective, and the vibrant colours pop against the black and white. I was so pleased with how the square turned out! I made it in several different colourways and joined the squares together to make an eye-catching blanket which is now one of my favourites. I’ve written the instructions on how to make the square, in case you’d like to make your own colourful blanket using this square motif 🙂
To make a square, you will need:
Knitcraft cotton blend yarn – in black, white, and two other colours. Here I used Hot Pink and Yellow.
5mm hook
Pattern notes
Tension: Using a 5 mm hook, 3 rounds of the pattern measures 7.5 cm
Each completed square measures approx. 20cm
Tension is not critical for the pattern.
A group of 3 treble stitches (3tr) = a cluster
The space between clusters = cluster space (sp)
Abbreviations
beg – beginning
bptr – back post treble crochet
ch – chain
dc – double crochet
htr- half treble crochet
rep – repeat
rnd – round
ch2-sp – chain 2 space
sp – space
sl-sts – slip stitch
st(s) – stitch(es)
tr – treble crochet
Special stitches
Standing half treble – make a slip knot on the hook, yarn round hook, insert hook into st or sp, yarn round hook, draw up a loop (3 loops on hook) yarn round hook, pull through all loops on hook, standing htr made.
dc in the 3rd loop – make stitch into the 3rd loop of the half treble stitch (sometimes known as camel stitch). The 3rd loop is situated on the reverse side of the work, just below the back loop of the htr.
Start crocheting:
Rnd 1: (rs) With black, make a magic/adjustable ring, ch3 (counts as a tr, here and throughout) 2tr, ch2, (3tr,ch 2) 3 times, joins with sl-st to top of beg ch3. (12 sts) Fasten off. Turn.
Rnd 2: (ws) With white, attach yarn to a corner ch2-sp, [ch3, 2tr, ch2, 3tr] in ch2-sp, *[3tr, ch2, 3tr] in next ch2-sp, rep from * 2 more times, join with sl-st to the top of beg ch3. (24 sts) Fasten off. Turn.
Rnd 3: (rs) With black, attach yarn to a corner ch2-sp, [ch3, 2tr, ch2, 3tr] in ch2-sp, *3tr in cluster sp, [3tr, 2ch, 3tr] in next 2ch-sp, repeat from * 3 more times, 3tr in next cluster sp, join to beginning ch3 with sl-st. (36 sts) Fasten off. Turn.
Rnd 4: (ws) With the first contrast colour (Hot pink), join yarn to a corner ch2-sp, ch3, *1tr in every stitch until the next corner ch2-sp, [2tr, ch2, 2tr] in ch2-sp, rep from * 2 more times, 1 tr in each stitch until next corner ch2-sp, [2tr, 2ch, tr], join with sl-st to top of beginning ch3. (39 sts) Don’t fasten off. Turn.
Rnd 5: (rs) Slip stitch into the first treble and into the corner ch2-sp, ch3, [tr, 2ch, 2tr] in 2ch-sp, * bptr around every stitch until the next corner ch2-sp, [2tr, 3ch, 2tr] in corner ch2-2p, rep from * 2 more times, bptr around each st until the last corner 2ch-sp, join to top of beg 3ch with sl-st (68 sts) Fasten off. (Don’t turn)
Rnd 6: (rs) With white, join yarn to a corner ch2-sp, [ch3, 2tr, 2ch, 3tr] in ch2-sp, *(miss 2 sts, 3tr in next stitch) 5 times, miss 2 sts, [3tr, ch2, 3tr] in next corner 2ch-sp*, rep from * 3 more times, omitting the last [3tr, ch2, 3tr], join with sl-st to top of beg ch3. (84 sts) Fasten off. Turn.
Rnd 7: (ws) With black, join yarn to corner ch2-sp, [ch3, 2tr, ch2, 3tr] in ch2-sp, * 3tr in each cluster sp until next corner 2ch-sp, [3tr, ch2, 3tr] in corner 2ch-sp, rep from * 3 more times, omitting the last [3tr, 2ch, 3tr], join with sl-st to top of beg ch3. (96 sts) Fasten off. Turn.
Rnd 8: (rs) With white yarn, rep rnd 7. (108 sts) Fasten off. (do not turn)
Rnd 9: (rs) With the second contrast colour (Yellow), join in a corner ch2-sp with a standing htr (see special stitches in notes above) *htr in every stitch until corner 2 ch-sp, [2htr, ch2, 2htr] in corner 2ch-sp, rep from * 2 more times, htr in each stitch until corner, [2htr, ch2, htr] in 2ch-sp, join to beg standing htr with sl-st. (124 sts) Fasten off. (do not turn)
Rnd 10: (rs) With black, join yarn to a corner space, ch1 (doesn’t count as a st) *[2dc, 2ch, 2dc], dc in the 3rd loop of each htr until the next corner 2ch-sp, rep from * 3 more times, join with sl-st to the beg dc. (132 sts) Fasten off.
That’s it! Weave in your ends and block if required.
I made a total of 16 squares for my blanket, using different combinations of the bright contrast colours. I arranged them in a 4 x 4 formation and joined them by slip stitching in the back loop only.
Hope you enjoy the pattern 🙂 If you’d like to share a pic on Instagram, please mention/tag me @poppyseedandpom so I can see it!
Happy crocheting!
xxx
Poppyseed and Pom 