Read Crochet Patterns: One-Round-Per-Color Granny Squares – Round 2

How to Read a Crochet Pattern for the Second Round of a One-Round-Per-Color Granny Square

This is the third in a series of articles on the details of how to make a One-Round-Per-Color Granny Square, one that looks like this when it is done.

Here is a list of the previous articles in this series:

1. Overview of what is involved in a Granny Square
2. The first article on how to make a Granny Square: how to make the initial ring, into which the first round will be worked.
3. The second article on how to make a One-Round-Per-Color Granny Square: working the first round.

This article will explain how to work the second round.

But first, let's check out the end of the first round.

As mentioned in the previous article on how to make a Granny Square, at the end of Round 1, you were supposed to "fasten off" for this particular form of Granny Square. So here's a refresher on that subject (this is important, because you will be fastening off at the end of each round in this style of Granny Square).

After doing the join at the end of Round 1, the square looks like this:

Cut off the working end of the yarn (the ball end) about 6 inches or 15 cms from the end (you need enough length to be able to weave in the ends). And pull that cut end through that last slip stitch.

This photo shows the yarn part way through the stitch:

And this photo shows the yarn all the way through:

Trust me on this: now is the best time to weave in those two yarn ends!

Confession: I was making the sample while on vacation, and I didn't have a big-eyed needle with which to weave those ends in. I had to wait until I got home. And it was really annoying to have to do all those ends after so many rounds had been completed.

Let us get started on the instructions.

One-Round-Per-Color Granny Squares: Round 2

Rnd 2: Join B with sl st in any corner ch-2 sp, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same ch-2 sp (corner made), ch 1, *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner made), ch 1; rep from * 2 more times; join with sl st in top of beg ch. Fasten off.

As before, there are two ways to figure out what's happening.

First, here are the Whats and the Wheres:

• The Whats: Slip stitch, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1) repeated, join
• The Wheres: in any corner ch-2 space, in same ch-2 space, (in next ch-2 space) repeated

So essentially, in this round, you work groups of 3 dc's separated by either ch 1 or ch 2. And these are going to be worked in the ch-2 spaces formed from the previous round. Remember, the first 3-dc group is actually a "ch 3, 2 dc". And there are those slip stitches at the beginning, and a join at the end.

Second, here is the pattern broken down by Beginning, Repeat, and Ending (remember that this is an important skill to learn in order to read crochet patterns).

The Beginning: Join B with sl st in any corner ch-2 sp, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same ch-2 sp (corner made), ch 1, The Repeat: *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner made), ch 1; rep from * 2 more times; The Ending: join with sl st in top of beg ch. Fasten off.

How to Crochet the Instructions

Here’s where the good stuff is: how to crochet this round of the Granny Square, with photos.

The Beginning

Here are the instructions for the beginning of the round:

The Beginning: Join B with sl st in any corner ch-2 sp, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same ch-2 sp (corner made), ch 1,

The first bit says to "Join B with sl st in any corner ch-2 sp". For the new crocheter, there's actually a lot of information in that phrase.

First, it is telling you to get another color of yarn. Most patterns will refer to the various colors as A, B, C, etc. Sometimes, you will see MC (Main Color) and CC (Contrasting Color). Or perhaps MC, A, B, C, etc.

Now, you are going to find ANY one of those corner chain-2 spaces that were made in the previous round. And you are going to start working with that new color of yarn, by joining it with a slip stitch into that chain-2 space.

The method that I use is simply to insert the hook under that chain-2 and grab a loop of yarn. I call that my slip stitch. At this point, the stitch is definitely not well formed, but in a very short while all will be well.

This photo shows the hook grabbing the yarn:

Moving quickly on, continuing with the beginning of the round, the next step is to "ch 3". Here's the photo:

The next bit is "(2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same ch-2 sp (corner made)". Remember, those parentheses tell you that all of those stitches are to be worked into the same ch-2 space that you used when starting this round.

This photo shows the first 2 DCs done (and note, of course, that it sort of looks like there are 3 DCs side by side - only we know that the first one was really the chain-3).

The last bit of the beginning is just a "ch 1". In this pattern, I'm pretty sure that every little section ends with a dangling chain. Don't forget it.

This photo shows the project to the end of the Beginning section, just before the * that marks the start of the Repeat section. Note the dangling chain 1 right by the hook.

And the Beginning part of the round is done.

The Repeat

Now we're into the Repeated section:

The Repeat: *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner made), ch 1; rep from * 2 more times;

Find the next ch-2 space, and work 3 double crochets, 2 chains, and 3 double crochets all into that space. Finish with a chain 1.

It is useful to call the sequence of "(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 space" a corner group. Basically, from here on, whenever you get to a corner, you work this corner group.

Anyway, here is what the first instance of the repeated section looks like - remember that Chain 1 at the end!

Notice that there are two corner groups shown, one from the Beginning, and one from the Repeat.

But we need to do that Repeated section twice more.

Here is the second instance of the repeated section, showing three corner groups:

And here is the third and final instance of the repeated section, showing four corner groups:

The repeats are all done. And there's a chain-1 dangling by the hook.

Now it's time to finish off the round.

The Ending

And here are the instructions for the Ending:

The Ending: join with sl st in top of beg ch. Fasten off.

This is pretty straightforward. Remember that chain-3 at the beginning of the round? Work a slip stitch into the third chain, as shown in this photo:

And finally, fasten off, as shown near the beginning of the article.

And Round 2 is done. You may now get another color of yarn for the third round.

You can see that the little project is starting to look like a square. In the corners are chain-2 spaces, and along the sides are just chain-1 spaces.

Here is a different sample that I made, showing the end of Round 2:

To Be Continued

It would be a good thing to weave in those ends, before working on the next round!

The fourth article on how to make a one-round-per-color Granny Square will explain how to work Round 3. It's just a bit more complex!