Read Crochet Patterns: One-Round-Per-Color Granny Squares – Round 4

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

This is the fifth 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.
4. The third article on how to make a One-Round-Per-Color Granny Square: working the second round.
5. The fourth article on how to make a One-Round-Per-Color Granny Square: working the third round.

This article will explain how to work the fourth and subsequent rounds.

Remember, from the fourth article on how to make a Granny Square, this is what it looks like after the end of Round 3:

It's time to get started on the instructions.

One Color Per Round Granny Squares: Round 4

Here are the instructions:

Rnd 4: Join B with sl st in any corner ch-2 sp, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same corner ch-2 sp, ch 1, (3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) to next corner ch-2 sp, *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next corner ch-2 sp, ch 1, (3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) to next corner ch-2 sp; rep from * 2 more times; join with sl st in top of beg ch. Fasten off.

Now, as I have indicated in the previous articles, there are THREE ways to figure out what's happening, before picking up your hook and yarn.

First, the Whats and the Wheres. Just like in the previous rounds, 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-1 or ch-2 spaces formed from the previous round. Remember, the first 3-dc group is actually a "ch 3, 2 dc". And there is a join with a slip stitch at the beginning, and a join at the end.

Second, here is the pattern broken down by Beginning, Repeat, and Ending (as before, 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 corner ch-2 sp, ch 1, (3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) to next corner ch-2 sp, The Repeat: *(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next corner ch-2 sp, ch 1, (3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) to next corner ch-2 sp; rep from * 2 more times; The Ending: join with sl st in top of beg ch. Fasten off.

Third, here is another view of the instructions for both Round 3 and Round 4, in which the differences between the two sets of instructions are highlighted.

This is actually the most useful analysis for this round.

So, other than the color change, how does it differ from the previous round? Just that after you have worked a corner group, you just keep working 3-DC groups into each ch-1 space until you arrive at another corner ch-2 space. (And don't forget all those "chain 1"s after each 3-DC.)

So everything that you have done on previous rounds is done again - the only difference from one round to the next is that the sides are longer.

How to Crochet the Instructions for Round 4

There is not going to be a lot of detail in this article, because it is so similar to the previous ones.

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 corner ch-2 sp, ch 1, (3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) to next corner ch-2 sp,

This photo shows a completed Beginning (up to the * that marks the beginning of the Repeat). There is a corner group and two side groups. And, of course, note the chain 1 by the hook.

The Repeat

Now we're into the Repeated section:

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

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 and four side groups shown, one set each from the Beginning and the Repeat.

And the round is about halfway done!

Do that Repeated section twice more.

The Ending

And here are the instructions for the Ending, identical to the Endings for the previous round:

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

So here is the result, the end of Round 4:

Subsequent Rounds in the One-Round-Per-Color Granny Square

The way that they wrote Round 4 is pretty generic - work the side groups until you get to a corner space.

So most crochet patterns will say something like:

Repeat Rnd 4, alternating colors as established, until (some number of) rounds have been completed.

Here's a photo of a completed Round 5:

And a completed Round 6:

Weaving in the Ends

If, like I did for this sample, you leave all of the weaving to the end, you have a mess like this:

So weave in all of those ends into the wrong side, a minimum of 2 inches or 5 centimeters, so that the project will survive laundry:

One question that you might have is how to tell the right side from the wrong side. On a Granny Square, with circular crochet, on the right side you will clearly see the Vees on the outside edge - they kind up "cup up". On the wrong side, they "cup down".

Here is the finished Granny Square, from the Right Side. Notice the "cup up" at the edges:

Conclusion

If you have made a One-Color-Per-Round Granny Square along with these articles, congratulations! You can make it as large as you want - you have all the information that you need to be able to do so.

If you do make a large Granny Square (say, the size of an afghan or blanket), you will find the process quite relaxing - all you have to be aware of is when you are at a corner ch-2 space, so you can work a corner group into it. Other that that, it is just a repetitive process.

Enjoy making your One-Color-Per-Round Granny Square.