Intermediate ✦✦✦✧✧
Here is a free crochet pattern for a lacy afghan block with a join-as-you-go row that allows the blocks to be joined seamlessly while keeping the lace texture.
A friend of mine recently had a little baby girl, so of course, I wanted to make a blanket for her. I designed this blanket as a heirloom-style lace square with a simple border that joins the squares while not detracting from the shape of each square.
The square is made in 2 colors, an inner color and a border color. When stitched with worsted weight yarn (I used Knitpicks Mighty Stitch in white, blush, mint, and wisteria) with a 6mm hook, each square comes to about 7.5 inches across.
The finished 3x4 square blanket measures 30 inches x 21.5 inches, perfect for a newborn baby!
Special stitches:
sc-join: pull a loop up in the stitch of the second square, pull a loop through the matching stitch of the first square, pull that same loop through 2 loops on the hook.
hdc-join: yarn over, pull a loop up in the stitch of the second square, pull a loop through the matching stitch of the first square, pull that same loop through 3 loops on the hook.
Color 1:
Row 1: Ch 6, sl st to form a ring.
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as the first st), dc 23 around the ring, sl st to join in the 3rd ch of the starting ch. (24 sts)
Row 3: Ch 5 (counts as first dc and ch-2 space), (dc, ch 2, dc) in the same st as the join, [skip 1 st, sc 3, skip 1 st, dc, (ch 2, dc) twice in the same st] repeat 3 times, skip 1 st, sc 3, skip 1 st, sl st in 3rd ch to join.
Row 4: Sl st into the first ch-2 sp, ch 3 (counts as the first dc), 3 dc in the same ch-2 sp, [(dc , ch 2, dc) in the next st, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc, skip 2 sts, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp] repeat 3 times, (dc , ch 2, dc) in the next st, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc, skip 2 sts, sl st in the 3rd ch to join.
Row 5: Sl st 2, ch, [sc 3, (dc, ch 2, dc, ch 2, dc) in the ch-2 sp, sc 3, skip 2 sts, (dc, ch 2, dc, ch 2, dc) in the next st, skip 2 sts] repeat 4 times, sl st in the first sc to join.
Row 6: Sl st 1, ch, [sc, skip 2 sts, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, (dc, ch 2, dc) in the next st, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc, skip 2 sts, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, dc in the next st, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts] repeat 4 times, sl st in the first sc to join.
Tie off.
Color 2:Sl st in the first sc of a side.
Row 7: Ch 5 (counts as first dc and ch-2 space), (dc, ch 2, dc) in the same st as the join, [skip 2 sts, sc 5, skip 2 sts, (dc, ch 2, dc, ch 2, dc) in the next st, skip 2 sts, sc 3, (dc, ch 2, dc, ch 2, dc) in the ch-2 sp, sc 3, skip 2 sts, (dc, ch 2, dc, ch 2, dc) in the next st] repeat 3 times, skip 2 sts, sc 5, skip 2 sts, (dc, ch 2, dc, ch 2, dc) in the next st, skip 2 sts, sc 3, (dc, ch 2, dc, ch 2, dc) in the ch-2 sp, sc 3, skip 2 sts, sl st in 3rd ch of the starting ch to join.
Row 8: Sl st into the ch-2 sp, ch 3 (counts as the first dc), 3 dc in the same ch-2 sp, [dc, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc 3, skip 2 sts, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, dc, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc, skip 2 sts, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, (dc, ch 2, dc) in the next st, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc, skip 2 sts, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp] repeat 3 times, dc, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc 3, skip 2 sts, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, dc, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc, skip 2 sts, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, (dc, ch 2, dc) in the next st, 4 dc in the next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, sc, skip 2 sts, sl st in the 3rd ch to join.
Tie off.
Joining squares:
Refer to special stitches (sc-join and hdc-join) described above.
Join with a sc in the corner ch-space of the first square, Sc in the next 5 sts, skip 1 st, sc 9, skip 1 st, sc, skip 1 st, sc 9, skip 1 st, sc 5, sc in the corner ch-sp, ch 3, Sc in the corner ch-sp of the next square, sc-join in the next stitch with the first square, hdc-join in the next st, sc 3, skip 1 st, sc 3, hdc-join, sc-join, hdc-join, sc 3, skip 1 st, sc, skip 1 st, sc 3, hdc-join, sc-join, hdc-join, sc 3, skip 1 st, sc 3, hdc-join, sc-join, sc in the corner ch-sp, ch 3, sl st to join or continue down the next side of the second square to join with the third square.
Left: Detail showing the join between 4 squares. Right: Order and pattern for joining squares.
Border around whole blanket:
Repeat the border pattern for the first side of a square (i.e. sc in the 5 sts starting from the corner of a square, skip 1 st, sc 9, skip 1 st, sc, skip 1 st, sc 9, skip 1 st, sc 5) with 4 sc in each ch-3 space between squares, and 3 sc in the corner space of each of the corner squares.
