I used a size K crochet hook and the following yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Perfectly Pink, Grey Heather, and Orchid (approximately 1/2 skein or 150 yards each).
The color pattern was inspired by Olga's Bright Diagonals Baby Blanket-- I really like the look of thick, bright stripes paired with thin, neutral stripes. For this poncho, my color pattern was 1 row in grey, 3 rows in pink, 1 row in grey, 3 rows in purple, and repeat.
Foundation (grey): 48 chains, connect ends with sl st
Row 1 (grey): sc 48, sl st
Note: Row 1 is my own adaptation from the original pattern; I thought the collar would look better being slightly thicker than the other rows. You could skip this and move right on to Row 2, if you prefer.
Row 2 (grey): first shell [ch 3, 1dc in each of next 2 sc], ch 1, skip next sc, *next shell [1dc in each of next 3 sc], ch 1, skip next sc, repeat from * until end of row, sl st in ch3 where you started (12 shells)
Row 3 (pink): ch 4, shells *[3dc in next ch1 space], ch 1, repeat shell* 6 times, crochet 6th and 7th shell in same space with ch1 between 6/7 to create first corner, repeat shell* 6 more times, crochet 13th and 14th shell in same space with ch1 between 13/14 to create second corner, 14th shell [2dc, sl st in ch3 where you started]
Note: Now that you've created your first set of corners, the remaining rows will be a cake-walk. Just continue to create corners in the ch1 space between corners.
Row 4 (pink): first shell [ch 3, dc2 in same space], ch 1, *next shell [3dc in next ch1 space], ch 1, repeat from * until end of row (remember: crochet shells 7/8 and 15/16 in same space to continue corners), sl st in ch3 where you started.
Note: You'll notice that even rows start with ch3, while odd rows start with ch4. This minor difference is because the even rows start in a space, while the odd rows start by jumping over the space. The extra chain is your typical ch1 to cross the space.
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until you reach desired size.
Last Row (grey): ch1, 1sc in middle dc of shell, *mock shell [3sc around ch1 space, 1sc in middle sc of next shell], repeat *mock shell until end, sl st. This is an adaptation of a tip I learned from Crochet for Knitters video tutorial at about 16:30.
Other Notes:
- With my instructions, you'll never turn over this project. Just keeping working round and round.
- To switch colors, I simply snipped the yarn and tied together the two colors. With the double crochet stitches going around the ch1 space, it's easy to camouflage the knot.
- Writing crochet patterns is hard work.
Fringe
The fringe was very simple to do. First, I cut many pieces of yarn 6 inches long. Then, I gathered three pieces of yarn (one in each color). Finally, I looped the set of yarn around every third single-crochet stitch in the edging. Ta-da!
Drawstring for Collar
The drawstring is simply a chain with curlicues on each end. The opening for the collar was roughly 20 inches, so I doubled that and crocheted a foundation chain about 40 inches long. Now, before you start the chain-- because the curlicues are crocheted from the bottom up, you'll need to leave yourself a lot of yarn for when you go back to crochet the curlicue on the starting end.
Here's what I did:
- Laid about 5-6 feet of yarn in a neat pile. Do not cut the yarn.
- Starting 5-6 feet into the yarn, crocheted the foundation chain 40 inches long.
- Without tying off, crocheted the first curlicue following this tutorial by Fiber Flux. Note: My curlicues were 17 chains long, which equaled 4 inches long. To finish the curlicue, I tied off the yarn and secured it to another chain with a knot (hidden underneath a layer).
- Crocheted the second curlicue on the starting end of the chain with the extra yarn that was set aside.
To finish the drawstring, I weaved it in and out of the first row of grey shells. Because the first row had 12 spaces, I weaved the drawstring under two shells in the back to get it centered on the front.
Back
Front
Curlicues
All done! The poncho is approximately 25 inches wide and 21 inches long. Adorable, right?!
Jilliane
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