A lightweight, openwork square that reads like lace—designed to be worked in the round from the centre to produce a 30cm / 12in finished square. Use lace or fingering yarn with a slightly larger hook for airy stitch definition. This pattern is written in US crochet terms; UK equivalents are given where helpful.
Approx 30cm / 12in blocking size (unblocked it will be smaller).
Approx 13 pattern fans and 9 rows = 10cm / 4in across in motif with recommended hook. Because this is an open lace square your gauge will vary; swatch and block to match finished size if making a blanket to exact dimensions.
The square is worked from the centre out in rounds. Each round places increases at four corner points to form a square. Rounds are fully written and include stitch counts at the end of each round for checking. Block each square to final size before joining for a smooth leace look. Join-as-you-go instructions follow the main pattern.
Start: magic ring or ch4 and join to make a ring. Round 1: ch3 (counts as dc), work 11 dc into ring; join with sl st to top of ch3. (12 dc) Round 2: ch4 (counts as dc+ch1), *dc in next st, ch1* around; join to 3rd ch of ch4. (12 dc, 12 ch-1 sps) Round 3: ch3, dc in same st, ch2, *2 dc in next dc, ch2* around; join. (24 dc and 12 ch-2 sps) Round 4: ch3, dc in same st, ch3, *shell (5 dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch3* around placing shells across each ch-2; at four points where shells meet, do shell, ch3, shell to form corners. Join. (Count: 12 shells; 4 corner sets of 2 shells separated by ch3.) Round 5: ch3, dc in same st, ch2, *7-dc fan in top of next shell, ch2, dc in next dc (between shells), ch2* around; at each corner fan space work: fan, ch4, fan to make the square corner. Join. (12 fans; corners have ch4 sps) Round 6: ch1, sc in same st and across to emphasize arches: sc into each dc and into each ch-2 and ch-4 corner spaces placing (sc, ch3, sc) in each ch4 corner to square the motif. Join. (Even work to square shape) Round 7: ch3, *skip next 2 sc, (5 dc shell) in next sc, ch2, sc in next sc* rep to corner; at corner work shell, ch3, shell; join. Round 8: ch3, dc in same st, ch3, *(3-dc cl + ch2 + 3-dc cl) over the next shell to open it into a lacy petal, ch3* around; in corners work (3-dc cl + ch4 + 3-dc cl). Join. Round 9: Repeat Round 6 to stabilise and even out edges by working sc and ch-arch pattern: sc in dc and cluster tops, (sc, ch3, sc) in corner ch4; join. Round 10: Increase round for final square size: ch3, *dc in next 2 sts, ch2, 5-dc shell in next ch3 space, ch2*; corner: shell, ch4, shell. Join. Round 11: Edge round: ch1, sc around working (sc, ch2, sc) in corner ch4 to make a neat squared corner; finish with picot if desired: at every 4th sc, ch3, sl st in first ch to make small picot for lacy edge. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Notes on counts: the designer intent is to double the surface detail by alternating fan/shell/open rounds and stabilising sc rounds so the motif grows evenly into a square. If you prefer a more open square, skip Round 6 and Round 9; for a denser square add an extra sc stabilising round.
Soak gently in lukewarm water with a small amount of mild soap, squeeze out excess water without wringing (roll in towel), pin to blocking mat to exact 30cm / 12in square, stretching gently until the lace fans open and the edges are straight. Let dry completely.
Join-as-you-go: On the last round when you reach a side where another blocked square exists, replace one sc in the joining side with sl st through corresponding sc on the adjacent square, continuing the round. For a neat join, use a single crochet join (sc through both layers) every 3–4 sts. For a lacy float look use a ladder join by slip-stitching through back loops only. Weave in ends and block seams flat.
If you prefer knitting, use laceweight yarn on needles US 6 / UK 4 / 4.0mm and work a centre-out square using increases at the four corners (make-one increases) and a basic lace repeat such as yarnovers combined with decreases (k2tog/ssk) to form diamond/fan shapes. Blocking is essential for knitted lace to open the pattern.
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