Mini Merino Bobble Diamond Blanket

Skill level: Advanced
Construction: Flat rows, bottom-up, then border in the round

A mini throw worked in worsted merino with a 5 mm hook. Five-dc bobbles (kuleczki) form an allover diamond lattice on a double-crochet field. Bobbles are worked on right-side rows only so they pop forward. A three-round border frames the texture; the outer round repeats the bobbles at the corners.

This pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.
US sc = UK dc · US hdc = UK htr · US dc = UK tr · US tr = UK dtr

Finished size

25 × 30 in (63.5 × 76 cm) after blocking, including border.

Body before border: 21¾ × 26¼ in (55 × 66.5 cm).

Materials

• Yarn: Worsted-weight merino wool, 6 skeins / 300 g (each skein 50 g / 1.75 oz; about 100 m / 109 yds). Total about 600 m / 655 yds.
  Solid or lightly heathered yarn shows the bobbles best. If your 50 g skein is under 90 m / 98 yds, buy 7 skeins.
• Hook: 5 mm (US H-8), or size needed to obtain gauge
• Stitch markers
• Yarn needle
• Scissors
• Blocking mats and rustproof pins (or wires)

Gauge

15 sts and 11 rows = 4 in (10 cm) in Bobble Diamond Pattern, blocked, with 5 mm hook.

Swatch: Ch 24. Work Row 1 of the body (22 dc). Work the 12-row pattern twice. Measure the inner 4 in (10 cm) of stitch and row gauge. Adjust hook size if needed — merino blooms when blocked, so measure the blocked swatch.

Textured bobble fabric is denser than plain dc. Do not substitute a dc-only gauge.

Abbreviations (US)

Special stitches

5-dc bobble (bo): [Yo, insert hook in indicated st, yo, pull up a loop, yo, draw through 2 loops] 5 times (6 loops on hook), yo, draw through all 6 loops on hook. Counts as 1 stitch. Do not chain 1 to close.

Push the bobble toward the RS if it sits to the back. On the following WS row, work 1 dc in the closed top of the bobble.

Corner bobble (border only): Work a 5-dc bobble in the indicated ch-space or stitch, same construction as above.

Notes

• Turning ch-3 counts as the first dc of every body row. Place a marker in the top of the ch-3 so the last st of the next row is not missed.
• Stitch count is 82 on every row. A closing chain after a bobble will add stitches — omit it.
• Selvage: the first and last stitch of every row is a dc. Pattern repeats sit between them: (8 × 10 sts) + 2 selvage = 82 ✓.
• Bobble rows are all RS (Rows 3, 5, 7, 9, 11). Wrong-side rows are plain dc.
• Optional: on Row 1, place a marker every 10 sts between the selvages to track diamonds.
• Length is easy to change in 12-row (about 4¼ in / 11 cm) steps. Extra length needs more yarn.

Pattern — body

Foundation chain: Ch 84.

Row 1 (RS): Dc in 4th ch from hook (skipped 3 ch count as first dc) and in each ch across.
82 dc ✓ (84 − 3 skipped ch + turning-ch counted as dc = 82).

Row 2 (WS): Ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), dc in each st across, dc in top of turning ch. 82 dc ✓. Turn.

Row 3 (RS, bobble centers): Ch 3, *dc in next 4 sts, bo in next st, dc in next 5 sts; rep from * 7 more times (8 pattern reps), dc in last st.
8 bobbles, 82 sts ✓. Turn.

Row 4 (WS): Ch 3, dc in each st across (1 dc in the top of each bobble). 82 dc ✓. Turn.

Row 5 (RS, diamonds opening): Ch 3, *dc in next 2 sts, bo in next st, dc in next 3 sts, bo in next st, dc in next 3 sts; rep from * 7 more times, dc in last st.
16 bobbles, 82 sts ✓. Turn.

Row 6 (WS): Ch 3, dc in each st across. 82 dc ✓. Turn.

Row 7 (RS, diamonds widest): Ch 3, *bo in next st, dc in next 7 sts, bo in next st, dc in next st; rep from * 7 more times, dc in last st.
16 bobbles, 82 sts ✓. Turn.

Row 8 (WS): Ch 3, dc in each st across. 82 dc ✓. Turn.

Row 9 (RS, diamonds closing): Repeat Row 5. 16 bobbles, 82 sts ✓. Turn.

Row 10 (WS): Ch 3, dc in each st across. 82 dc ✓. Turn.

Row 11 (RS, diamond peaks): Repeat Row 3. 8 bobbles, 82 sts ✓. Turn.

Row 12 (WS): Ch 3, dc in each st across. 82 dc ✓. Turn.

Rows 3–11 bobble total per 12-row repeat: 8 + 16 + 16 + 16 + 8 = 64 bobbles ✓.

Repeat Rows 1–12 five more times — 6 repeats in all = 72 rows ✓.

Piece measures about 21¾ in (55 cm) wide × 26¼ in (66.5 cm) long. End with Row 12 (WS). Do not fasten off if you are using the same yarn for the border; turn to RS.

Stitch chart

One 10-st repeat, shown left to right in the order the RS instructions are worked (selvage dc on each end of the row is not shown). Read RS rows left to right as written; WS rows are dc in every stitch.

● = 5-dc bobble  · = dc

Pattern sts:  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10     (× 8, plus 1 dc selvage each side)

Row 12 (WS):  · · · · · · · · · ·
Row 11 (RS):  · · · · ● · · · · ·
Row 10 (WS):  · · · · · · · · · ·
Row  9 (RS):  · · ● · · · ● · · ·
Row  8 (WS):  · · · · · · · · · ·
Row  7 (RS):  ● · · · · · · · ● ·
Row  6 (WS):  · · · · · · · · · ·
Row  5 (RS):  · · ● · · · ● · · ·
Row  4 (WS):  · · · · · · · · · ·
Row  3 (RS):  · · · · ● · · · · ·
Row  2 (WS):  · · · · · · · · · ·
Row  1 (RS):  · · · · · · · · · ·

Each diamond peaks on Rows 3 and 11 and is widest on Row 7, where neighboring diamonds almost touch (one dc between them).

Border

Worked in the round on the RS. Do not turn. Move the working yarn to a corner if it is not already there.

Rnd 1 (sc, RS): Ch 1, sc in each st to the next corner stitch, 3 sc in corner st, sc in each row-end to the next corner 4 times, sl st in first sc to join.

Counts to expect: 80 sc along each short side between the corner groups, 72 sc along each long side, 3 sc in each of 4 corners.
(80 × 2) + (72 × 2) + (3 × 4) = 160 + 144 + 12 = 316 sc ✓.

Rnd 2 (dc): Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in each sc around, working (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the center sc of each 3-sc corner. Sl st in top of ch-3.

Rnd 3 (bobble frame): Ch 1, *sc in next 3 dc, bo in next dc; rep from * around, working (sc, bo, sc) in each corner ch-2 space. If a side does not land cleanly, work 2 sc or 4 sc once between bobbles so a bobble sits in (or immediately beside) every corner. Sl st in first sc. Fasten off.

Finishing

1. Weave in all ends on the WS with the yarn needle. Take tails through the dense base of nearby bobbles so they cannot creep forward.
2. Block — essential for merino and for the diamonds to settle.
   Wet block (preferred): Soak in lukewarm water with a little wool wash for 15–20 minutes. Press out water (do not wring). Lay flat on mats. Pin to 25 × 30 in (63.5 × 76 cm), pinning into the border, not through the tops of bobbles. Let dry completely.
   Steam block (alternative): Hover a steam iron over the fabric; do not press. Steam flattens bobbles if the iron touches them.
3. After blocking, check that every bobble sits on the RS. Nudge any that inverted with the tip of the hook.

Schematic (blocked)

              25 in (63.5 cm)
    ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
    │  ~1½ in bobble border all around │
    │     ┌─────────────────────┐     │  30 in
    │     │  82 sts, 72 rows    │     │  (76 cm)
    │     │  diamond bobbles    │     │
    │     └─────────────────────┘     │
    └─────────────────────────────────┘

Stitch counts at a glance