GEOMETRY GARLAND

I think it’s fair to say that I’m more than a little bit in love with crochet flowers, but as much as I adore pretty petals I can’t resist some cute geometry and this garland is as cute as it gets! The Geometry Garland is a great way to teach little ones their shapes, making it the perfect nursery decoration. I’ve chosen a pretty Scandi-inspired, gender-neutral palette of colours so it would be the ideal baby shower gift for expectant parents who are keeping a secret.

Tools and Materials

Yarn Substitution

This design will work well with any standard 4ply (fingering) weight yarn or lighter, so that the motifs don’t become too heavy for the garland.

Tension (Gauge)

7 rnds in tr sts (12st increase each rnd) = 10cm (4in)

Finished Size

Shapes vary from 4.5–6.5cm (134–212in)

Length of garland approx. 1.6m (134yd)

TIPS AND TRICKS

You can crochet a colourful pennant garland using only the basic triangle motif. To make the triangles larger, simply continue working in the set pattern beyond row 7 until the pennant is the required size. Alternatively, to create a stars and moon garland, combine the star motif with a simple circle motif.

PATTERN

HEXAGON MOTIF

Make 3.

Foundation ring: using yarn B and 3mm hook, ch5, ss to form ring

Round 1: ch3 (counts as first tr), 11tr into ring, ss into 3rd of starting ch3

Round 2: ch3 (counts as first tr), tr into base of ch3, *†[tr, ch2, tr] into next st†, 2tr inc into next st* rep from * to * 5 times, rep from † to † once more, ss into 3rd of starting ch3

Round 3: ch3 (counts as first tr), tr into 2sts, *†[tr, ch2, dc into 2nd ch from hook, tr] into corner ch-sp†, tr into 4sts* rep from * to * 5 times, rep from † to † once more, tr into next st, fasten off invisibly

TRIANGLE MOTIF

Make 3.

Foundation ring: using yarn E and 3mm hook, create an adjustable ring

Row 1: ch3 (counts as first tr), 2tr into ring, close adjustable ring, turn

Row 2: ch3 (counts as first tr), tr into 2sts, 2tr inc into 3rd of starting ch3 of prev row, turn

Row 3: ch3 (counts as first tr), tr into 4sts, 2tr inc into 3rd of starting ch3 of prev row, turn

Rows 4–7: rows 2 and 3 set the pattern for the triangle motif, continue increasing in this way in rows 4 to 7, fasten off

DIAMOND MOTIF

Make 3.

Foundation ring: using yarn C and 3mm hook, create an adjustable ring

Round 1: ch7 (counts as first tr, ch4), [tr, ch4] twice into ring, [tr, ch2] once into ring, close adjustable ring, tr into 3rd of starting ch7

Round 2: ch3 (counts as first tr), 2tr into next sp, *[3tr, ch3, 3tr] into corner ch-sp* rep from * to * 3 times, [3tr, ch3] into last ch-sp, ss into 3rd of starting ch3

Round 3: ch1, dc into base of ch1, dc into 5sts, *†[2dc, ch2, 2dc] into corner ch-sp†, dc into 6sts* rep from * to * 3 times, rep from † to † once more, fasten off invisibly

STAR MOTIF

Make 3.

Foundation ring: using yarn D and 3mm hook, ch5, ss to form ring

Round 1: ch6 (counts as first tr, ch3), [tr, ch3] 4 times into ring, ss into 3rd of starting ch6

Round 2: ch1, [dc, tr, dtr, ch3, dc into first ch of ch3, dtr, tr, dc] into each ch-sp around, ss into first dc, fasten off

WHEEL MOTIF

Make 4.

Foundation ring: using yarn A and 3mm hook, ch8, ss to form ring,

Round 1: ch3 (counts as first tr), 19tr into ring, ss into 3rd of starting ch3

Round 2: ch6 (counts as first tr, ch3), *miss 1st of prev rnd, [tr, ch3] into next st* rep from * to * 9 times, ss into 3rd of starting ch6

Round 3: ch1, dc into base of ch1, *4dc into ch-sp, dc into tr st of prev rnd* rep from * to * 9 times, 4dc into next ch-sp, fasten off invisibly

BLOCKING

Using a press cloth, steam press each motif on reverse with a hot iron to the correct size:

Wheel motif: 5.5cm (214in) diameter

Hexagon motif: 5cm (2in) edge to edge

Diamond motif: 4.5cm (134in) edge to edge

Star motif: 6cm (238in) point to point

Triangle motif: 6.5cm (212in) point to point

MAKING UP

Using yarn F and 1.5mm hook, work by stringing motifs together from right to left as follows:

First hanging loop: ch10, ss to form ring, ch1, 20dc into ring, ss into first dc

Place first wheel motif: ch20, dc into top of any edge st of wheel motif

†Place triangle motif: ch30, dc into top rightmost st (ch st) of triangle motif, *ch3, miss one st, dc into next st of triangle motif* rep from * to * 7 times

Place star motif: ch30, dc into any point of star motif

Place diamond motif: ch40, dc into any corner st of diamond motif

Place hexagon motif: ch35, dc into 2nd ch st of any corner of hexagon motif, then work [ch3, miss one st, dc into next tr st, ch3] 3 times, ch3, dc into 2nd ch st of second corner of hexagon motif

Place next wheel motif: ch35, dc into any edge st of wheel motif†

Place remaning motifs: rep from † to † until all motifs are strung into the garland

Second hanging loop: ch30, ss into 10th ch from hook to form a ring, 20dc into ring, fasten off invisibly and weave in loose ends

COLOUR PLACEMENT

Giroflée

Light Green

Bleu Layette

Bleu Night

Acanthe