DESIGN BY MELISSA LEAPMAN
56 x 70 inches
Lion Brand Wool-Ease medium (worsted) weight yarn (3 oz/197 yds/85g per ball):
27 balls #099 fisherman
Size H/8/5mm crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge
4 hdc = 1 inch; 7 hdc rows = 2 inches
Chain-2 at beginning of half double crochet rows counts as first half double crochet unless otherwise stated.
Fptr (see Stitch Guide) and bpdc (see Stitch Guide) of previous rows are referred to as post stitches.
Skip 1 stitch on last row behind each rope stitch or post stitch worked into a previous row.
Rope stitch (rope st): Yo twice, insert hook around post of corresponding st on row before last, yo, pull lp through, [yo, pull through 2 lps on hook] twice, yo twice, insert hook around post of same st on row before last, yo, pull lp through, [yo, pull through 2 lps on hook] twice, yo, pull through all 3 lps on hook. (After row 3, each rope st is worked around rope st on row before last.)
Popcorn (pc): 5 dc in next st, drop lp from hook, insert hook from front to back through top of first dc of 5-dc group, pull dropped lp through.
Row 1: Ch 216, hdc in 3rd ch from hook (beg 2 sk chs count as first hdc) and in each ch across, turn. (215 hdc)
Row 2: Ch 2 (see Pattern Notes), hdc in each st across, turn.
Row 3 (RS): Ch 2, hdc in each of next 2 sts, work remainder of row in following steps:
A. Rope st (see Special Stitches), hdc in next st on last row, pc (see Special Stitches), hdc in next st, rope st, hdc in each of next 3 sts on last row;
B. counting from last rope st made, sk next 5 sts on row before last, fptr (see Stitch Guide) around each of next 2 sts on row before last;
C. [sk st behind each fptr, hdc in each of next 4 sts on last row, working in front of last 2 hdc made, fptr around each of next 2 unworked sts on row before last, sk next 4 sts on row before last, fptr around each of next 2 sts] 4 times, hdc in each of next 4 sts on last row, working in front of last 2 hdc made, fptr around each of next 2 unworked sts on row before last, hdc in each of next 3 sts on last row;
D. rep steps A–C 3 times;
E. rope st, hdc in next st on last row, pc, hdc in next st, rope st, hdc in each of last 3 sts on last row, turn.
Row 4: Ch 2, hdc in each of next 10 sts, *bpdc (see Stitch Guide) around each of next 2 post sts (see Pattern Notes), hdc in each of next 4 sts on last row, [bpdc around each of next 4 post sts, hdc in each of next 4 sts on last row] 4 times, bpdc around each of next 2 post sts, hdc in each of next 11 sts on last row, rep from * across, turn.
Row 5: Ch 2, hdc in each of next 2 sts, work remainder of row in following steps:
A. [Rope st, hdc in each of next 3 sts on last row] twice;
B. hdc in each of next 2 post sts, working in front of last 2 hdc just made, fptr around same 2 post sts, sk next 4 hdc on last row, fptr around each of next 2 post sts, working behind last 2 fptr just made, hdc in tops of same 2 posts;
C. rep step B 4 times;
D. hdc in each of next 3 sts on last row, [rope st, hdc in each of next 2 sts on last row] twice;
E. rep steps B–D across, turn.
Row 6: Ch 2, hdc in each of next 12 sts, *[bpdc around each of next 4 post sts, {hdc in each of next 4 post sts, bpdc around each of next 4 post sts} 4 times], hdc in each of next 15 sts, rep from * twice, rep between [ ], hdc in each of last 13 sts, turn.
Row 7: Ch 2, hdc in each of next 2 sts, work remainder of row in following steps:
A. Rope st, hdc in next st, pc, hdc in next st, rope st, hdc in each of next 3 sts;
B. [sk hdc, fptr around each of next 2 post sts, working behind last 2 fptr just made, hdc in tops of same 2 posts, hdc in each of next 2 post sts, working in front of last 2 hdc just made, fptr around same 2 post sts] 5 times, sk next 2 sts, hdc in each of next 3 sts;
C. rep steps A and B 3 times;
D. rope st, hdc in next st, pc, hdc in next st, rope st, hdc in each of last 3 sts, turn.
Rows 8–235: [Rep rows 4–7 consecutively] 57 times.
Rows 236 & 237: Rep rows 4 and 5.
Row 238: Ch 2, hdc in each st across, turn.
Rnd 1: With RS of afghan facing, working around outside edge in sts and ends of rows, evenly sp sts, ch 1, sc around with 3 sc in each corner, join with sl st in beg sc.
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in each st around with 3 sc in each center corner st, join with sl st in beg sc.
Rnd 3: Working from left to right, ch 1, reverse sc (see Stitch Guide) in each st around, join with sl st in first sc. Fasten off.