So I’ve teamed up with Claire of Bear Rye Crochet, as well as several other talented makers to bring you an 8X8″ square each day this month. The idea being, that if you make all the squares, you will be able to stitch them together for a fabulous winter themed blanket!

Each day in December, a new square will be released, and the release date for each square will also mean that you can snag the PDF for free.

**If you’re joining us late, fret not, you can still grab the inexpensive PDF on Ravelry  AND, most of us will still have patterns available on our blogs for free indefinitely.**

For my square, I went with my all-time favorite crochet technique- CABLES.  I especially love cables during the winter, as they just scream cozy to me.  Oh, you too?  So glad I’m not alone! 😀

If you have any reservations about crocheting cables, I assure you, you can do it!  If you can identify the post of a double crochet stitch, you can crochet cables.  AND since I have worked cables in to so many of my patterns, you better believe I’ve got posts, upon posts just bursting with pictures to help you along the way.

That being said, the star of this square is the braided cable in the center.  If you would like to see some step-by-step pictures on how to work braided cables, I recommend starting with the blog post about our Brilliant Cables Beanie.  You can also check out the blog post on our Cozy Cabled Cowl, our Easy Cabled Mug Cozy, and the Murphy Slouchy Beanie (I told you I love this technique ;-P ).

The co-stars are the simple twisted cables on either side, which are also featured in our Cozy Cabled Cowl, our Easy Cabled Mug Cozy, the Murphy Slouchy Beanie, and Andy’s Stocking .

**And, if you’re still feeling lost, we just launched our FIRST EVER video tutorial on how to make this square.  You can find a higher quality video of the one shown here on YouTube. **

What You’ll Need

Medium weight (4) soft Acrylic yarn- I used approximately 87 yards

6.0 MM crochet hook

embroidery/ darning needle (for weaving in ends)

scissors

Completed Measurements

8″ wide

8″ tall

Gauge Used

14 fpdc sts= 4″

9 rows= 4″

Abbreviations Used

ch= chain

dc= double crochet

WS= wrong side [of square]

RS= right side [of square]

bpdc= back post double crochet

sk= skip

fpdc= front post double crochet

fptc= front post treble crochet

st= stitch

fo= fasten off

yo= yarn over

pu= pull up

Special Stitches 

Back Post Double Crochet: yo, insert hook in front of post (from back to front) yo, pull through 2 loops on hook, yo and pull through 2 remaining loops

front post double crochet: yo, insert hook behind post (from front to back), yo, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through 2 remaining loops

front post treble crochet: yarn over twice, insert hook behind post (from front to back), yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through remaining 2 loops

Pattern Notes

• This Pattern uses US standards
• This pattern was designed to be a part of the Winter Wonder Square Blanket CAL hosted by Bear Rye.  For a link to all the squares, please visit her blog here.  
• I used a turning chain of 2 at the start of each row because it gives me straighter edges with the cabling, if you find that your square is cinching on the edges, you may choose to increase to a turning chain of 3. 
• Pay special attention to when you are working behind your stitches in row 5.  If you accidentally work in front the whole time, you will not get the braided look.

Pattern

Row 1 (RS): ch 31, starting in 4th ch from hook, dc across, turn (28)

Row 2 (WS): ch 2, dc2 , bpdc 2, dc, bpdc 2, dc, bpdc 12, dc, bpdc 2, dc, bpdc 2, dc 2, turn (28)

Row 3 (RS): ch 2, dc 2, sk 1, fpdc in next, fpdc in front into sk st, dc, sk 1, fpdc in next, fpdc in front into sk st, dc, sk 4, fptc 4 in next 4, fptc in front into 4 sk sts, fpdc 4, dc, sk 1, fpdc in next, fpdc in front into sk st, dc, sk 1, fpdc in next, fpdc in front into sk st, dc 2, turn (28)

Row 4 (WS): ch 2, dc 2 , bpdc 2, dc, bpdc 2, dc, bpdc 12, dc, bpdc 2, dc, bpdc 2, dc 2, turn (28)

Row 5 (RS): ch 2, dc 2, sk 1, fpdc in next, fpdc in front into sk st, dc, sk 1, fpdc in next, fpdc in front into sk st, dc, fpdc 4, sk 4 sts, fptc 4 in next 4, fptc behind into the 4 sk sts, dc, sk 1, fpdc in next, fpdc in front into sk st, dc, sk 1, fpdc in next, fpdc in front into sk st, dc 2, turn (28)

Row 6- 17: repeat rows 2-5 (3 more times)

Row 18 (WS): repeat row 2, fo and weave in ends.  Wet block for best square shape and softness on your blanket.

Once all your squares are complete, you will whip stitch together to form the blanket.