https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/crop-circles • Posted by Search Press
I am fascinated by circles and love creating designs with them. Crop circles are a good example of their use, and a great source of inspiration – whether you believe they are man-made or made by unknown entities. I prefer the older, simpler designs; a lot of the more recent designs are very complex. Farmers must hate the destruction of their crops, but the dedication of their makers has to be admired – it must be difficult constructing them and ensuring they are perfect under cover of night. The yellow-gold background in this blanket represents the colour of the cornfields in which the crop circles appear. Blanket size 180.5 x 190.5cm (71 x 75in) (UK king size) Hook size 3 or 3.25mm (UK 11 or 10) Yarn type 4-ply (fi ngering) yarn: 360m (394yd) per 100g Yarn notes I made this blanket with oddments of yarn left over from other projects. If you prefer to buy new yarn, consider choosing the yarn brands below. You do not need to use the same dye lots UK independent dyers and spinners: Skein Queen: Selkino, Lustrous John Arbon Textiles: Exmoor Sock, Knit by Numbers 4-ply Easyknits: Splendour The Little Grey Sheep: Stein 4-ply Worldwide commercial brands: Drops: Alpaca, Alpaca/Silk Fyberspates: Vivacious 4-ply Cascade: 220 Fingering, Heritage Silk Knit Picks: Palette yarn
I am fascinated by circles and love creating designs with them. Crop circles are a good example of their use, and a great source of inspiration – whether you believe they are man-made or made by unknown entities. I prefer the older, simpler designs; a lot of the more recent designs are very complex. Farmers must hate the destruction of their crops, but the dedication of their makers has to be admired – it must be difficult constructing them and ensuring they are perfect under cover of night. The yellow-gold background in this blanket represents the colour of the cornfields in which the crop circles appear. Blanket size 180.5 x 190.5cm (71 x 75in) (UK king size) Hook size 3 or 3.25mm (UK 11 or 10) Yarn type 4-ply (fi ngering) yarn: 360m (394yd) per 100g Yarn notes I made this blanket with oddments of yarn left over from other projects. If you prefer to buy new yarn, consider choosing the yarn brands below. You do not need to use the same dye lots UK independent dyers and spinners: Skein Queen: Selkino, Lustrous John Arbon Textiles: Exmoor Sock, Knit by Numbers 4-ply Easyknits: Splendour The Little Grey Sheep: Stein 4-ply Worldwide commercial brands: Drops: Alpaca, Alpaca/Silk Fyberspates: Vivacious 4-ply Cascade: 220 Fingering, Heritage Silk Knit Picks: Palette yarn
Construction JOINING: The finished squares are slip stitched or crocheted together along each side. Crochet into the corresponding gaps between the stitches on each side of each motif. BORDER: Work two rows of double crochet. Colour chart This chart is designed to give you an overall look at how this blanket is composed and how the colours interact with each other.
Square motif 10 x 10cm (4 x 4in) Using colour 1, make a 5-ch foundation chain and join in a ring with a sl st. Round 1: 2 ch (counts as 1 htr), 9 htr in the foundation ring. Join to the 2nd st of original 2-ch with a sl st (10 htr). Fasten off. Round 2: in this and all following rounds, work in the gaps between sts in previous round. Join colour 2 in any gap, 2 ch (counts as 1 htr), 1 htr in same gap, *2 htr in next gap*. Repeat from * to * 8 times. Join to the 2nd st of original 2-ch with a sl st (20 htr). Fasten off. Round 3: join colour 3 in any gap, 2 ch (counts as 1 htr), 1 htr in same gap, 1 htr in next gap, *2 htr in next gap, 1 htr in next gap*. Repeat from * to * 8 times. Join to the 2nd st of original 2-ch with a sl st (30 htr). Fasten off. Round 4: join colour 4 in any gap, 2 ch (counts as 1 htr), 1 htr in the same gap, 1 htr in the next 2 gaps, *2 htr in next gap, 1 htr in next 2 gaps, *. Repeat from * to * 8 times. Join to the 2nd st of original 2-ch with a sl st (40 htr). Fasten off. Round 8: 1 ch (counts as 1dc) in the 2-ch corner space, *1 dc in the next 17 gaps, (1 dc, 2 ch**, 1 dc) in the 2-ch corner space*. Repeat from * to * 3 times, ending last repeat at **. Join to the original 1-ch with a sl st. Fasten off. Round 5: join colour 5 in any gap, 2 ch (counts as 1 htr), 1 htr in same gap, 1 htr in the next 3 gaps, *2 htr in next gap, 1 htr in next 3 gaps*. Repeat from * to * 8 times. Join to the 2nd st of original 2-ch with a sl st (50 htr). Fasten off. Round 6: join colour 6 in any gap, 2 ch (counts as 1 htr), 1 htr in same gap, 1 htr in the next 4 gaps, *2 htr in next gap, 1 htr in next 4 gaps*. Repeat from * to * 8 times. Join to the 2nd st of original 2-ch with a sl st (60 htr). Fasten off. Round 7: join colour 7 in any gap, 4 ch (counts as 1 dtr), 1 dtr in same gap (this forms the end of a corner), *1 dtr in the next gap, 1 tr in the next 2 gaps, 1 htr in the next 2 gaps, 1 dc in the next 4 gaps, 1 htr in the next 2 gaps, 1 tr in the next 2 gaps, 1 dtr in the next gap, (2 dtr, 2 ch**, 2 dtr) in the next gap (this forms the corner)*. Repeat from * to * 3 times ending last repeat at **. Join to the 4th st of original 4-ch with a sl st.
Making Crop Circles 1 Take one Motif 1 block, two Motif 2 blocks, two Motif 3 blocks, two Motif 4 blocks, two Motif 5 blocks and one Motif 6 block. Attach them together with slip stitch in the order shown to create the centre column. 2 Take two Motif 1 blocks, four Motif 2 blocks, four Motif 3 blocks, four Motif 4 blocks, four Motif 5 blocks and two Motif 6 blocks. Taking one side at a time, add a column either side of the first column with slip stitch 3 Take six Motif 1 blocks, twelve Motif 2 blocks, twelve Motif 3 blocks, twelve Motif 4 blocks, twelve Motif 5 blocks and six Motif 6 blocks. As in step 2, work a column at a time as shown, attaching the blocks with slip stitch. 4 The centre block is now complete and you can start adding the next motifs in rounds, working around the blanket as you add them. Take forty-two Motif 1 blocks and slip stitch them in place to create the first border. 5 Take fifty Motif 4 blocks and slip stitch them in place to create the second border. 6 Take fifty-eight Motif 5 blocks and slip stitch them in place to create the third border. 7 Take sixty-six Motif 6 blocks and slip stitch them in place to create the fourth border. 8 Complete the blanket with a 2 dc border. Colour variations For this variation I changed the ‘background’ colour to a deep purple, and used lots of gorgeous berry and blue tones. Colour variations For this variation I changed the ‘background’ colour to a bright lime green, and used lots of fresh, vibrant colours.