Istanbul Magic - Milla Magic

Milla Magic Crochet Square

Well Hello! In case you were thinking that I have disappeared from the face of earth, fear not. I am very much alive and kicking and for the most you can find me on Instagram where I post photos to my gallery under the handle RawRustic

Today I share with you a pattern that I designed in 2014 and that appeared in Issue 23 of Simply Crochet Magazine.  A few beautiful examples of  the blanket can be viewed on Ravelry and Instagram.

This square was inspired by my travels to glorious Istanbul. What a magnificent city, full of energy and colour - a potent mix of East and West, blended together over the course of the last 800 years!  It is this balance of contrasts that I think makes Istanbul so captivating for me a s a city and influenced the pattern and mood of the blanket.
I named the blanket after my beautiful daughter, Milla. 

Yarn: 

Timu hand-dyed 10 ply cotton (previous known as Magdalene)

Timu is a collaboration between two teams producing two different colour palettes and is available from Yarn in a Barn and MoYa

You will need 34 balls of 50g a ball. 4 of those should be the same colour and will be used for the edge and to crochet the squares together.  I designed the pattern specifically to showcase a thicker hand dyed cotton, it gives a sturdiness to the squares and "pops the bobbles".
The only alternative to Moya I can think of is Vinnis Tori.

Hook Size:

5mm to achieve 54 squares measuring 15cm x 15cm each.  The finished blanket measures 94cm x 140cm

Pattern US Terminology:

Ch5, ss to the first ch to form a ring.

Round 1: Ch1 (does not count as a stitch), 10sc into the ring, ss to the first sc to join (10sc). Fasten off.

Round 2: Join next colour yarn and ch4 (count as tr), tr in st at base of ch4, 2tr in each sc around, ss to the top of the beginning ch4 to join (20tr). Fasten off.

Round 3: Join new colour and ch1 (does not count as stitch), 2sc in the first stitch and each st around, ss to the first sc to join. (40sc) Fasten off.

Round 4: Turn work so that the wrong side is facing and join new colour in the first st, ch 1 (does not count as stitch), *sc in same st, tr in next sc and repeat from * around, ss to the first sc to join 

Round 5: Turn the work so that the right side is facing and join new colour in the first sc of previous round. Ch1 (does not count as stitch), sc in the first st, *ch3, skip the next tr, sc in the next sc; repeat from * around omitting the last sc, ss to the first sc to join. (20 ch3 spaces).

Round 6: carry on with colour joined in round 5. Ss to the first ch3 space, ch3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in same ch3 space *(3sc in the next ch3 sp) twice, 3dc in the next ch3 sp, (3tr ch2, 3tr) in the next ch3 sp; repeat from * 3 more times omitting the last 3dc, ss to the top of the beginning ch3 to join. Fasten off.

Assemble all the squares with sc seam.

Border - one sound of sc with 3sc in each corner, second round of sc with picot in every 7th sc and in corner.