CrochetDad's Wheel Stitch Block Tutorial - Foundation Round

How to crochet a Wheel Stitch Block.


This block will be made in two colors.  I'm using Caron Worsted in One Pound skein using Lace (A) and Taupe (B) with a K crochet hook.  Crochet notations are U.S.

Foundation Rnd

Using A, let's start with a ring - pick your favorite method:

• Method 1: ch 5 (counts as trc plus ch 1), [trc, ch 1] 11 times, in first ch, join to 4th ch with sl st, cut yarn, finish off.
• Method 2: ch 4, join to first ch with sl st, ch 5 in ring (counts as trc plus ch 1), [trc, ch 1] 11 times in ring join to 4th ch of beginning ch 5 with sl st, cut yarn, finish off, weave in ends.
• Method 3: (this is my favorite) Adjustable starting ring (a.k.a. Magic Ring) ch 5 in ring (counts as trc plus ch 1), [trc, ch 1] 11 times in ring, join to 4th ch of beginning ch 5 with sl st, cut yarn, finish off, weave in end.  Pull ring closed as tight as you like, weave in end of yarn.
  

Here's what mine looks like:

Note: When joining in the round, I use the method described in Sarah London's blog.  You can replace this method when I say "cut yarn and finish off" instead of the sl st method. 

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CrochetDad's Wheel Stitch Block Tutorial - Second Round

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Rnd 2: Join B in the top loops of any trc, ch 3:

 

trc cluster in next 3 ch 1 spaces

trc cluster = [trc in next ch 1 sp reserving last loop on hook] 3 times (4 loops on hook)

yo and pull through all loops on hook, ch 1 - trc cluster complete

Note: the ch 1 at the top of the cluster will be referred to as the shell anchor

 

ch 3, join with sl st in top loops of next trc.

CornerCluster complete

Recap:  CornerCluster = [ch 3, trc cluster over next 3 ch 1 sp, ch 3, join with sl st in next trc]

CornerCluster over next 3 ch 1 spaces

 

continue around ring in like manner, doing two more CornerClusters

Rnd 2 complete

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CrochetDad's Wheel Stitch Block Tutorial - Third Round

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Rnd 3: ch 1, [trc, ch 1] 8 times in next shell anchor, ( remember - the shell anchor is the ch 1 at the top of the trc cluster) join to next sl st of previous rnd with sl st.

CornerShell complete

Recap: CornerShell = ch 1, [trc, ch 1] 8 times in shell anchor

continue around doing CornerShell in each shell anchor

Rnd 3 complete - cut yarn, finish off and weave in ends   

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CrochetDad's Wheel Stitch Block Tutorial - Fourth Round

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Rnd 4: join A in top loops of the third trc of any CornerShell, ch 3 - beginning of CornerCluster 

 

complete CornerCluster 

 

trc cluster in next 6 ch 1 spaces - 7 loops on hook 

 

yo and pull through all loops on hook, ch 1 (side shell anchor), ch 3 join to next trc with sl st to complete SideCluster 

continue around, doing CornerCluster in corners and SideCluster in sides.

Rnd 4 complete 

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CrochetDad's Wheel Stitch Block Tutorial - Fifth Round

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Rnd 5: begin as in Rnd3 - CornerShell in corner shell anchor, ch 1, [trc, ch1] 5 times in next side shell anchor

SideShell complete 

 

continue with CornerShell in corner shell anchor and SideShell in side shell anchor

Rnd 5 complete. Cut yarn, finish off. Weave in ends.

Repeat Rnd 4 and Rnd 5 until desired size. 

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CrochetDad's Wheel Stitch Block Tutorial - Ending Round

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You can end with the previous round, or, if you prefer a more square finish - continue one more round...


Ending round: Using B Repeat Rnd 4 - CornerCluster in each corner shell anchor, SideCluster in each side shell anchor, join with sl st.

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Rectangular Wheel Stitch Afghan (progress)

Progress at 6 rounds: approximately 12 x 36 inches

I'm attempting to crochet an afghan in the round, but achieve a rectangular finished product. In my last post, the foundation round was twice as long as the length (approximately 2 x 4 inches). By the 5th round, the measurement was 8 x 10 inches, still 2 inches different between the width and the length. If I had continued to completion, the finished product would still have the short side 2 inches shorter than the long side. This is not what I had in mind.

A good online friend reminded me that in this type of project (working in the round), as you increase the rounds, the length grows at the same rate as the width, so if, at the beginning, the width is 2 inches shorter than the length, after x number of rounds, the width will still be 2 inches shorter than the length, which is not what I intended.

When working a project in the round, to insure the proper aspect ration, that is width to length, you have to know the desired measurements at the end of the project to enable you to start with the proper sized foundation round. Subtracting the width (short measurement) from the length (long measurement) will give you the proper size of the foundation round.

I sat on my couch with a measuring tape across my lap and decided I wanted the width of the afghan to be approximately 30 inches and the length to be approximately 60 inches, so subtracting the width from the length gave me 30 inches. I started with a foundation round of 30 inches. Since the width was only 2 inches, the start of the project looked more like a strip or scarf than an afghan. As you can see by the picture above, the piece is beginning to look more like I intended, with the current measurements approximately 12 x 36 inches.

OK! I know! The difference now is only 24 inches instead of 28 inches. But after 6 rounds it's starting to look more like what I wanted than the previous attempt.

My next post will have the instructions, and some more verbiage about how to start if your desired finished product isn't what I had in mind for my finished product.