Square 8! Crochet Along Afghan Sampler (August)

It's time for Square 8 (August) of the Crochet Along Afghan Sampler, hooking friends! Grab your hooks and get ready for some Waves.

Welcome back! This month's square has been on my to-do list from the start, Crochet Waves. I wavered (get it?) on including it because the front and back are not mirror images, therefore it's technically not reversible like previous squares. However, the back has an interesting texture of its own, and I really wanted to give this wavy one a go.

Crochet Wave Stitch: front (l) and back (r)

If you're just now finding us, we are crocheting a contemporary afghan sampler; hooking one stitch into two separate squares each month. There's still plenty of time to join in and finish a blanket by the end of the year. You can stitch the squares in any order, but be sure to read Square 1, January first -- it explains the color scheme and overall process.

SQUARE 8, AUGUST

This month we are working square 8 of 10 (getting close now!), Crochet Waves. I originally found this square at Mom's Crochet; here I use the slip-stitch version and started with a count of 36. The pattern is formed with four rows of alternating slip-stitch and half-double crochet all worked into the back loop, like this...

Hook

H/8 - 5.00MM, or size needed to obtain 9"x 9" square

Yarn

Colors B and C -- For me that means Caron Simply Soft in Light Country Blue (Color B) and Country Blue (Color C)

Stitch (in US crochet terms)

st: stitch
ch: chain
sl st: slip stitch
hdc: half double crochet

CONSTRUCTION

Row 1: Working in Color B, ch 36; 36 stitches

Rows 2: Starting in second ch from hook, sl st 5, [hdc 5, sl st 5], repeat within [] across; 35 stitches

*** 
Begin working all stitches in Back Loop Only for remainder of square!
Rows 3: Ch 1, turn, sl st 5, [hdc 5, sl st 5], repeat within [] across; 35 stitches

Rows 4 & 5: Ch 2, turn, hdc 5, [sl st 5, hdc 5], repeat within [] across; 35 stitches

Row 6: Ch 1, turn, sl st 5, [hdc 5, sl st 5], repeat within [] across; 35 stitches
***

Rows 7-41: Repeat within *** nine more times; 35 stitches each row

Border: *work 38 sc (not in back loop only) along one side of the square, ch 1 (does not count as stitch); repeat from * on each side of the square. Yarn off, and weave in ends.

Repeat with Color C for a second, separate square.

HOMEWORK

Keep on hooking! Square 9 will release on Tuesday, September 29. Don't forget you can now subscribe to The Inspired Wren to get new posts delivered right to your in-box -- no need to search out the next square, it'll come right to you.

Remember to upload your progress to our Flickr Group and tag your Instagram shots with #afghansampler so we can all cheer each other on and answer questions as they come up.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Looking for the rest of the squares? Click on the Crochet Along tab a the top of this site!
Other questions? Size? Rows? Border Count? Visit Frequently Asked Questions!

Ren Murphy writes for The Inspired Wren.

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