Bavarian Crochet:Trendy Bavarian Projects With Easy and Clear Instructions
Author: Charlene Smith
Date: 2019-10-07 22:00:00+00:00

Bavarian Crochet:

Trendy Bavarian Projects With Easy and Clear Instructions

Disclamer: All photos used in this book, including the cover photo were made available under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic and sourced from Flickr

Table of Content:

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Bavarian Crochet Blanket

Chapter 2 – Bavarian Crochet Pillowcase

Chapter 3 – Bavarian Crochet Potholders

Chapter 4 – Bavarian Baby Boots

Conclusion

Introduction

So, you’ve decided to learn how to work Bavarian crochet? Welcome to a short, but helpful book that will show you how to successfully crochet in Bavarian stitches. Patterns including Bavarian stitch may seem intimidating, but in fact, once you learn them, you will have no trouble working this type of crochet stitches on any project.

Depending on how you look at these, you will see circles or squares. However, these are in fact squares that consist of four clusters of four stitches that are separated by chain one on each corner. So, basically it is a slightly alternated granny square. That is how one complete square looks like. But, there is a secret to it how to make one. It is not as simple as a granny square beginning.

Each one of these are actually made triangle by triangle. In other words, you first crochet one half of the square and then the other. You will see that later on, when we start with the actual project patterns. When it comes to the squares that are worked on corners of your piece, you won’t make half of the square because it wouldn’t fit as naturally.

But, instead, you will work only one fourth, i.e. one cluster of the entire square in the first round and then, in the second round, you will work the remaining three fourths to complete the square.

What else is important is that you can combine any colors of yarn as long as they are of similar thickness and that you work with a corresponding size of a hook. Ideally, you should use the yarns of the same type and thickness, so that the only difference is the color, but, you may use even a bit different and you won’t mess up the project.

Also, when it comes to the color combinations, you don’t have to use the same color for two rounds, you can crochet halves in different colors. It really depends on what you find that works best for you and your project. Personally, I think that the best effect is accomplished by working both rounds in one color and then changing it to another color.

However, you can also work these in one color and that looks great too. I haven’t tried working these stitch patterns with gradient yarns, but I think it would definitely be gorgeous.

So, again, it all depends on what you like most. That is why you need to practice and work several different combination samples and see what you prefer.  I will share more tips and tricks in the project patterns along the way, so, let’s start with our projects! Happy crocheting y’all!

Chapter 1 – Bavarian Crochet Blanket

This is the most basic and the most widespread pattern you will probably see and recognize that it was made using this type of stitch. Even though it may be considered as a classic, it is very beautiful and breathtaking. You will see it yourself once you start working on this project.

To begin, you will need to make a slipknot and chain five stitches. Then, you’re going to join the last chain stitch with the first one by a slip stitch and that will be the center of your blanket or an afghan. Then, you will chain one and work a single crochet (sc) stitch.

Then, you will chain five and work four unfinished treble crochet (tc) stitches into the ring. This would mean that you will yarn over twice and pull up the yarn through the ring, and then pull the yarn through two loops twice, so that you are left with two loops on your hook, i.e. one from before and one from the unfinished tc stitch.

Work three more of these so that you have five loops on your hook and then you will take your yarn and pull it through all five loops on your hook. Then, you will chain five and work a sc stitch into the ring. You will repeat this three more times, so that you have four clusters of four tc stitches, rounded with chains of five stitches. You will finish the round with a slip stitch into the first sc stitch you did in this round.

For the second round, you will chain one and work a sc stitch into the same space. Then, you will chain two and find the stitch where you did the trebles together. In that same stitch, you are going to work the rest of your clusters. So, you will first work four trebles into that stitch, chain one and work another cluster of four tc stitches, chain one and work one more cluster of tc stitches. This way, you will have finished one square and you need to work three more to finish this round.

Then, you will chain two and work a sc stitch into the sc stitch between the clusters. Then, you will begin finishing the second square. You will chain two and, just like you did previously, find the stitch where you did the trebles together and in that same stitch, you are going to work your clusters of four tc stitches separated by a chain one.

You will, again, work three clusters and finish the square with chain two and a sc stitch in the sc stitch you did in the previous round. Finish the other two squares in the same manner. You will finish the round with chain two and a slip stitch into the sc stitch you did at the beginning of the round. Then, you will fasten off the yarn and weave in the ends so that you don’t have problems with them later on.

Then, you will join the new color. You will take your piece and examine one of the squares. If you pull the clusters apart, you will notice easier where each starts and ends. You will join the new color after the second cluster, i.e. you will start the new round after the first cluster you did in the second round. So, you will join your new color there. You can choose whichever method or technique of joining new yarn color you prefer and you are going to work a sc stitch in the same space.

Then, you will chain five and you will work your first cluster. This part actually resembles the first round you did, but in this case, you will be working around the posts from back. This means that you will yarn over twice, like you would normally, but, you are going to insert your hook through the loop where you joined yarn, but from back and then around the first post and to the back again through the space between the first and the second post.

Then, yarn over and pull up a loop and finish the stitch until you have two loops on your hook. You will stop there because you will work the trebles together, just like you did in the first round. Work the other three tc stitches in the same manner. When you do the unfinished tc stitches, you will have five loops on your hook. You will then pull the yarn through all five loops and chain five.

Then, you will work a sc stitch in the chain one space right after the cluster you just did. Then, you come to the sides of your work. There, you will fill up the halves of the squares. You will do that by working eight tc stitches together. But, first, you will chain five and then yarn over twice, insert your hook around the first post, but from the back on the right side to the front and then to the back again on the left side of the post.

Then, work your unfinished tc stitch, leaving two loops on the hook. Continue working other three stitches on this side. When you get to the middle part, you will just skip all that and continue working on the other side in the same manner you did the right side. Once you are done with eight unfinished tc stitches, you should have nine loops on your hook.

You will then yarn over and pull through all of the nine loops and chain five. Then, you will work a sc stitch in the chain one space. This way, you have finished half of the square that is on the side of your work. Then, you get to the corner part, again, and you will work only one cluster. So, you will chain five and work four tc stitches together. Again, you will be working around the posts, just like you did before.

Then, you will chain five and work a sc stitch in the chain one space. Next, you are going to work half of the square. You will do this by chain five, followed by working eight tc stitches together and finish with chain five and a sc stitch in the chain one space. Then, you will work the third corner, etc. Work your way all around the piece.

So, you will finish your last half of the square for this round with a chain five and instead of working a sc stitch as you normally do, you will finish the round with a slip stitch you did at the beginning of the round. For the next round, you will chain one and work a sc stitch in the same space. Then, you will finish the remaining clusters of the squares.

First, you have a corner square. There, you need to work three clusters. So, you will find the stitch where you did four tc stitches together and in that stitch, you will work four tc stitches, chain one, work four tc stitches, chain one and repeat once more the cluster of four tc stitches. Then, you will work a sc stitch in the sc stitch from the previous round.

Then, you will finish the half of the square. You will do this by working a cluster of four tc stitches, chain one and work another cluster of four tc stitches. Then, you need to work a sc stitch in the sc stitch from the previous round. Continue finishing squares all around your piece. Finish the round with a slip stitch in the sc stitch from the beginning of the round. Fasten off the yarn and weave in the ends.

Of course, you can leave the ends and weave them in at the end, but I think it is much easier and practical if you do it after you have finished each color. It will take off the amount of work that needs to be done once you finish your afghan or blanket, whatever you choose to make.

Then, just like you did with the previous color, you will join the new color at the second cluster of any corner. You will find the first cluster you did in the previous round and right after that one, in the chain one space, you will join your new color. You will start from there and work one cluster only for the corner. Then, you will work one half of the square in the triangular space, sc stitch, work another one in the next triangular space and work a corner.

It is really simple if you can remember that in the first round of any color, you will work one cluster of four tc stitches together in all of the corners and on the sides, you will work eight tc stitches together, which forms half of the squares. Of course, in this round, you will work from the back, around the posts and back again to pull up loops for each stitch. The next round is, of course, finishing those squares.

So, in the corner ones, you need to work three more clusters separated by chain one and in the middle ones, you need to work two more clusters separated by chain one in each square.

To continue, you will follow this pattern I already explained and it is basically just a pattern that will be repeated all around in each new color you join. The pattern is really beautiful and once you get the hang of it, you will be ready to create wonderful items.

Chapter 2 – Bavarian Crochet Pillowcase

This chapter here is just to give you guidelines on how you can achieve something different than a blanket or an afghan using the same pattern you did. Using this pattern here you can get a really beautiful, textured, unique pillowcase that will be a great accent décor in your living room or bedroom.

Of course, you can make it as big or as small you want to. You can also use whatever colors you prefer as long as they match your interior design.

As you may have noticed, you will be doing the pattern you did for the afghan until you have four color changes. This is for 12” size pillow. If you want bigger, just change colors once or twice or as many times you’d like. For a pillow case, you need to make two identical pieces of crochet work. Or, you can work sc or double crochet (dc) stitches in the back side of the pillowcase.

Though, I prefer that both sides are the same. That way, you will have no trouble rotating the pillow each time someone leaves it the wrong way. Once you have your two pieces, you will lay them on top of each other so that they face wrong sides to each other. Then, take the color you worked with earlier and join it through both layers. Chain one and work sc stitches all around.

When you have finished three sides of your pillow case, you will insert the pillow into the case and then finish the fourth side of the case. When you get to the end, you will fasten off the yarn and weave in the ends. It is really a simple and easy to do project that you can finish in no time. Especially if you have mastered Bavarian stitch in the previous project.

Chapter 3 – Bavarian Crochet Potholders

Now these are just the ones everyone and I mean everyone needs to have in their kitchen. These potholders which can serve as dishcloths are just the perfect items for every kitchen. They are so stylish and wonderful. And, they’re quite simple to make. Just follow the instructions.

So, first, we’re going to learn how to make a rectangular one. It is similar to the ones you’ve already done, but, the beginning part is a bit different. So, first, you will make a slipknot and chain 15 stitches.

Then, you will yarn over and work three tc stitches into the fourth chain stitch from the hook. This will total in four tc stitches. Then, you will chain one and work another cluster of four tc stitches in the same stitch space. Then, you will skip three chain stitches and work a sc stitch into the fourth chain stitch.

You will then skip three chain stitches and work a cluster of four tc stitches in the fourth chain stitch. Chain one and work another cluster of tc stitches in the same space. Then, you are just going to work a slip stitch into the last chain stitch, or the first one you did at the beginning of your work. Next, you will turn your work and in the same chain stitch you did the last two clusters, you are going to work two more clusters of tc stitches separated by chain one.

Then, you will skip three stitches and work a sc stitch in the fourth one. Skip another three stitches and work two clusters of tc stitches in the fourth one and separate them with chain one. Finish the round with a slip stitch into the last chain stitch and fasten off the yarn. Weave in the ends to make it easier later.

For the second round, you will choose a different color and join it at the middle, right at one of the ends of the beginning chain. Then, you will chain one and work a sc stitch in the same space. You will then chain five and work a cluster of unfinished tc stitches, just like you would normally do for a corner square. Of course, these stitches are back post stitches, just like in any other Bavarian crochet project.

Then, you will chain five again and work a sc stitch in the chain one space. Next, you get to the V shape that you are going to fill in while working in this round. You will do this by working two clusters of four tc stitches all together. So, you will chain five, gather loops from one cluster, and continue to gather loops from the other, so that in the end you will have nine loops on the hook. You will pull the yarn through all nine loops and chain five.

Then, you will work a sc stitch in the chain one space. Then, you will work another corner, just like you did at the beginning of this round. And then, you will work another corner. This is the difference between the square one and this one. In the square shaped Bavarian, you work four corners and finish them in the next round.

Here, you have one middle square that is done on the longer side of the rectangle. It doesn’t complicate the process if you already know how to work Bavarian crochet. I hope that after the first two projects, you feel confident enough to try this one too. So, basically, from now on, you just continue working around like you would normally.

You just track when you need to work a corner and when you need to fill in the V shapes. So, in the first round of a new color, you work one cluster of four tc stitches together and in the second round you will finish the other three clusters, all worked in the joining stitch of the first cluster. And when it comes to the middle squares, you first work two clusters all together and in the second round; you finish by working another two clusters in the stitch where you joined all nine loops.

Of course, you will separate the clusters in the second round with chain one and in between the square segments, you will be working sc stitches in the chain one space or in the second round, you will work them in the previous sc stitches. I hope you understood the explanation. If not, just recollect memories from the first two projects of this book and it will be much clear.

Second, we will learn how to work Bavarian triangle potholder. Basically, you will be working in the same manner as you did previously, but, again, the beginning itself is a bit different. First, you will make a slipknot and chain four. You will join the last chain to the first one with a slip stitch. Then, you will chain one and work a sc stitch into the ring.

Then, you will chain four and work four tc stitches together. Chain four and work a sc stitch into the ring. Repeat this two more times, so that you have three clusters of four tc stitches worked together. Finish the round with a slip stitch into the first sc stitch you did at the beginning of the round.

Then, you will work three clusters of four tc stitches into the join of the first tc cluster. You will separate the clusters with chain one. When you finish the first square, you will work a sc stitch into the sc stitch from previous round and work the second and the third square. As I already said, it is really simple if you know the basics of Bavarian crochet. When you finish the round, you will join in with the slip stitch and fasten off the yarn. Weave in the ends.

Join in the new color. You will join new color on any side of the triangle as long as you join it in the chain space after the second cluster that is made on that square. So, you will join the new color there and you’re going to chain one and work a sc stitch in the same space. Then, you will chain four and work a corner cluster. Finish the cluster with chain four and a sc stitch in the chain space.

Next, you are going to work half of the square. You will do it just like in any other Bavarian crochet project. You will chain four, work eight unfinished tc stitches around the back post and then pull the yarn through all nine loops. Finish the segment with chain four and a sc stitch in the chain one space. Then, work the corner cluster.

You will continue this way all around. Finish the round with a slip stitch into the sc stitch you did at the beginning of the round. For the second round of this color, you’re going to finish the squares. As you did previously, you’re going to work three clusters of tc stitches separated by chain one on the corners and two clusters of tc stitches separated by chain one on the halves of the squares. Finish the round, fasten off the yarn and weave in the ends.

Finally, for the third round, you’re going to join the next color and work around in two rounds, just like you normally would. Work the corners and the inner halves and in the second round of the third color, you are going to finish the squares. And that’s it! Pretty straightforward, isn’t it?

Chapter 4 – Bavarian Baby Boots

Now, these don’t necessarily need to be in baby size. You can make it in any size you’d like. You will just make more increases and work a bit longer bottom part if you need a bigger size and you’ll be good.

So, for a newborn size, you will make a slipknot and chain six. Then, you will skip the first chain stitch from the hook and work sc stitch in each of the chain stitches. When you get to the last chain stitch, you will work three sc stitches into that stitch.

Turn around your work and continue working sc stitches across. Finish with two sc stitches in the last chain stitch and join the first one with a slip stitch. Then, you will continue working rounds of sc stitches, with increases on the sides in the first three rounds and then you can increase every now and then.

It works best if you have your model with you to try it on while you are still crocheting. I have made several baby booties over the years that were too small or too big. For that reason, it is best if you try them on while you’re still making them. You will continue working sc stitches until you get to the joint and then you will continue working in rows, from right to left and back so that you create the opening for the leg.

You will again work back and forth until you cover the entire foot. Then, you will close the bottom part of the sock by working through both sides. You will turn the sock inside out for this part so that it won’t be visible once it is finished. You will then fasten off the yarn. Then, you will turn the sock to the right side again and join the yarn at the opening. It really doesn’t matter where. You will then chain one and work a row of sc stitches all around the opening.

Now, if you want to make a bigger size, you will chain more stitches in the beginning and you may need to make more increases if the foot is a bit chubbier or less increases if it is thinner. Also, you will need to make more rows if you are making these for a bigger size. Then, after you have finished a round of sc stitches, you will start working your Bavarian stitches.

These will work on multiples of eight stitches plus one. However, if you have less than that, you can count less for each fan. Either way, be cautious that each of those has even number of stitches. If you want, you can also count in multiples of six stitches plus one and then work double crochet (dc) stitches instead of tc stitches. That can work too.

So, provided that you do have a clear number of stitches, you will do the following: you will chain one and work a sc stitch in the same space. Then, you will skip three stitches and work a cluster of four tc stitches in the fourth stitch. Then, you will chain one and work another cluster of tc stitches in the same space. Then, you will skip three more stitches and work a sc stitch in the fourth stitch. You will repeat this pattern all around the opening.

You will finish the round with a slip stitch into the sc stitch you did at the beginning of the round. Then, you can either fasten off the yarn and change color, or you can slip stitch to the chain one space on the peak and start your second round of Bavarian stitches from there. Either way, you will chain one and work a sc stitch in the chain one space. Then, you will chain four and work eight tc stitches together.

These eight stitches are worked in the back posts. Once you pull the yarn through all nine loops, you will chain four and work a sc stitch in the chain one space. Continue repeating this pattern all around. Finish the round with a slip stitch into the sc stitch from the beginning of the round. In the next round, you will finish the squares. You will do this by working a cluster of four tc stitches in the stitch where eight stitches are joined.

Then, you will chain one and work another cluster of four tc stitches and then work a sc stitch in the sc stitch from the previous round. Continue this round in the same manner and finish with a slip stitch. For the final round, you will once again, either change color or slip stitch until you reach the chain one at the peak.

From there, you will again work on filling in the triangles as you did previously. Finish the round with a slip stitch and you’re done! You can then fasten off the yarn and weave in the ends.

P.S. Don’t forget to make one more!

Conclusion

So, you’ve come to the end of this book. I hope you have read it and completed at least some of the projects. I hope that the instructions were clear enough so that you could easily understand what you need to do at each stage.

As you could probably notice there are several rules that need to be followed and you’re good to go. You need to work your first round around the posts but from back. Then, you need to work the first round all together, either one cluster at the corners or two clusters on the sides of the project. Next, you will finish the squares in the second round by completing three clusters on the corners or two on the sides of the project. And that’s basically it!

Now, I would like to encourage you to try to incorporate this stitch into your other projects. Just like it was done with the baby booties. You can have the rest of the project plain, with little to no texture at all and then a pop of texture using the Bavarian crochet technique. What I think would look amazing is a blanket that is done in a simple stitch, like moss stitch or a similar one, and then two to three color changes of Bavarian crochet.

It would round up the entire blanket and it would look amazing. You could also include it in a vest pattern so that the lower part is done using this stitch pattern. It would be a wonderful detail that adds so much to the overall look of the item.

Thank you for reading, trying out patterns and recreating the items that are presented within this book. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I wish you lots of successful projects.

Happy crocheting!