Mint Swirl Lace Crochet Bedspread

Materials

• DK weight yarn, mint green about 3,250 m for a queen bedspread (13 skeins of 100 g / 250 m), or 1,350 m for a throw (6 skeins)
• DK weight yarn, cream about 1,410 m for a queen bedspread (6 skeins), or 580 m for a throw (3 skeins)
• DK weight yarn, blush pink about 60 m (1 skein or leftovers), for the flower centers
• 4 mm (G-6) crochet hook
• Stitch markers to mark the first post st of each rnd and the joining scallops
• Blocking mats and rust-proof pins
• Tapestry needle and scissors

Abbreviations

How the Mint Swirl Works

The swirl is a flat circle of double crochet with twelve raised ridges. Each ridge is a front post double crochet. On every round you work the new fpdc around the stitch just after the old one, then a dc into the top of that same stitch. That adds 12 stitches per round, which is what a flat dc circle needs, and moves each ridge one stitch along, so the ridges curve into a spiral.

The cream center is only the first two rounds. Because the ridges start right in the middle, the cream seems to swirl out into the mint, like cream stirred into a cup of mint tea.

The lace ring works in layers. The spokes round opens the fabric, the two cream rounds of hdc close it again into a solid band, and the chain loops open it once more before the scallops. That open-solid-open rhythm is what gives the ring its look of a plate rim in the photos.

Sizes and How Many Motifs

• Each joined motif takes up about 24 x 24 cm, and the free scallops add about 2 cm on each outer edge.
• Cushion front: 4 motifs (2 x 2) and 1 flower, about 50 cm square.
• Baby blanket: 3 x 4 = 12 motifs and 6 flowers, about 75 x 100 cm.
• Throw: 5 x 6 = 30 motifs and 20 flowers, about 120 x 145 cm.
• Queen bedspread: 8 x 9 = 72 motifs and 56 flowers, about 195 x 220 cm.
• King bedspread: 10 x 9 = 90 motifs and 72 flowers, about 245 x 220 cm.
• Yarn per motif, to plan any size: about 45 m mint and 18 m cream. Each flower uses about 1 m blush and 2 m cream.

Mint Swirl (make 72 for a bedspread, 30 for a throw)

1. Every rnd starts with ch 2 (does not count as a st) and is joined with a sl st to the first st. Change color at the join where the pattern says so.
2. Rnd 1: with cream, MR, ch 2, 12 dc in ring, join. Pull the ring tight. (12 sts)
3. Rnd 2: ch 2, *fpdc around next st, dc in top of same st; rep from * 11 more times, join. (24 sts, including 12 fpdc)
4. Rnd 3: change to mint. Ch 2, *dc in top of next fpdc, fpdc around next st, dc in top of same st; rep from * 11 more times, join. (36 sts)
5. Rnd 4: ch 2, *dc in each st up to the next fpdc, dc in top of the fpdc, fpdc around next st, dc in top of same st; rep from * 11 more times, join. (48 sts)
6. Rnds 5-7: rep Rnd 4 three times. Fasten off mint. (Rnd 5: 60 sts, Rnd 6: 72, Rnd 7: 84)
7. The swirl measures about 13 cm across and lies flat.

Spoked Lace Ring with Cream Band

1. Rnd 8: join cream in any st. Ch 1, *sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in next st; rep from * 11 more times, join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off. (96 sc)
2. Rnd 9 (spokes): join mint in any st. Ch 6 (counts as dc and ch 3), sk next 2 sts, *dc in next st, ch 3, sk next 2 sts; rep from * 30 more times, join with sl st to 3rd ch of ch 6. Fasten off. (32 dc, 32 ch-3 sps)
3. Rnd 10 (cream band): join cream in any dc. Ch 2 (does not count as a st), *hdc in dc, 3 hdc in next ch-3 sp; rep from * 31 more times, join. (128 hdc)
4. Rnd 11: ch 2, hdc in each st around, join. Fasten off. (128 hdc) The cream band is about 2 cm wide.
5. Rnd 12: join mint in any st. Ch 1, sc in same st, *ch 5, sk next 3 sts, sc in next st; rep from * 30 more times, ch 5, sk last 3 sts, join with sl st to first sc. (32 ch-5 loops)
6. Rnd 13 (first motif only): sl st in next loop, ch 1, sc in same loop, *7 dc in next loop, sc in next loop; rep from * 14 more times, 7 dc in last loop, join. Fasten off. (16 scallops)
7. Count the scallops as 4 sides of 4. The 2 middle scallops of each side join to the next motif; the 2 scallops at each corner stay free for the flowers.

Joining as You Go

1. Layout: 8 motifs across and 9 long for a queen bedspread, or 5 across and 6 long for a throw.
2. Work Rnds 1-12 of the next motif, then work Rnd 13 until you reach the first scallop that must join a finished motif.
3. Joining scallop: work 4 dc in the loop, sl st in the 4th (center) dc of the matching scallop on the finished motif, then work 3 dc in the same loop.
4. Join the next scallop the same way, then finish the rnd as usual. (2 joined scallops per shared side)
5. From the second row on, join the top side to the motif above and the left side to the motif on the left.

Blush-Center Flowers (make 56 for a bedspread, 20 for a throw)

1. Work one flower in each gap where four motifs meet. Each gap has 8 free scallops around it, 2 from each motif.
2. Rnd 1: with blush, MR, ch 1, 8 sc in ring, join with sl st to first sc. Pull the ring tight. Fasten off. (8 sts)
3. Rnd 2: join cream in any st. *(hdc, dc, ch 1, sl st in the center dc of the next free scallop, ch 1, dc, hdc) in next st; rep from * 7 more times, join. Fasten off. (8 cream petals, each joined to 1 scallop)
4. The flower is about 5 cm across, with a small blush center that shows between the motifs.

Straight Edge Border (optional)

1. The free scallops make a pretty wavy edge, as in the photos. Work this border only if you want straight sides.
2. Half flowers: in each gap along the outer edge, with blush, MR, ch 1, 5 sc, do not join. Fasten off. Join cream in the first sc and work (hdc, dc, ch 1, sl st in the center dc of the next free scallop, ch 1, dc, hdc) in each of the next 4 sts. Fasten off. (4 joined petals)
3. Rnd 1: with mint, join in the center dc of a corner scallop. Ch 1, sc in same st, *ch 6, sc in the center dc of the next free scallop; rep along each side, working ch 3, sc in the middle of each half flower, ch 3 at the half flowers, and (sc, ch 8, sc) at each outer corner. Join.
4. Rnd 2: with cream, ch 2, hdc in each sc, 6 hdc in each ch-6 loop, 3 hdc in each ch-3 loop and 10 hdc in each corner loop. Join.
5. Rnd 3: with mint, ch 1, sc in first st, *sk 2 sts, 5 dc in next st, sk 2 sts, sc in next st; rep from * around, easing in 1 or 2 extra sts at the corners. Join and fasten off.

Matching Mint Cushion

1. Front: make 4 motifs and join them 2 x 2. Work 1 blush-center flower in the middle gap and 4 half flowers in the edge gaps.
2. Work Rnds 1-2 of the Straight Edge Border. The front measures about 50 cm square.
3. Back: cut a mint or cream cotton fabric 53 x 53 cm.
4. Sew the front onto the back with cream yarn around 3 sides, insert a 50 cm cushion form and sew the last side closed.

Finishing

Weave in all ends on the WS, running each color under stitches of the same color: the cream center tails into the cream rounds, the mint tails into the swirl ridges. The cream band hides tails well because it is solid.

Lay the bedspread flat, mist it with water and pin the cream band of each motif into a true circle, then pin out the outer scallops. Let it dry completely. The free scallops around the edge make the border, so nothing else is needed unless you chose the straight edge.

Tips for Success

• Mark the first fpdc of each rnd so you can see the swirl move and count the 12 ridges easily.
• Make the swirls in a batch first, then add the lace rings in a second batch. You change colors 4 times in the ring, so batching saves a lot of time.
• Carry no yarn across the spokes. Fasten off and rejoin at each color change so the lace stays clean.
• Keep the cream band at an even tension; it is the part people see most, so uneven hdc show right away.
• Start each new color in a different place around the ring, so the joins don’t stack up in one spot.
• Join the motifs on a big table and check that the grid stays square every few rows.
• Keep the cream yarn in a bag while you work with mint, so it stays clean.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• A swirl that cups. Every rnd must add 12 sts. Forgetting the dc in the top of the same st after a post st is the usual reason.
• Straight ridges. Each new fpdc goes around the st after the old one, never around the old post itself.
• Spokes that pull the ring in. Rnd 9 needs ch 3 between the dc, not ch 2; short spokes make the band ruffle.
• A wavy cream band. Check Rnd 10 has 128 hdc: 1 in each dc and 3 in each ch-3 sp.
• Too many loops in Rnd 12. Skip 3 sts each time so you get exactly 32 loops and 16 scallops.
• Joins on the wrong scallops. Mark the 2 middle scallops of each joining side before Rnd 13.
• Loose flowers. Each of the 8 petals must join a scallop, or a motif corner will lift.

Ways to Customize This Pattern

• Swap the colors: cream swirls with a mint band for a lighter bedspread, or lilac and white with a mint flower center.
• Make a table runner of 2 x 6 motifs, about 50 x 145 cm, like the long panels in the photos.
• Use one motif as a doily or a place mat; it is the size of a dinner plate.
• Leave out the cream band (Rnds 10-11) and work Rnd 12 straight into the spokes for a lacier, quicker motif.
• Make all the flower centers a different pastel: blush, yellow and lilac, for a spring garden look.
• Make a baby blanket of 12 motifs in a soft cotton blend.