In this tutorial I will be showing you how to make Betty’s Beautiful Border.  This border was designed by Betty Byers and I am very excited to be sharing it here on Lookatwhatimade.  I will also be sharing Betty’s completed afghan with you some time next week, so if you are curious to see how the CAL squares, Sophie’s Garden, and this border came together, remember to pop back!

Thank you so much for this gorgeous design, Betty!  And for letting me do a tutorial for it.

This border was originally designed by Betty Byers for the Block a Week CAL 2014.  If you are going to use it to complete the Sophie’s Universe CAL 2015, please read Part 20 of Sophie’s Universe before continuing.

Betty’s Beautiful Border Photo Tutorial

© Betty Byers and Dedri Uys 2014.  All Rights Reserved.

Adding a Base Round to Your Afghan Before Adding a Crochet Border

Before you start Round 1 of this border you will need a multiple of 3 + 1 stitches along each side, not including the 4 corner spaces/stitches of your afghan.   

I suggest adding a “base” round all the way around your afghan, working into each stitch, “inside corner”, and join (if necessary).  Make sure that you end up with multiples of 3 + 1 stitches along each side.  This stitch count should include the 2 corner dc’s at the start and end of each side).  Skip a stitch or two if you need to to make the stitch count work.

When working into the “inside corners” feel free to use taller stitches (tr’s instead of dc’s in this case) if you feel that the squares “dip” too much at that point.

As illustrated in the picture below,  my squares each have 20 stitches per side.  There are 2 “inside corners” and 2 “outside corners” on each side of my tiny pretend afghan.

I will be making 42 dc’s along each side and (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in each corner.

This breaks down to {2 + 20 + 1 + 1 + 20 + 2 = 46}, so my “base” round will have 46 dc’s along each side and 4 ch-2 corner spaces.

46 = (15 x 3) + 1

Once you have a base round of multiples of 3 + 1 stitches, you can start making your border.

This base round will also help you determine whether or not you should go up or down a hook size for your border.  

• If this round becomes wavy, go down a hook size (or possibly two) when you start the border.  Unless the waviness is massively obvious there is no need to frog this round.  A little bit of waviness will disappear if you go down to the correct hook size.
• If this round puckers, go up a hook size (or two).  Unfortunately there is no way to fudge puckering. You will need to frog whatever you have done and try again with a larger hook.  If this round then starts being wavy, the hook you have chosen is too large and you will need to find something in between the two.

Special Stitches

• V-stitch – (Dc, ch 1, dc) in the same stitch
• First Bobble stitch – Ch 3.  (Yarn over and insert your hook into the same stitch.  Yarn over and pull up a loop.  Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) twice.  There should now be 3 loops on your hook.  Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on your hook – see this tutorial.
• First Dc5tog Bobble –  Ch 3.  (Yarn over and insert your hook into the same stitch.  Yarn over and pull up a loop.  Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) 4 times.  There should now be 5 loops on your hook.  Yarn over and pull through all 5 loops on your hook.
• Subsequent Dc5tog Bobbles – Video Tutorial by Tamara from Moogly
• Modified Treble Bobble – Sc in the indicated stitch/space.  Ch 3.  Yarn over twice and insert your hook into the stitch/space that already contains your sc.  (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) twice.  Yarn over twice and insert your hook into the same stitch/space.  (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) twice.  You should now have 3 loops on your hook.  Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on your hook.

Chart

Translations

• Dutch Translation by Dianne Baan
• German Translation by Maja Heidingsfelder
• Spanish Translation by Lynda Hernandez

Instructions

You can find a written-only pdf for this border HERE.  Please note that it only contains the instructions, not any of the abbreviations/special stitch instructions.  It also does not contain the base-round information found above.

Round 1

Join your yarn by making a standing double crochet in any ch-2 corner space around.  (Dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same ch-2 corner space.   This is your first corner made.   *Dc in each stitch across.  Don’t accidentally skip that first (hidden) stitch.  (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the next ch-2 corner space.*

Repeat from * to * 3 more times, omitting the last corner on the last repeat.  Join to the top of the standing double crochet with a sl st.

Make sure that you end up with multiples of 3 + 2 stitches along each side.

Fasten off and work away your tails of yarn.

Stitch Count Along Each Side:  Multiples of 3 + 2 stitches (not including corner ch-2 spaces)

Round 2

Join your yarn by making a standing double crochet in any ch-2 corner space around.  (Dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same ch-2 corner space.   This is your first corner made.   *Dc in each stitch across.  Don’t accidentally skip that first (hidden) stitch.  (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the next ch-2 corner space.*

Repeat from * to * 3 more times, omitting the last corner on the last repeat.  Join to the top of the standing double crochet with a sl st.

Make sure that you end up with multiples of 3 stitches along each side.

Fasten off and work away your tails of yarn.

Stitch Count Along Each Side:  Multiples of 3 stitches (not including corner ch-2 spaces)

Round 3

Join your yarn by making a standing double crochet in any ch-2 corner space around.  (Ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) in the same ch-2 corner space.   This is your first corner made.

*Skip the first stitch.  (Dc, ch 1, dc) in the next stitch (indicated with an arrow in Photo 1).  This is your first V-stitch made.  (Skip the next 2 st’s.  V-stitch in the next stitch) across.  The last V-stitch should fall in the second to last stitch of the side (Photo 2).  Skip the last stitch.  (Dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) in the next ch-2 corner space (Photo 3).*

Repeat from * to * 3 more times, omitting the last corner on the last repeat.  Join to the top of the standing double crochet with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your tails of yarn.

Round 4 

IMPORTANT:  I have done this round with the right side facing, but I STRONGLY suggest that you do this round with the wrong side of your blanket facing you.  These Dc5tog Bobbles have a natural tendency to pop out to the back, and although you can MAKE the Bobbles pop out to the front, they really, really, really want to pop out to the back.  So if you do this round with the wrong side facing you, your bobbles will be GORGEOUS!

Join your yarn by making a sl st in the first ch-1 space of any corner around.  Make a First Dc5tog Bobble (see Special Stitches above) – Photos 1 and 2.  Ch 3 (Photo 3) and make a Dc5tog Bobble in the next ch-1 space (Photos 4 and 5).  This is your first corner made.

*Ch 2.  (Dc5tog Bobble, ch 2) in each ch-1 space across (Photo 7).  When you get to the next corner, make a Dc5tog Bobble in the first ch-1 space of the corner.  Ch 3 and make a Dc5tog Bobble in the next ch-1 space of the corner.*

Repeat from * to * 3 more times, omitting the last corner on the last repeat.  Join to the top of the First Dc5tog Bobble with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your tails of yarn.

Round 5

• If you did Round 4 with the wrong side facing you, remember to turn at the start of this round so that you are again working with the right side facing you.
• When making the extended sc’s, make a sc as normal, but pull the loops up to the height of the Dc5tog Bobbles before completing the sc.

Join your yarn by making a standing single crochet in any ch-3 corner space around.  Make 4 more sc’s in the same ch-3 space (Photo 1).  This is your first corner made.

*(Sc in the next ch-2 space.  Make an extended sc between the 2 dc’s from Round 3, directly below the ch-2 space.  Sc in the same ch-2 space) for each ch-2 space across.  See Photos 2 – 6.  Make 5 sc’s in the next ch-3 corner space.*

Repeat from * to * 3 more times, omitting the last corner on the last repeat.  Join to the top of the standing single crochet with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your tails of yarn.

In Photo 6 you will see that the bobbles from Round 4 naturally pop to the back (see the note at the start of Round 4) and in Photo 7 you will see that you CAN push them to the front if you need to.

Stitch Count Along Each Side:  Multiples of 3 + 1 stitches (not including the central sc of the 5-sc corner)

Round 6

Join your yarn by making a standing double crochet in the central sc of any 5-sc corner.  (Dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same stitch.   This is your first corner made.   *Dc in each stitch across.  Don’t accidentally skip that first (hidden) stitch.  (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the central sc of the next 5-sc corner.*

Repeat from * to * 3 more times, omitting the last corner on the last repeat.  Join to the top of the standing double crochet with a sl st.

Make sure that you end up with multiples of 3 stitches along each side.

Fasten off and work away your tails of yarn.

Stitch Count Along Each Side:  Multiples of 3 + 2 stitches (not including corner ch-2 spaces)

Round 7

Join your yarn by making a standing double crochet in any ch-2 corner space around.  (Dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same ch-2 corner space.   This is your first corner made.   *Bpdc in each stitch across.  Don’t accidentally skip that first (hidden) stitch.  (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the next ch-2 corner space.*

Repeat from * to * 3 more times, omitting the last corner on the last repeat.  Join to the top of the standing double crochet with a sl st.

Make sure that you end up with multiples of 3 stitches along each side.

Fasten off and work away your tails of yarn.

Stitch Count Along Each Side:  Multiples of 3 stitches (not including corner ch-2 spaces)

Round 8

Note:  In Round 8 I used a Clover Amour 4 mm instead of the Furls 4 mm, because I wanted the stitches in this round to be slightly tighter and the Clover is ever so slightly smaller than the Furls.  You do not have to change your hook size.  I am just telling you what I did, and why.

Join your yarn by making a standing single crochet in any ch-2 corner space around (Photo 1).  Ch 3 (Photo 2).  Yarn over twice and insert your hook into the same ch-2 space.  (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) twice (Photo 3).  Yarn over twice and insert your hook into the same ch-2 space.  (Yarn over and pull through 2 loops) twice.  You should now have 3 loops on your hook (Photo 4).  Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops on your hook.  This is your first Modified Treble Bobble made – see Photo 5. 

* (Make a Modified Treble Bobble in the next stitch – see Photos 6 and 7.  Skip the next 2 st’s) until you get to the next ch-2 corner space (Photo 9).  Make a Modified Treble Bobble in the ch-2 corner space (as before).*

Repeat from * to * 3 more times, omitting the last Modified Treble Bobble on the last repeat.  Join to the top of the standing single crochet with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your tails of yarn.

If you would like some help with joining your crochet squares and deciding on a layout, have a look at these posts:

Joining Crochet Squares Series:

• Part 1:  Preparing to Join Your Afghan
• Part 2:  (Sc, ch 1, skip 1) Join 
• Part 3: Different ways to Join – a comprehensive list of joining techniques
• Part 4: Joining Squares With Different Stitch Counts
• Part 5: Making Foursquares

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