Canada Goose Border Tutorial
Block worked by vegasangelbrat, border by me, block pattern by Julie Yeager, Firenze, available for purchase here.
c. 2016 Margaret MacInnis
For BAMMM SHAZAAM–your blocks should be pre-bordered with 39 side sts + 1 st per corner.
Materials: Yarn for bordering, blocks you want to border, pattern, yarn needle, scissors.
Yarn amount: This border takes a lot of yarn. Figure on 100 g (170 yds) for 3–12″ blocks or 4-9″ blocks for aran-weight and an H (5.0 mm) hook. If you use an I (5.5 mm) hook, you’ll likely need a little more yarn.
Steps:
Equalize and border your blocks so they all have the same count.
Goal Count:
12″ Blocks: 39 plus corner st or 40 sts per edge (counting corner st once). If you are working with a smaller hooks and lighter yarn, and you have more sts to start with, equalize to a multiple of 3 plus corner stitch.
9″ Blocks: equalize to 31 plus corner st, and work a second round of 33 plus corner st. I worked all the blocks for this set with that count, working the making them all the same on the first round, and then putting the pre-border round on them all.
Block by JennyK256, green 32 st equalizer and 34 st cranberry pre-border by me. Block patttern, Firenze, by Julie Yeager.
Join in corner st with a sl st, ch3 as dc. Skip a st (black circle); dc in next 2 st (arrows).
Trc in sk st–yo 2x. Whether you work this from back to front, or front to back? Really doesn’t make much difference. I’ve done them both ways, with similar end results.
Keep working along the sides like that, skip a st, dc in next 2 sts, trc in skipped st from the front. Corners are (dc, ch3, dc) in corner sts only. There is no skipping before the corner. The last 2 dc for the last set before the corner are worked right up to the st before the corner. This is why you need a multiple of 3 sts for the sides, and 1 st for the corner.
At the end of the rounds, ch1, and hdc into the top of the beg ch-3. That puts you in the middle of the corner sp to work the corner for the next round.
If you feel secure doing it, work the corners as (ch3 as dc, dc, ch2, 2 dc) in the corner sp.
I actually often just work 2 dc now, and come around and work the last 2 dc and the ch2 at the end, but you can do it which ever way you like.
Then work a dc in the first dc, which is the old dc of the corner.
Now you’ll make the second wing of the goose. Yo 2x as if to make a trc, and insert hook from front, under the post of the trc, and out the other side. Yo, and use the post as a st, just work around it and work off the trc as normal.
Try to keep your motions smooth and even, and not to elongate the top of the trcs too much, and you’ll have a fine flock of geese (flying geese are called a skein of geese lol!!) in no time.
Now locate the two dc tops behind the trc you just made, and work them as normal dc. Fold the trc toward yourself to peek in behind there.
Keep working around like that, until you get to the old corner dc, and work into that, then make a new corner in the ch-3 sp (2 dc, ch2, 2 dc).
I like to fasten off with an invisible join usually, but in this case, the standard slip st and knot off is probably a bit stronger unless you work the invisible join twice around.
This is a block bordered with equalizer, pre-border round, and two rounds of Canada Goose border. Thank you to vegasangelbrat and jennyk256 on Ravelry for making these beautiful blocks for me to border.