Nouveau Chic Granny Throw in Red Heart Chic Sheep - LW5897 - Downloadable PDF

Nouveau Chic Granny Throw in Red Heart Chic Sheep – Pattern Summary (LW5897)

Designed by Ellen Gormley and published by Coats & Clark, the Nouveau Chic Granny Throw is a stunning crochet blanket that reimagines the classic granny square with a sophisticated, geometric twist. Described as reminiscent of tiles from exotic places, this intermediate-level throw combines artful construction with cozy warmth, making it an impressive addition to any living space.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a large crochet throw blanket measuring 43.5 inches wide by 50.5 inches long (110.5 cm × 128.5 cm). Rather than traditional granny squares, the design is built from innovative motifs, each measuring 7 inches by 7 inches. Every motif features a central octagon surrounded by corner units, each corner unit consisting of a hexagon and two petal shapes. The result is a richly textured, tile-like surface that elevates the familiar granny aesthetic into something decidedly modern and chic.

Construction and Techniques

This pattern is worked entirely in crochet and is rated intermediate in difficulty, primarily because of the multi-component motif construction and the assembly process. Crocheters work each motif in separate pieces — an octagon center and corner units — before joining them together. The pattern notes specifically flag that assembly of components is difficult and will require flexibility, with careful attention to matching reference points at the middle stitch of every corner. The use of stitch markers is strongly recommended throughout to keep seaming accurate.

Key construction techniques include:

• Slip ring (magic ring) start — the octagon center begins with a slip ring, allowing the center to be pulled closed neatly
• Working in the round without turning — the right side always faces the crocheter; rounds are not joined unless specifically instructed
• Motif-based construction — 42 octagon centers are made, along with 84 corner hexagons each in two separate colors, plus petal units, all assembled into complete motifs before the throw is joined
• Seaming and joining — components are joined with careful stitch-by-stitch alignment, requiring patience and the use of stitch markers as reference guides

Stitches Used

The pattern employs a range of standard crochet stitches worked in combination to build the geometric shapes:

• Slip stitch (slip st) — used for joining rounds and as a counted stitch within rings of single crochet
• Chain stitch (ch) — used for foundation chains, turning chains, and to create chain-2 spaces within the octagon rounds
• Single crochet (sc) — used extensively in rounds to create smooth, even fabric; the beginning ring is worked as a ring of single crochet with the joining slip stitch counted as a stitch
• Double crochet (dc) — used in Round 2 of the octagon, with the beginning chain-3 counting as the first double crochet; clusters of 2 double crochets are worked into each stitch with chain-2 spaces between them
• 3 sc in ch-2 space — a corner-building technique that creates the angled edges of the octagon shape

Materials

The throw is worked using RED HEART® Chic Sheep™ yarn, a worsted weight yarn known for its soft, luxurious feel. The palette calls for four colors:

• 6 balls of color 5641 Sterling (A) — the primary background color
• 3 balls of color 5640 Platinum (B)
• 3 balls of color 5312 Stiletto (C)
• 3 balls of color 5620 Green Tea (D)

The recommended hook is a Susan Bates® Crochet Hook in size 5.5mm (US I-9). Additional supplies include a yarn needle and stitch markers. Gauge is critical to achieving the correct finished size