Square Three - Precious Locket Hidden Treasures Blanket Crochet Along in West Yorkshire Spinners - Downloadable PDF

Square Three – Precious Locket: Hidden Treasures Blanket Crochet Along by Anna Nikipirowicz for West Yorkshire Spinners

This downloadable PDF is the third installment in the Hidden Treasures Blanket Crochet Along, a series of individual square patterns designed by Anna Nikipirowicz for West Yorkshire Spinners. Square Three is titled Precious Locket and is worked using spike stitch as its signature decorative technique. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it well suited to crocheters who are comfortable with basic stitches and ready to explore more textural, multi-row techniques. The PDF is available as a free downloadable format.

About the Hidden Treasures Blanket Crochet Along

The Hidden Treasures Blanket is a modular crochet-along project made up of multiple individually themed squares, each named after a piece of jewellery or a treasured keepsake. The full series includes at least five squares:

• Square One – Cherished Charm
• Square Two – Forgotten Gem
• Square Three – Precious Locket (this pattern)
• Square Four – Trinket Box
• Square Five – Enchanted Mirror

Each square is designed to be crocheted independently and then joined together during a Making Up stage to form the finished blanket. West Yorkshire Spinners has also produced a series of video tutorials on their YouTube channel to accompany each square, including a dedicated tutorial for the Precious Locket square, making this crochet-along accessible even for those tackling spike stitch for the first time.

What Is Being Made

The Precious Locket square is one component of a larger decorative crochet blanket. When all squares are completed and joined, the finished blanket is available in two size options:

• Two-colour version: approximately 75 x 75 cm
• Multi-colour version: approximately 75 x 98 cm

The blanket is an accessory project — a decorative and functional home textile — with a jewellery-inspired aesthetic running throughout the design series. Each square contributes its own unique stitch texture and visual character to the overall piece.

Techniques and Stitches Used

The defining technique in Square Three – Precious Locket is the spike stitch, a crochet method that involves inserting the hook one or more rows below the current working row before drawing up a loop. This creates elongated stitches that spike downward through the fabric, producing a striking geometric or woven appearance on the surface of the square. Spike stitch is widely used in colourwork crochet to blend colours across rows and add visual depth without the complexity of intarsia or tapestry techniques.

Stitches Referenced in the Pattern

• dc (double crochet / US single crochet): The foundational stitch of the square, worked in the standard manner by inserting the hook, drawing up a loop, and completing the stitch through two loops.
• Spike stitch: A variation of double crochet (or other base stitches) where the hook is inserted into a stitch one or more rows below, creating a long, elongated stitch that spans multiple rows of fabric.
• ch (chain): Used to create foundation chains, turning chains, and chain spaces within the pattern.
• ch-sp (chain space): Gaps created by chain stitches, worked into as part of the stitch pattern structure.

Key Abbreviations Used

• beg – beginning
• ch – chain
• ch-sp – chain space
• dc (US sc) – double crochet (UK) / single crochet (US)
• [ ] – work instructions within brackets as many times as directed
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