Lace squares in red and white, laid two across in a checkerboard and stepped along so the edges run in a staircase rather than a straight line, finished with a bobble border that switches colour as it travels.
Every square is the same. The whole character of the runner comes from two decisions made at assembly, which colour goes where and how far each pair is offset from the last. Get those right and it looks like a much more complicated pattern than it is.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in red and white. Around 200 g of each.
A 3.5 mm hook.
You’ll also want a blocking mat or a folded towel, rustproof pins, and a tapestry needle.
Finished size is about 95 cm long and 30 cm wide, made from fourteen squares.
Abbreviations are US terms. ch is chain, sl st is slip stitch, sc is single crochet, hdc is half double crochet, dc is double crochet, sp is space.
The square, make fourteen
Seven in red and seven in white. Each finishes at about 15 cm.
Round 1. MR, ch 3, work 15 dc into the ring, join to the top of the ch 3 (16).
Round 2. Ch 5, skip one stitch, dc into the next, then ch 2 and skip one stitch, dc into the next, repeated around. Join (8 spokes and 8 ch 2 spaces).
Round 3. Sl st into the first space. Into each ch 2 space work 3 dc, then ch 2. Join (8 small fans).
Round 4. Ch 6, sc into the middle stitch of the next fan, repeated around, giving 8 ch 6 loops. Join.
Round 5. Into each loop work 5 dc, with a sc into the sc between each. Join. This is the round that makes the wheel look like a wheel, so keep the tension even here.
Round 6. This round squares the circle. Ch 9, sc into the middle of the next shell, then ch 5, sc into the middle of the next, and repeat that alternating sequence around so you end up with four long ch 9 loops and four shorter ch 5 loops. The long loops become the corners, so make sure they land opposite each other.
Round 7. Into each ch 9 corner loop work 5 dc, ch 3, 5 dc. Into each ch 5 side loop work 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc. Join.
Round 8. Sc into every stitch and every chain around, working 3 sc into each ch 3 corner space to keep the corners sharp. Join and fasten off.
If your square comes out slightly rounded rather than square, the corner loops on round 6 are too short. Go to ch 10 and the corners will push out further.
Blocking
Block every square before joining. This is not optional on a lace motif runner.
Pin each one out as a proper square, pulling the corners to right angles and opening the wheel so the spokes sit evenly. Dampen and let them dry fully.
Unblocked lace squares are slightly different sizes no matter how consistent your tension is, and fourteen of them joined together will show every variation.
Laying it out
The runner is two squares wide, and the colours alternate in a checkerboard so no two squares of the same colour ever touch side by side.
The stepped edge comes from offsetting. Each pair of squares sits half a square along from the pair before it, so the outline moves sideways as it goes down. Work out which direction you want the staircase to travel and keep it consistent, because a runner that steps one way then the other looks like a mistake rather than a design.
Lay all fourteen out on the floor before joining anything. Photograph it. You will need the photo.
Joining
Join with white, working sl st through the back loops of both squares along the touching edges. Work each seam in one continuous line where you can.
Because the squares are offset, each one meets its neighbours along part of an edge rather than a whole edge. Join along whatever length actually touches and no further.
Every square must be joined to at least two others. On a stepped layout it is easy to end up with a square hanging off the end attached along one short edge only, and that is where the runner will eventually fail.
The bobble border
Worked in one round all the way around the stepped outline.
Join red at any point. Sc into the next 2 stitches, then work a bobble into the next, and repeat all the way round. A bobble here is four unfinished dc worked into the same stitch and pulled through together.
Work 3 sc into each outer corner and skip a stitch at each inner corner, which keeps the border lying flat as it turns the steps.
Change colour as you travel. Work the border in red along the edges where white squares sit, and in white along the edges where red squares sit, changing at each step. That colour switching is what makes the border read as part of the checkerboard rather than as a frame stuck on afterwards.
Fasten off and weave in the ends, of which there will be many.
Final blocking
Block the whole runner once it is joined and bordered. Pin the steps square and pin every bobble along the edge.
Yes, every bobble. It takes twenty minutes and it is the difference between a crisp edge and a wavy one.
Notes and variations
Cream and sage green with the same construction makes a runner you can leave out all year.
A single square makes a coaster or a small doily. Four joined in a block makes a placemat, and a set of six placemats with a matching runner is a good long project.
Make it wider by working three squares across instead of two, though at that width the stepped edge starts to look busy and a straight edge suits it better.
Twenty squares gives a runner for a long dining table.
Questions I get asked
Why are my squares coming out round? The corner loops on round 6 are too short. Lengthen them to ch 10 or ch 11.
Why does my runner not lie flat? Either the squares were not blocked before joining, or the border is too tight around the inner corners. Skip a stitch at each inner corner and it will settle.
Do the colours have to alternate? No, but the checkerboard is doing most of the visual work here. An all white version needs a much more decorative border to hold interest.
Can I use acrylic? Cotton is better. Lace squares depend on blocking and acrylic does not block.
How long does it take? About eighteen hours. Each square is around an hour and the border is three.