A long mocha runner with an open filet panel down the middle, two raised braids running its full length, and a big layered cream rose at each end sitting in a ring of fanned striped leaves.
It is three separate skills in one project. The body is straightforward rows. The braids are crossed post stitches, which look like a twisted rope and are far easier than they appear. The rose is a single long strip of petals rolled up and stitched at the base, which is the standard way big crochet roses are made and the reason they come out looking like real ones.
Make the runner first, then the roses, then the leaves. Attaching them is the last half hour.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in mocha or taupe, cream, and a light beige for the leaf stripes. Around 250 g of mocha, 120 g of cream and 60 g of beige.
A 4 mm hook.
You’ll also want a blocking mat or a folded towel, rustproof pins, and a tapestry needle.
Finished size is about 100 cm long and 30 cm wide through the body, with the flower ends spreading to around 45 cm.
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, tr is treble crochet, FPdc is front post double crochet, sp is space.
Part 1. The runner body
In mocha, ch 92.
Row 1. Dc in the fourth ch from the hook and in each ch across (90).
From here the row is divided into panels that stay in the same place all the way up.
Rows 2 onwards, worked as follows. Ch 3 and turn. Dc in the next 22 stitches for the solid panel. Work the braid over the next 2 stitches. Then work the filet section over the next 40 stitches. Work the braid over the next 2 stitches. Then dc in the last 22 stitches. Repeat this row until the piece measures about 90 cm.
The filet section. Dc in the next stitch, then ch 1 and skip one stitch, repeated across the 40 stitch panel, ending with a dc. On the following row, work a dc into each dc and a ch 1 over each ch space, which stacks the open squares directly above each other. Keeping those squares aligned is the whole look of a filet panel, so check every few rows that they are not drifting sideways.
The braid. Skip the next stitch, work a FPdc around the post of the following stitch, then work a FPdc around the post of the skipped stitch, crossing the second in front of the first. That crossing is what makes the raised rope. Repeat it in the same two columns on every row and the crossings stack into a continuous twist.
Finish with two rows of plain dc across the full width so both ends match, then fasten off.
Edge the whole runner with a round of sc in mocha, working 3 sc into each corner so it sits square.
Part 2. The roses
Make one large and one smaller, both in cream. They are the same method, only the strip length changes.
The rose is one long strip. You work a row of petals along a chain, then roll the strip up from one end and stitch through the base to hold it. The petals get bigger as you go, so the small ones end up at the centre and the big ones on the outside.
Large rose. Ch 60.
Row 1. Sc in the second ch from the hook and in each ch across (59).
Row 2. Ch 1 and turn. Work the petals along the row as follows. For the first 12 stitches, into every third stitch work a small petal of sc, 3 dc, sc, skipping two stitches between each.
For the next 20 stitches, make the petals larger, working sc, 5 dc, sc into every fourth stitch, skipping three between each.
For the remaining stitches, larger again, working sc, 3 dc, 3 tr, 3 dc, sc into every fifth stitch, skipping four between each.
Fasten off with a long tail.
Now roll. Start at the small petal end and roll the strip up tightly, keeping the straight base edge level as you go. The petals will fan outwards on their own. Once it is rolled, stitch straight through the base several times in different directions until it is solid, then stitch around the underside to lock the outer layers.
Roll tightly at the centre and let the tension ease off as you work outwards. A rose rolled at even tension throughout looks like a cabbage. The tight middle is what makes it read as a rose.
Small rose. Work the same but chain 36 and use only the first two petal sizes.
Part 3. The leaves
Make twelve large and six small. Each is a fan worked in stripes, with stripes running from the base out to the tip.
Large leaf. In mocha, ch 4 and join into a ring.
Row 1. Ch 3, work 6 dc into the ring (7). Turn. Row 2. Ch 3, 2 dc in the next stitch, dc in the next 3, 2 dc in the next, dc in the last (9). Turn.
Change to cream.
Row 3. Ch 3, 2 dc in the next, dc across to the last 2, 2 dc in the next, dc in the last (11). Turn. Row 4. Same increases at both ends (13). Turn.
Change to beige.
Rows 5 and 6. Same increases at both ends, giving 15 then 17. Turn.
Change to mocha.
Rows 7 and 8. Same increases, giving 19 then 21.
Change to cream for the edging. Work sc all the way around the fan, then finish the curved outer edge with sl st, ch 2, sl st into the same stitch repeated into every second stitch.
Small leaf. Work rows 1 to 6 only, then edge.
Changing colour every two rows is what gives the leaves their striped fan look. Keep the stripe order the same on every leaf, since randomly striped leaves stop reading as a set.
Part 4. Blocking
Block everything before you attach anything.
Pin the runner out flat, squaring the corners and opening the filet squares so they sit as squares rather than as slanted holes. Pin every leaf out flat with the fan spread wide.
Do not block the roses. They need to keep their roll.
Let it all dry fully. An unblocked runner curls at the edges for its whole life, and unblocked leaves look like crumpled tickets.
Part 5. Putting it together
At one end of the runner, lay out eight large leaves and three small ones in a rough circle, with about half of each leaf overhanging the edge of the runner and half sitting on it. Overlap them slightly and vary the angles.
Pin them all before you sew any. Rearranging pinned leaves takes seconds and unpicking sewn ones takes an evening.
Sew each leaf down along the part that sits on the runner only, leaving the overhanging half free. That freedom is what stops the end looking like a flat appliqué panel.
Sew the large rose into the centre of the leaf circle, stitching through its base into the runner in several directions.
Repeat at the other end with the remaining leaves and the small rose, keeping the arrangement tighter and flatter since it is the quieter end.
Notes and variations
All cream with sage leaves gives a much lighter version for spring.
A single flower at one end only, with the other end left plain, suits a narrow console table.
Make the runner shorter by stopping at 60 cm for a smaller table, keeping both flower ends.
The rose on its own makes a good brooch or a cushion appliqué if you want to use the technique somewhere else first.
Questions I get asked
Why is my filet panel drifting sideways? Your dc is landing in the ch space instead of on the dc below. Check the alignment every few rows rather than at the end.
Why does my braid look flat? The crossing has to happen in the same direction every row, and the second post stitch has to be worked in front of the first. If it looks like a ladder rather than a rope, you are crossing behind.
Why does my rose look like a cabbage? Rolled too evenly. Start very tight and loosen as you go outwards.
Can I use acrylic? Cotton is much better here. This is a piece that has to lie flat, and acrylic does not block.