The Pentagon Granny
(note: There are a lot of pics here, even in thumbnail, so the page may take a while to load. Sorry.)

Before I begin this tutorial, let me tell you that the basic pentagon, granny, hexagon etc. shapes are not copyrighted by anyone to my knowledge. Patterns designed using these shapes are copyrighted. This tutorial is copyrighted by me. But that doesn't mean that somebody else can't have ever made or can never make a pentagon, any more than only one person could make a granny square. And someone else can decide to do a tutorial on how to make the pentagon. They just can't use MY tutorial, without my permission.
For more information on copyrights, I have several links at the bottom of each page. I found this one particularly helpful:
The Copyright FAQ for Knitters

Materials:  small amount of 4 ply worsted weight yarn, H hook, large eye needle for sewing in ends (or just use your hook).

Other shapes can be made using the basic premise of the Granny Square. Where a Square obviously has four sides or corners, other shapes will have more or less. This tutorial will focus primarily on the Pentagon. All of the shapes are worked in rounds. I will assume you know the basics. If you do not, then go to the basic tutorials, or the Granny Square tutorial (granny square tutorial in pdf) and have a look.

You will note in most of the patterns on this site, I give the definitions of terms, so here are the abbreviations we will use in this tutorial.

beg = beginning
ch = chain
dc = double crochet
ea = each
hk = hook
rep = repeat
shell = 3 double crochets
sl st = slip stitch
sp = space
wk = work
YO = yarn over

Click on thumbnails to see a larger picture.

The pentagon begins just as the granny square does.
1) Make a slip knot, then chain 5. The ch-5 is your foundation chain (Fig. 1).

Figure 1

The next part is the same as for the granny square, but I'll repeat it here for your convenience, and so you don't get confused switching back and forth between the two tutorials.

2) Okay, now you  need to make your foundation chain into a ring.
a) Insert your hook into the first chain that you made, right after the slip knot, as show in Figure 2 

    
Figure 2

b) YO (yarn over) and pull the yarn through the place where you've inserted your hook AND through the loop that is on your hook.  This is basically a slip stitch. You will have a little hole in the middle of the circle you've just made. Fig. 3


Figure 3 - yeah I swiped that pic from my other tutorial **sheepish grin**

Congrats! You just made your first circle. Depending on what size hook you are using and what kind of yarn, your hole may be small or large. (Be sure to use the same size hook for your whole square or project.) You might have to wiggle your finger in the center if it's small, so you can see the center hole.

This entire round will be worked into the center of the circle you just made.

Round 1
Making the first corner shell.
a) Chain 2 or 3 depending on what you like to do to start a double crochet. (Figure 4) I usually use ch-2 and will use it in the discussion). This brings your round up to the correct height. Whichever you decide to use be sure you do it the same way throughout your square. Don't chain 2 on one round and chain 3 on the next.

Figure 4

b) Yo, insert your hook in the center hole   (the hole will get bigger as you go). (note: If you want to, you can crochet over your beginning strand so you don't have so much to sew in later)

c) YO again and pull yarn through the center hole, (yo, pull through 2 loops) twice (which completes your double crochet). You have just made the second dc of your first shell (A shell is a group of double crochets worked into the same space or stitch). The ch-2 counts as the first dc of that shell.

d) Now make one more double crochet. (This is your first shell grouping - Figure 5 includes the ch-3)


Figure 5

More shells
REMEMBER - all this time you are inserting hook into that center hole. You may have to push the stitches to the side so they all fit.
a) Chain 3 and work 3 double crochets in that center hole. This is your second shell grouping.
b) Chain 3 again and work 3 more double crochets. This is your third shell grouping.
c) Chain 3 once more and work 3 double crochets. This is your fourth shell grouping.
d) Chain 3 once more and work 3 double crochets. This is your fifth shell grouping.
e) Finally, you will make another chain 3. (Figure 6)

Figure 6

You should have 5 shells, or groups of 3 double crochets separated by 3 chains. Your object is to make a pentagon from your original circle. Well, what does a pentagon have that a circle doesn't - corners! You have just made 5 corners.

Join your last chain 3 to the top chain of the next shell grouping as shown in Figures 7 and 8. End Round 1.

Let's say at this point you didn't want to make a pentagon, you wanted to make a hexagon. Not as easy as you might think. Rather than confuse you here, I'll address this on a separate page, okay? Click here for more shapes.

You'll notice I did not suggest you go out and have an ice cream sundae after every step in this tutorial. Hee Hee. That's cos since I wrote the others I was diagnosed with diabetes, so I can't have that many snacks. I am, however, allowed a snack between lunch and supper and, guess what? It's between lunch and supper and you have completed your first round of your pentagon. You deserve a reward, and so do I. **wink** One of those "fun" size Snicker bars is only 12 grams carbohydrate and 5 gram fat. Let's have one of those. I said ONE now. I saw you try to pull two out of there. Of course if YOU'RE not diabetic, I guess you could have two, but you'll be tempting me something mighty to join you. :-)

Round 2:
Now that our corners are in place, we need to make our pentagon larger. We do that by adding rounds.
a) Since you are using one color, you need to slip stitch over to your next "hole". How do you slip stitch? Well, remember when we made the foundation chain into a circle? We used a slip stitch. Here's what you're going to do: Insert hook into the next dc (the middle one of the shell, which is the one after the beginning chain-2), YO and pull yarn through both the stitch and the loop on hook. One slip stitch made. Now make another one in the last dc of that shell. Lastly, make another slip stitch, but this time insert your hook INTO the SPACE made by the chain-3 between the two shells on the round below. You know, the "hole". Yarn over,  draw through the center as well as the loop on the hook.

b) You need to bring the next round up to the right height so you can begin, so chain 2. Then make 2 double crochets, inserting the hook right in that same space or hole, underneath the chain-3 from the previous round. Chain 3, then make 3 more double crochets. This is your FIRST CORNER. **clapping wildly**

c) Chain 1. This is your "in between" stitch. It's in-between your corners on this round. Insert hook under the ch-3 from the previous row and work (3dc, ch3, 3dc). This is your SECOND CORNER.

d) Chain 1. In the next ch-3 space, work another corner. What's a corner? Shell, ch 3, Shell. What's a shell? 3 double crochets. Yay! You got it. This is your THIRD CORNER. Note: If you're making a triangle, go on to step (g)

e) Chain 1. In next ch-3 space, work another corner. This is your FOURTH CORNER.

f) Chain 1. In next ch-3 space, work another corner. This is your FIFTH CORNER.

g) Chain 1. Make a slip stitch by inserting hook into the top chain of your beginning chain-3, YO and pull yarn through the chain and the loop on hook. Round 2 is complete! You have 10 shells on this round.

Figure 10

I can't have another snack, but it's suppertime. :-) So off I go. I'm having a bit of corn, some crackers, and a slice of ham with a glass of water. Feel free to have something scrumptious if it's your meal time! Like a big bowl of gumbo or several slices of pizza.

Round 3 (And in this case, the Final Round)
I see you over there, getting ahead of the class. You're right though. Go ahead and slip stitch over to the next ch-3 space. **proud teacher grinning**

Now you're going to basically do what you did in Round 2 -- with one exception. You're not just making corners this time. You have SIDES. <VBG>

a) (Ch 2, 2 dc, ch 3, shell --remember, that's 3dc) There's your first corner for Round 3 and it's almost in real "crochet talk"
b) Chain 1, shell in next space (which is the chain-1 space from previous round), chain 1 again. There's your first SIDE
c) Then in next space (which is a corner ch-3 space) work (shell, ch3, shell) for your second corner of Round 3.
d) Chain 1, shell in ch-1 sp between groups to form second side, ch 1, in next corner ch-3 sp work (shell, ch 3, shell), (third corner)
e) Chain 1, shell in ch-1 sp between groups to form third side, ch 1, in next corner ch-3 sp work (shell, ch 3, shell), (fourth corner)
f) Chain 1, shell in ch-1 sp between groups to form fourth side, ch 1, in next corner ch-3 sp work (shell, ch 3, shell), (fifth corner)
Now you're thinking, yay, fifth corner. I'm done. Whoa. Back the truck up. You have five CORNERS. But you have FOUR sides. You need that fifth side, don't ya?
g) Chain 1, shell in ch-1 sp between groups to form fifth side, ch 1, join with sl st to top of ch-3. Finish off. Your last round should have 15 shells. (And if you do more rounds each one will add 5 more shells to the total.)

Figure 11
Pentagon made with green yarn as above

Figure 12
Pentagon made with Christmas yarn

More pictures coming when I can download them - yes, I know you've heard that one before, but the pictures are already taken. I just need to get them out of the camera.

Whew! That was a tough one, wasn't it? But once you   have the "shape", it is as easy to continue as the granny square. You just make corners and sides, corners and sides, over and over again.

Now I guess you're wondering what in the world you can do with a pentagon anyway? Why would you want to make one? Well, I really don't know. LOL Nah. Really, I'm kidding. There are all kinds of uses for them. You can make a bunch in different colors and put them together just like you do granny squares. You could do it in cotton yarn and make a dishcloth or potholder. I'd make it more than three rounds in that case though. If you have an odd shaped end table, you can make a doily or crocheted top for it. I had some hexagon-shaped end tables once and made tops for them in earth tones.

As to pentagon grannies, what I have used them for is to make Christmas stocking ornaments. Now you're looking at me with those big wide eyes, thinking my blood sugar must be really low. Not so, young 'un. (I can say that because I'm a member of AARP now. Ha!) It's very easy.

Making a Christmas Stocking ornament from your pentagon granny.

Whoa. Hold on. You saw another site with a Christmas stocking made from a pentagon? Nah. Really? Well, yeah. Me too. Anybody can make one, long as they don't make one exactly like mine and call it theirs. It's very easy to look at a picture and think it's the same, but if you read the pattern, you see it's really not. So here's how I do mine. This is from my head, people - and you know how that goes. LOL

Christmas Stocking Ornament by Sandie Petit

Figure 14

Note:  (yeah, I'm already making notes) You can finish your stocking in one of two ways. You can put a border around your entire pentagon and then fold and sew the sides together, leaving the top open and adding a strand for hanging, OR you can fold now and join with a single crochet stitch (as the picture above). I obviously prefer the latter.

In order not to get confused here, I will use "right" to mean right as opposed to the wrong side. In other words, the side you have been working on. I will use "east" when I mean the right as opposed to left side. Okay? Thanks!

With right side of your pentagon facing up and two corners at the top (3 at the bottom), join white yarn on the top right side, east corner. Work sc across. Do not finish off. Fold east side of pentagon to the back, leaving the right side in front of you, toe pointing east. The white border you just completed should be on top. (Note: You could do a ch-10 here for your hanging loop if you want to.) Using a single crochet, join stitches along left side, putting one sc in ea dc and in ea ch-1, 3 single crochets in the ch-3 corner space (heel of stocking), then continue with one sc in ea dc and in ea ch-1 along the bottom, finishing up in the ch-3 at the tippy toe. :-) Sew ends in and then add a hanging strand.

I received this note from Kristina Mortenson offering her method of adding a hanger to the stocking. Here it is verbatim:
>>I put the stocking together with the single stitch, starting at the toe. When I get to the top outside edge, I chain stitch a couple of inches for the hangar, attach back to the stocking and either tie off or finish around the top edges with single stitch. This is a stronger, and I think more attractive, hanger. Feel free to share that idea if you like it.

That's it! You can make lots of these in a very short time. If you have a partner, one of you can make the squares and one can join the sides and complete dozens to give out at hospitals or nursing homes or just about anywhere that you need a lot of ornaments completed in a short time. Children in the hospital at Christmas so need some cheering up - it's not easy for their parents either! Great project for teens!

Merry Christmas!

10/26/07

The buttons above were my first at the Cabana. I keep them for sentimental reasons. :-)

NOTICE: Someone is using my old e-mail address to send out SPAM. Please note that if you receive any e-mail from crochetcabana at startrekmail dot com it is NOT from me. I no longer use this account and, to my knowledge, it has been discontinued.
Also I do not use my sspt at geocities dot com for mailing. If you receive something coming from that account, it is not from me.