If you would like to see me make a video of creating this square, leave me a comment! The automatic editor on this thing makes italics between asterisks, so notating the repeats meant I had to leave out the asterisks. Then removing the asterisks made the brackets disappear. So I used slashes as brackets. Sigh!

Setting the scene: The year is 2015. The Locutus was my first foray into pattern editing. I fell in love with the pattern (which was posted in 2010), like hundreds of others did… and many of those people went to Penny Davison’s blog to get the pattern instructions. In red type, up at the top, it states: “This pattern is still in testing stages and may contain errors.” And in 2022, it still says that. Penny went on to teach and get her master’s degree, and I don’t blame her for not returning to improve the pattern.

In working up the squares, I decided to rewrite it so it’s a little more clear. See below. It’s not a direct pattern rewrite, and I’ve included my own changes. This is the version that I prefer.

I’ve added experimental borders (many thanks to Chitweed for the ideas!) in my photos as well as experimental corners. The pattern I rewrote here is for the “closed” looking corners. There is a “border” section following the main pattern rounds.

Difficulty rating - It should be easier now! Before, TR Cluster 1 and TR Cluster 2 were terms used for the groups of treble crochet making up the round shapes, but I found it cumbersome and confusing, so I renamed the round shapes giant “bobbles” and the clusters “Bobble Half 1 and Bobble Half 2” (BH1, BH2).
If you know how to do any number of TR(#)tog, this will be a breeze. They’re a TR7tog split over two chain spaces.

Foundation

Start by CH10, SL ST to 10th chain from hook to form a ring.

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Round 1

CH3 (counts as DC), 23 DC in ring. SL ST to 3rd ch of of the first CH3 to close the round. (= 24 DC)

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Round 2

/CH 1, SC/ in each st. SL ST to close the round. (24 stitches)

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Round 3

You will be making two triple crochets (which will become the stems below the circles) separated by 3 chains all around. Make your triple crochets in each stitch from previous row without skipping any. In other words, just because you made a CH3, don’t skip 3 stitches for the next TC.

CH4 (counts as a TR), TR in next st, CH3, TR in next st, TR in next st repeat to end. CH3 and SL ST to 4th chain of beginning CH4.

SL ST in the next 3 stitches, to end up anchored in the far center of one of the larger chain spaces.

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Round 4

Note on the large bobbles (circles, blobs, whatever you want to call them). You’ve got those long stretches of chain that look like the perfect place to make a whole bobble. But this is where it gets confusing. You start halfway past the first long chain, and you make that bobble on half of this long chain space + half of the next chain space, so that it’s centered over the two long “stems” below. Then you start your next bobble thing in that same long chain space where you were just working, because you need to start it before you get to the “stems” below. Make sense yet? Just keep working. I hope it will.

Overview of Bobble Half 1: You’re going to “fill up” the second half of the large chain space you’re anchored to, with a total of 4TR that leave out the very final pull-thru on each one. See instructions.

Instructions:
CH4 (counts as first TR).
/YO twice, draw up loop in same chain space, YO once, pull through 2 loops on hook twice (leave remaining loops on hook)/.
Repeat until you have 4 TRs and 4 loops on hook. (In subsequent repeats, this will be 5 TRs and 5 loops on hook).

Overview of Bobble Half 2: Now, with 4 loops on hook (this will be 5 loops in subsequent repeats), continue on to work in the first half of the next larger chain space. The two halves together will complete one of the “bobbles”. You will then CH7 and begin the next bobble in the SAME chain space.) See instructions.

Instructions:
/Skip the next 2 stitches and work in next chain space. YO twice, draw up loop, YO and pull through 2 loops twice (leave remaining loops on hook)/. Work 3 more times. You will have 8 loops on hook. YO, pull through all 8 loops to close the bobble. (In subsequent rounds, this will be 9 loops on hook, and you’ll pull through all 9.)

CH 7.

In SAME chain space you just worked in, repeat BH1 (you will have 5 loops on hook), skip to next chain space and work BH2, (you will have 4 loops, total of 9 loops on hook). Pull yarn through all 9 loops, followed by CH7. Continue until you have 12 bobbles. SL ST in center top of the first bobble.

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Round 5

SL ST into next chain space. CH1 (counts as first SC). SC11 in 7-chain loop.

/(In next 7-chain loop SC, HDC, DC, TR2, CH3, TR2, DC, HDC, SC). SC12 in next chain space, twice./

Work that above paragraph 3 more times. After the last repeat, SC12 and join with SL ST at the base of the beginning chain.

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Round 6

SL ST 5 more times, to center of arch. /CH10. In corner chain space: DC, CH2, DC. CH10 and SL ST in center stitch of next arch. CH8 and SL ST in center stitch of next arch./ work 3 more times, then SL ST in base of starting chain.

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Round 7

CH2 (counts as HDC). /HDC into each stitch (not in the chain space). In corner chain space, DC2, CH2, DC2/.

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Border style that’s my favorite, but I have shown many. I think they’re all different.

1. DC back loop only all around (instead of going under both loops of the previous round, go under only the back one). In corner chain space, DC2, CH2, DC2. SL ST at end of round and CH2.

2. Alternate FLDC / BLDC. (Instead of going under both loops of the previous round, go under only one - the front loop or the back loop, and alternate).
   In corner chain space, do DC2, CH2, DC2. SL ST at the end of round and CH3.

3. Alternate FPDC / BPDC. (This time, around the post, not just the front/back of the edge stitches). In the corner chain space, HDC2, CH1, HDC2. SL ST at end of round and CH2.

4. HDC all around.
   In corner chain space, HDC2, CH1, HDC2. SL ST at end of round.

This border (and all borders I try on this block) come out different each time I try them. If you find the border is wavy, going down a size hook will take care of some of the problem.