Imagine standing on the mossy bank of the Derwent River, the water rippling beneath old willows, a quiet breeze whispering tales of long-lost secrets. Your fingers itch with anticipation, but the coordinates to the hidden geocache are not so easily won. Instead, you face a clever puzzle—one woven from yarn and wit, a crocheted mystery that will guide you to your prize.
Geocaching, at its heart, is an adventure for the curious. It is a treasure hunt blending exploration with clever riddles and hidden codes. But today, the path is not charted with maps nor marked with clues in stone; instead, your journey begins with a crochet hook, a skein of yarn, and a pattern whose stitches hide the coordinates you seek. The only way to reveal the location of the cache is to unravel the clues and stitch together the answer.
An interstate craftsperson, inspired by the flowing waters and lush banks of the Derwent, created this puzzle to bring together two worlds: the tactile rhythm of crochet and the thrill of discovery.
Happy crocheting and may the threads lead you to discovery!
The cache is not hidden at the posted coordinates.
S 42 47.--- E147 17.---
Pattern
You will need a crochet hook and some yarn.
South
Row 1: Ch 9, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and each remaining ch. Turn. (8 sts)
Row 2 - 3: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (8 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, sc in the first 3 sts, leaving remaining sts unworked. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 5 - 7: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 8: Ch 1, sc in each st, then ch 6. Turn. (3 sts, 6 ch)
Row 9: Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and remaining 4 ch. Sc in each st of Row 8. FSC 7, working off the last sc st. Turn. (15 sts)
Row 10 - 11: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (15 sts) Break yarn and finish off.
Row 1: Ch 12, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and each remaining ch. Turn. (11 sts)
Row 2 - 3: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (11 sts)
Row 4: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the next st, leaving remaining sts unworked. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 5 - 16: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 17: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the last st. Break yarn and finish off
Row 1: Ch 4, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, hdc in the next ch, dc in the last ch. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 2: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, dc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 4: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Rpw 5 - 12: Repeat Rows 3-4.
Row 13: Repeat Row 3.
Row 14 - 17: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 18 - 31: Repeat Rows 3-4.
Row 32: Repeat Row 3. Break yarn and use ends to sew into shape as shown above
East
Row 1: Ch 12, sc in the 2nd ch from hook and each remaining ch. Turn. (11 sts)
Row 2 - 3: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (11 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, sc in the first 3 sts, leaving remaining sts unworked. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 5: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 6: Ch 1, sc in the 1st and 2nd st, leaving remaining st unworked. Turn. (2 sts)
Row 7: Ch 1, skip the 1st st, sc in the last st. Turn. (1 st)
Row 8: Ch 2, skip the st made in the previous row, dc in the ch 1 sp. Hdc in the side of the last st of Row 6, sc in the unworked st remaining in Row 5. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 9: Ch 1, sc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, dc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 10 - 12: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 13: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 14: Ch 1, sc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, dc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 15 - 20: Repeat Rows 13-14.
Row 21 - 23: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 24: Ch 1, sc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, dc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 25: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 26 - 27: Repeat Rows 24-25. Break yarn and finish off.
Row 1: Ch 12, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and remaining ch. Turn. (11 sts)
Row 2 - 3: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (11 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, sl st in the 1st st, ch 2, dc in the next st, hdc in the next st, sc in the next st. Leave remaining sts unworked. Turn. (3 sts, 1 sl st)
Row 5: Ch 1, sc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, dc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 6: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 7 - 8: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 9: Ch 1, sc in each st. Do not turn. (3 sts)
Row 10: Ch 1, turning your work clockwise, work 3 sl sts into the sides of Rows 9, 8, and 7. Continuing to work into the side of the rows, ch 2, dc, hdc, and sc. Turn. (3 sts and 3 sl sts)
Row 11: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 12: Ch 1, sc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, dc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 13 - 16: Repeat Rows 11-12
Row 17 - 19: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 20: Ch 1, sc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, dc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 21: Ch 2, dc in the 1st st, hdc in the next st, sc in the last st. Turn. (3 sts)
Row 22 - 23: Repeat Rows 20-21. Break yarn and finish off.
Row 1: Ch 16, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in remaining ch. Turn. (15 sts)
Row 2 – 3: Ch 1, sc in each st. Turn. (15 sts) Break yarn and finish off.
The geocache will be maintained by a local geocacher.