Blooming Granny Square Baby Afghan
The FREE crochet baby blanket pattern for the Blooming Granny Square Baby Afghan comes with full crochet instructions and charts. Perfect, quick blanket that is easy enough for an advanced beginner crocheter, and interesting enough for experienced crocheters alike.
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Pattern Inspiration
Several years ago I hosted a crochet-along for a stitch sampler blanket and one of the squares was the Blooming Granny Square. In the CAL we did small squares to test out our gauge for each of the stitch patterns.
One of my contractors loved the look of the small blooming granny square so she made several, seamed them together then added the same border we used for the stitch sampler blanket to her new blanket and voila! The minute I saw it I knew I needed to purchase the sample and publish it as a pattern for everyone to enjoy.
Let’s say thank you to Jennifer Purtee for her vision and enjoy this fun pattern.
Video Tutorial
If you find you are having trouble with the stitch pattern you can always watch the video for the square I did for the CAL. It is a a step-by-step video tutorial that can be found on the Marly Bird YouTube Channel.
Now you know how this pattern came to be part of the many free patterns offered here at MarlyBird.com. I hope you find the pattern easy, the video helpful, and the finished product to your liking. Please share with me the blankets you make with this pattern, as I would love to see them. Tag me on social media #MarlyBird.
Queue it up and Like the Pattern on Ravelry
A paid for version of the pattern is available on Ravelry for those of you who want a pattern without ads.
Materials
- RED HEART® Soft®: 4 balls main color, 2 balls each additional center color (4 colors)
- Crochet Hook: 5mm [US H-8]
- Bent Tip Yarn needle
- Good pair of scissors
Measurement
The blanket measures 44″ x 48″ including the border.
Gauge
GAUGE is the measurement of the stitches and rows after you crochet them. Getting gauge means that you are getting the same numbers per inch as written in the pattern.
Soft yarn: 4″ square (10 cm) in blooming granny square crochet. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size hook to obtain the gauge.
Pattern Notes
- The squares are made individually
- Seam all squares together using slip stitch
- Be sure to weave in tails securely at the end of the project
Abbreviations
![Blooming Granny Square Baby Afghan by Marly Bird [Free Pattern]](https://marlybird.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/BloomingGrannySquare_3a-1.jpg)
beg – begin(ning)
bpdc – back post double crochet
ch – chain
dc – double crochet
fpdc – front post double crochet
hdc – half double crochet
rep – repeat
rnd – round
RS – right side
sc – single crochet
sk – skip
sl st – slip stitch
sp – space
st – stitch
tch – turning chain
tr – treble crochet
WS – wrong side
yo – yarn over
Special Techniques Videos for Reference
- Blooming Granny Square
- Border
- Slip Knot and Chain Stitch
- Single Crochet
- Double Crochet
- Popcorn Stitch
- Slip Stitch Join
Special Stitches
Popcorn: 5 dc in indicated st or sp, remove hook being careful not to unravel last loop, insert hook in 1st of 5 dc just made, pick up dropped loop and draw it through, ch 1.
Bobble: Dc5tog all in the same st or sp.
Xtr (Crossed triples): sk 1 st, tr in next st, working behind tr just made, tr in skipped st.
Blooming Granny Square Baby Afghan [Free Pattern]
Square Pattern (see chart below)
Make a total of 110 squares making the center of each square the desired color.
Using first color, ch 4, and sl st in 1st ch to form a ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, 8 sc in ring, sl st in beg sc to connect.
Rnd 2 (popcorn rnd): Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc in 1st sc, remove hook being careful not to unravel last loop, insert hook in 3rd of of beg ch 3, pick up dropped loop and draw it through, ch 1 (1 popcorn made), ch 1, * popcorn in next sc, ch 1; rep from * 6 more times, (8 popcorns made), sl st in top of beg popcorn to connect, fasten off color.
Rnd 3: Join main color in any 1-ch sp, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc) 2 dc in same sp (half corner made), * ch 1, 3 dc in next 1-ch sp, ch 1, [3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc] next ch-1 sp (corner made), rep from * twice more, ch 1, 3 dc in next 1-ch sp, ch 1, 3 dc in same sp as beg half corner, ch 1, sl st in 3rd of beg ch 3 to connect (beg corner completed), fasten off color.
Rnd 4: Join main color in any corner sp, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in same sp (half corner made), * [ch 1, 3 dc in next 1-ch sp] to corner sp, ch 1, [3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc] in corner sp, rep from * twice more, [ch 1, 3 dc in next 1-ch sp] to corner sp, ch 1, 3 dc in same sp as beg half corner, ch 1, sl st in 3rd of beg ch 3 to connect (beg corner completed), fasten off color.Finishing Squares Weave in all ends. Joining Squares Following the layout of the squares in image below, seam all squares together with a slip stitch join. Once all squares are seamed together add the border.
Blanket Border (see chart below)
The stitch multiple for this particular border is 2 + single center corner stitches (4 total).
At this point, you need to designate what colors you will use for Colors A, B, C, D.
In sample A: purple, B: green, C: orange, D: Gray
Solid Border Base
With Main Color
Rnd 1: Join yarn at any corner space with a slip stitch, ch 1, * 2 sc in corner, place a marker around the last sc completed, sc once more in corner, sc an even number of stitches, evenly spaced to the next corner; rep from * to end, join with a slip stitch to the first sc.
NOTE: Throughout the solid border base you will put 3 sc in each marked center corner stitch.
Rnd 2: Change to color D, ch 1, sc in same stitch as join, *3 sc in marked sc, remove marker and place it around the 2nd sc completed, sc in each stitch to next marked sc; rep from * to last stitch of rnd, sc in last stitch, join with a sl st to first sc.
Body of Border
Work with 4 colors: A, B, C, and D.
Join A 4 sts (or any even number of sts) to the right of any corner sc.
Rnd 1: Ch 4 (counts as 1 tr), working behind beg ch, tr in st to the right of last st, * [Xtr over next 2 sts] to corner sc, working 1st tr of final Xtr in corner sc, ch 3, Xtr in next sc and corner sc; rep from * 3 more times, [Xtr over next 2 sts] to end, sl st in beg Xtr to connect.
Rnd 2: Change to B, ch 1, sc in sp made by connecting sl st, ch 1, [sc in sp between next 2 Xtr, ch 1] to corner sp, [sc, ch 1] 3 times in corner sp; rep from * 3 more times, [sc in sp between next 2 Xtr, ch 1] to end, sl st in beg sc to connect.
Rnd 3: Change to C, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), bobble in next 1-ch sp, * [dc in next sc, bobble in next 1-ch sp] to corner sc, [dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc] in corner sc, bobble in next 1-ch sp; rep from * 3 more times, * [dc in next sc, bobble in next ch sp] to end, sl st in 3rd of beg ch 3 to connect.
Rnd 4: Change to A, ch 1, sc in same st as connecting sl st, ch 1, * [sk next bobble, sc in next dc, ch 1] to corner dc, ch 1, [sc, ch 1] twice in corner dc, sc in next dc, ch 1; rep from * 3 more times, [sk next bobble, sc in next dc, ch 1] to last dc, sc in last dc, sc in beg sc to connect.
Rnd 5: Change to D, ch 1, sc in sp formed by connecting sc, ch 1, * [sk next sc, sc in next 1-ch sp, ch 1] to corner 1-ch sp, [sc, ch 1] twice in corner 1-ch sp; rep from * 3 more times, [sk next sc, sc in next 1-ch sp, ch 1] to last 1-ch sp, sc in last 1-ch sp, sc in beg sc to connect.
Rnd 6: Change to C, ch 1, sc in sp formed by connecting sc, ch 3, sc in same sp, [sc, ch 3, sc] in each ch-1 sp around, sl st in beg sc to connect.
Fasten off.
