This blanket is made using the “Rose Granny Square”-tutorial.

Once you have crocheted the squares for your top, you could do what I did: make a removeable fleece back. I’ll explain how I did this a little further down in this post.

First we need to join the “Rose”-squares.
No matter how much I still like the look of the joins on the big “Rose Square Blanket“, in retrospect there’s only one conclusion: too time consuming.

So I searched for a different type of join, a continuous one.
I tried the flat braided (continuous) join (tutorial here), but wanted a more substantial stitch, preferably a double crochet/treble stitch. Here’s what I did.

Just keep the continuous join as you go-technique in mind, adjust your stitches, follow the chart and you’ll zoomingly crochet your “Rose Granny Squares” together!

How to join your “Rose Granny Squares”
The “Rose Granny Square” has 14 stitches on each side. It’s best to start in a corner, right in the middle of the 4 corner stitches of the previous round (so 2 dc’s on each side when you insert your hook). Begin with 1 dc, 2 chains and one dc, first corner made.
After that you’ll continue with 1 dc, 1 dc (so, one dc in every stitch, making sure you don’t miss that first dc of the previous round – the stitch is kind of hiding right next to the last corner stitch), one chain – skipping one stitch of prev. round, *1 dc, 1 dc, one chain – skip one stitch *, repeat from * to * 2 more times.
In total you should have 4 sets of 2dc/one ch on this side of the square. Now you’ll crochet 2 dc’s in the last two stitches of the previous round (stitches 13 and 14) and in between the 4 corner dc’s from the prev. round you’ll crochet 1 dc, 2chains, 1 dc (2nd corner made). Continue to crochet all around your square.

You’ll want to do this with every square, it really works very well using the continuous join as you go-technique!

Next up is the border: I always love this part of a crochet project! If you plan on attaching a removable fleece backing using buttons, button holes are needed, this being the more elegant option when compared to velcro……
Precisely where two squares joined, as well as in the corners, I crocheted a small opering (skipping 2 st from prev. round, chaining 2) – just big enough for the buttons to fit through.
The last round on this border in bright blue was quite the puzzle to get right, but after a couple of tries, this is how I liked it best.

The blue part of the border is crocheted like this:
Attach yarn, chain 5, yarn over, insert hook in 3rd chain from hook, pull up a loop – leaving yarn on hook. Yarn over, inserting hook in same chain, pulling up a loop 3 more times, leaving all loops on hook. Total loops: 9. Yarn over, pull yarn through all loops, chain two, sc in next space.

After having the crochet blanket washed and blocked, I cut and seamed the fleece backing, sewed the buttons – all 32 – to the orange fleece and ta-dah!

I soooo love it when an idea works out just the way I’ve planned it in my head: very, very happy with this multi-season baby blanket!

Love,
Marianne