The Sweet Granny Baby Blanket, a modern granny square afghan

Show your love in classic crochet style by making the Sweet Granny Baby Blanket, a FREE pattern thanks to JOANN.

Want to hear something funny? We’re barely halfway through the year and my friends and family have already announced 6 babies that will be born before Christmas. Namely, I’ll have a new niece or nephew coming in the fall. I’m secretly hoping for a niece and made the new Sweet Granny Baby Blanket to welcome her to the world!

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Find a printer-friendly PDF version of the Sweet Granny Baby Blanket in my Ravelry shop and on TLYarnCrafts.com. PDF version includes a full-color, 8- page instructions and full schematic to chart your very own color scheme.

There’s really nothing more classic in crochet than the granny square. It’s the technique that first made me fall in love with crochet. When I was 13, my mother put a tiny granny square in my hands and told me to “keep going”. That granny square turned into a hideous camouflage blanket that we immediately donated, but the love for turning yarn into something useable never left me. Designing the Sweet Granny Baby Blanket brought back all the nostalgia of those early crocheting days.

Whenever I have a new baby blanket idea in my head, my first stop is to my local JOANN. Even though I have a project in mind, I usually spend a little time browsing the store to see what’s new. On this trip, I had an awesome coupon and finally treated myself to a pair of Gingher sewing scissors before I made my way to the yarn (because you can never have enough scissors!).

I finally made it to the yarn section and bypassed the baby yarns for an old standby – Lion Brand Wool-Ease. I’m no stranger to this particular yarn, and even used it for the original samples of my Hot Cocoa Poncho, Sweater Weather Cardi, and the Sweet Gingham Baby Blanket. The acrylic yarn mixed with a touch of wool means the blanket will be soft but still easy to care for.

JOANN has a robust selection of Wool-Ease colors, which made it a little hard to narrow things down. Since I knew I was going for a blanket with Fisherman as the base and 5 accent colors, I started mixing and matching the different options. I landed on a range of pinks and grays with a pop of mustard. But there were also great options for blues with grays, all neutrals, and even a woodsy assortment of blue, red, and green. The options are endless!

The Sweet Granny Baby Blanket starts with a single granny square and additional squares are added using the join-as-you-go method. This eliminates the need to seam your squares together later. Once all squares are seamed, triangles are added to make straight edges. The entire project is finished off with a 2-round picot border.

If you’re ready to start your Sweet Granny Baby Blanket, keep scrolling for the free version, or pick up a printable PDF copy from TLYarnCrafts.com.

Click here to purchase the Sweet Granny Baby Blanket pattern on Ravelry.

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Sweet Granny Baby Blanket Pattern

MATERIALS:

• 5 balls of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Fisherman (MC)
• 1 ball each of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Light Gray (CA), Dark Gray (CB), Rose Heather (CC), Dark Rose Heather (CD), and Mustard (CE)
• US I/9 5.5mm crochet hook
• Scissors
• Yarn needle

FINISHED SIZE:

40 inches x 44 inches after blocking, including border.

GAUGE:

On square measures 5.5” from corner to corner when measured across the center.

ABBREVIATIONS:

• Ch = chain
• Dc = double crochet
• MR = magic ring
• Pic = picot (see Special Stitches)
• Rep = repeat
• RS = right side
• Sl st = slip stitch
• Sp = space
• St = stitch
• Tch = turning chain

SPECIAL STITCHES:

• Picot (pic) – ch 3, sl st in first ch.

NOTES:

• The pattern chart below indicates the yarn color used for the first two rounds of the square. For example, the bottom left square begins with 2 rounds of CC and ends with one round of MC. White squares are worked entirely with MC.
• As you complete the join-as-you-go method, the “working square” is the square you are completing and the “joining square” is the completed square you are connecting the working square to.
• This project results in a lot of ends. Try to weave them in as you go.
• Portions of this pattern are written in crochet shorthand, for example, “2dc” means to place 2 dc stitches in the same stitch, while “3dc” means to place 3 dc stitches into the same stitch.
• Starting ch 3 counts as dc, starting ch 4 counts as dc + ch 1.

Are you more of a visual learner? Watch the tutorial video:

First Square

Round 1: With CC, [ch 3, 2dc, ch 2, (3dc, ch 2) 3 times] in MR, join with a sl st in the 3^rd ch of the starting ch-3, close MR.

Round 2: Sl st to next ch-2 sp, (ch 3, 2dc, ch 2, 3dc) in ch-2 sp, [ch 1, (3dc, ch 2, 3dc) in ch 2 sp] 3 times, , ch 1, join with a sl st in the 3^rd ch of the starting ch-3. Cut C.

Round 3: Join MC with a sl st in any ch-2 sp, (ch 3, 2dc, ch 2, 3dc) in ch-2 sp, ch 1, 3dc in next ch-1 sp, [ch 1, (3dc, ch 2, 3dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, 3dc in next ch-1 sp] 3 times, ch 1, join with a sl st in the 3^rd ch of the starting ch-3. Cut yarn.

From here, use the written directions to complete the remaining motifs in the blanket, changing colors as instructed in the chart.

Joining 2 Corners

Rounds 1-2: Complete Rounds 1 and 2 of First Square with accent color or MC as instructed in chart. Cut accent color if needed.

Round 3: If changing form an accent color, join MC with a sl st in any ch-2 sp. If continuing with MC, sl st to next ch-2 sp. (Ch 3, 2dc, ch 2, 3dc) in same ch-2 sp, ch 1, 3dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, (3dc, ch 2, 3dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, 3dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, 3dc in next ch-2 sp, sl st into ch-2 sp of joining square, ch 1, 3dc in same ch-2 sp of working square, sl st into next ch-1 sp of joining square, 3dc in next ch-1 sp of working square, sl st into next ch-1 sp of joining square, 3dc in next ch-2 sp of working square, sl st in next ch-2 sp of joining square, ch 1, 3dc in same ch-2 sp of working square, ch 1, 3dc in next ch-1 sp of working square, ch 1, sl st in the 3^rd ch of the starting ch-3. Cut yarn.

Joining 3 Corners

Rounds 1-2: Complete Rounds 1 and 2 of First Square with accent color or MC as instructed in chart. Cut accent color if needed.

Round 3: If changing from an accent color, join MC with a sl st in and ch-2 sp. If continuing with MC, sl st to next ch-2 sp. (Ch 3, 2dc ch 1, 3dc) in same ch-2 sp, ch 1, 3dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, (3dc in next ch-2 sp, sl st in ch-2 sp of joining square, ch 1, 3dc in same ch-2 sp of working square, sl st in next ch-1 sp of joining square, 3dc in next ch-1 sp of working square, sl st in next ch-1 sp of joining square) 2 times, 3dc in next ch-2 sp of working square, sl st in net ch-2 sp of joining square, ch 1, 3dc in same ch-2 sp of working square, ch 1, 3dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, join with sl st in the 3^rd ch of the starting ch-3.

Side Triangle

Row 1: With MC in MR, ch 4, 3dc, ch 2, 3dc, ch 1, dc, close MR, turn.

Row 2: Ch 4, 3dc in ch-1 sp, ch 1, (3dc ch 2, 3dc) in ch-2 sp, ch 1, 3dc in tch sp, ch 1, dc in 3^rd ch of tch, turn.

Row 3: Ch 3, sl st in ch-2 of joining square, 3dc in ch-1 sp of working square, sl st into next ch-1 sp of joining square, 3dc into next ch-1 sp of working square, sl st in next ch-1 sp of joining square, 3dc in next ch-2 sp of working square, sl st in next ch-2 sp of joining square, ch 1, 3dc in same ch-2 sp of working square, sl st into next ch-1 sp of joining square, 3dc into next ch-1 sp of working square, sl st into next ch-1 sp of joining square, 3dc into tch sp, sl st into ch-2 sp of joining square, dc in 3^rd ch of tch. Cut yarn.

Corner Triangle

Row 1: With MC in MR, ch 4, 3dc, ch 1, dc, close ring, Turn.

Row 2: Ch 4, 3dc in ch-1 sp, ch 1, 3dc in tch sp, ch 1, dc in 3^rd ch of tch, turn.

Row 3: Ch 3, sl st in ch-2 sp of joining square, 3dc in ch-1 sp of working square, sl st in ch -1 sp of joining square, 3dc in ch-1 sp of working square, sl st in ch-1 sp of joining square, 3dc in tch sp of working square, sl st in ch-2 sp of joining square, dc in 3^rd ch of tch. Cut yarn.

Border

Round 1: With RS facing, join MC in the MR of the Corner Triangle attached to the First Square with a sl st, (ch 3, 2dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in same sp, *ch 1, evenly place (3 dc, ch 1) groups across row (see photo supplement below)**, (3 dc, ch 2, 3dc) in MR of next corner triangle; rep from * around, ending last rep at **, sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch-3. Cut yarn.

Round 2: Join CE in any ch-2 sp with a sl st, (ch 3, dc 1, pic, dc 1, ch 2, dc 2, pic, dc 1) in same sp, ch 1, *[(dc 2, pic, dc 1) in next ch-1 sp, ch 1] across row**, (dc 2, pic, dc 1, ch 2, dc 2, pic, dc 1) in next ch-2 sp, ch 1; rep from * around, ending last rep at **, sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch-3. Cut yarn.

Finishing

Weave in all ends. Steam block to shape.

Purchase the printable Sweet Granny Baby Blanket pattern HERE!

I hope you had so much fun making the Sweet Granny Baby Blanket. I can’t wait to give mine to my future niece (*fingers crossed*). Share your blanket with me on Instagram using the hashtags #SweetGrannyBabyBlanket and #TLYCMakers. And show off your blanket in the TLYCMakers Facebook group too!

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