My Mother’s Garden Afghan

Behold a thing of beauty:  Meet my My Mother’s Garden Afghan.  This stunning crochet flower blanket is a labor of love, made for my mother in all the delicious juicy shades of pinks and purples that she adores!

I might be totally biased here, but this just might be my favorite kind of flower garden… this oh so cute crochet flower afghan!  My mom loves purples and pinks and gorgeous lace but she’s also cold a lot these days, so I knew just the perfect yarn for the project.  Something with beautiful drape while providing important warmth.

Marly Bird’s Red Heart Chic Sheep yarn by Yarnspirations is a dream.  If you’ve never tried a wool yarn, this is the time to do it.  This yarn is so soft and squishy while being nice and warm.  I felt like a spoiled princess crocheting with such lovely yarn and a big thank you to Yarnspirations for providing the yarn for this project.

I also need to step into the crochet confessional here—but I know so many of you will relate!  This gorgeous hunk of crochet love was intended for my mother’s birthday.. in July of LAST YEAR.  Whelp.. I missed THAT deadline…. AND… the birthday AFTER that too!  But no matter, because what’s even BETTER than a beautiful, lacy crochet flower blanket birthday gift?  Why an UN-Birthday, just because I love you gift!

It was all worth it in the end because my mom just adores this afghan.  She loves the pinks and purples.  She loves the lacy vibe.  And what she loves most of all is that it keeps her so warm while she watches TV or chats with my dad in the living room.  It might just be her favorite afghan.. but don’t tell my other sisters that.

A few years ago when I was working on the Daisy Mae Bag I was crocheting the squares in the car while we were on vacation.  (The same vacation, by the way, that we stayed in the gorgeous lighthouse I mentioned in the Big Bay Beanie post.) I was constantly dropping various square parts on the floorboard and between the the seats–which was so aggravating.  So I came up with this way to string my squares together as I go.

I really like doing my granny squares assembly line style, all squares one color at a time — so all the yellow centers first.. and then the pink flower row.. and then finally the white portion of the squares.  But you can also string completed squares this way too if you prefer working that way.  Then I stored my square bundles until I was ready to join them.

This crochet flower blanket also features a gorgeous flat braid join and a stunning lacy border.  Beautiful, right?  But don’t let the intricacy scare you.  Just take each part of the afghan a step at a time and you will soon have your own bit of beauty!

Crochet Flower Afghan Important Notes

I thought it would be helpful to go over a few important tidbits before we dive into the pattern.

• This crochet flower blanket is worked with Red Heart Chic Sheep Yarn.  Chic Sheep is a worsted weight wool yarn that is very soft (NOT prickly like other wool yarns).  It is is on the “lighter” side of the worsted weight spectrum.  So if you use a thicker worsted weight yarn you should plan on a slightly bigger afghan and purchasing more yarn.  As with any project, be sure to read the yarn band for washing instructions and consider passing that information along to the gift recipient.
• The crochet flower granny squares are joined by a flat braid join which I cover in a detailed photo heavy post here.  I will link to the flat braid join in this pattern rather than repeating the tutorial.  You could also join by a different method.  Just be aware that the overall afghan size will change if you do so.  You will also have to re-calculate the foundation row for the lacy border.
• The lacy border is designed to fit on this particular afghan with the flat braid join technique.  I will provide general calculation information if you would like to use it on a different afghan.  Just know that if you DO change the afghan or use the border on a different project, it is up to you to figure out the foundation row stitch count.
• I wanted this particular afghan to feel like a random flower garden.  I made 18 squares each of 5 different color ways for a total of 90 squares.  Then I used THIS SITE to randomize the color placement.  A full size printout of the color chart along with a key showing the colors I used is included in the low cost ad-free PDF version of this pattern.
• The crochet flower blanket pattern is provided for free below with links to the helpful appropriate posts.  However, you might want to consider the low-cost ad free version which has nicely formatted photos, the complete flat braid join tutorial and the detailed color chart.

Whew.. that’s a lot of information!  Let’s get on with crocheting your new masterpiece!  Are you ready to dive into making this beautiful crochet flower blanket?

Purchase an ad-free printable version of My Mother’s Garden Pattern here

My Mother’s Garden Crochet Flower Blanket

Here is what you will need:

• US H8/6mm crochet hook Did you know you can purchase my go-to hooks on Amazon?)
• Tapestry needle and scissors
• Worsted weight yarn.  Sample used Chic Sheep Yarn by Yarnsirations:   56-58 oz in Lace (white); 4.5 oz in Mimosa (yellow); 2.25 oz each of Fairy Tale, Dragon Fruit, Vineyard, Sangria and Regal colors.
• Tapestry needle and scissors

Resources and tutorials you may find helpful in following this pattern: Crochet Abbreviations, US to UK Crochet Conversion Chart.  Find links to stitches on the “Tutorial” menu: Getting Started will show basic stitches used in many patterns and Crochet Stitch Dictionary shows our growing collection of crochet stitch tutorials.

The finished size of My Mother’s Garden Crochet Flower Blanket is approximately 51″ wide by 57″ tall.  Each square (before the flat braid join) is approximately 4.5″ across.

Special Stitches:

Partial TC Cluster: * Yarn over hook twice, insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops, yarn over and pull through 2 loops.* There are 2 loops left on hook.  Repeat from * to *, working into same stitch.  There are now 3 loops left on hook.. Yarn over and pull through all loops.

Triple Crochet Cluster: *Yarn over hook twice, insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops, yarn over and pull through 2 loops.* There are 2 loops left on hook.  Repeat from * to *, working into same stitch.  There are 3 loops left on hook. Then repeat from * to * again into the same stitch.  There are now 4 loops on hook. Yarn over and pull through all loops.

Crochet Flower Granny Square (Make 18 each color)

Using yellow (Mimosa) yarn, ch 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring.

R1:  Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 11 dc in ring (12 st).  Fasten off yellow.

R2:  Join flower petal color yarn in any stitch.  Ch 3, work (2) Partial TC Clusters in same stitch as joining.  ch 2.  *Triple Crochet Cluster in next st, ch 2.  Repeat from * around. (12 petals).  Fasten off flower petal color.

R3: Join Lace (white) color in any space between 2 petals.  Ch 3 (counts as 1st dc).  Work (2dc, ch 2, 3 dc) into same space (1st corner made), *work 3 hdc in each of the next 2 spaces, (3dc, ch2, 3dc) in the next space (corner made).  Repeat from * 2 times, then work 3 hdc into each of the last 2 spaces.  Join to top of starting chain.

R4:  Slip stitch in next 2 st and in the corner space.  In the same corner work (ch3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) (First corner made).  *3 dc in each of the next 3 spaces, work (3dc, ch 2, 3dc) in next corner.  Repeat from * 2 times, then work 3 dc in each of the next 3 spaces.  Join with top of starting chain.

R5:  ch 1 and sc in the same stitch as joining.  Work a sc into each stitch along the sides and 3 sc into each corner.  Join with 1st sc in round and fasten off yarn.  Weave in all ends.

Join Flower Granny Squares

Join the flower granny squares in a random pattern, using the flat braid join method that can be found here.  You can use THIS SITE to come up with your own random pattern.  Or use the below photo as a guide.  A full size copy of the color grid with a key to the actual colors I used can be found in the low cost ad-free PDF here.

Note that the flat braid join does take up a bit of space and if you choose to join your squares another way, it will affect the overall size of your afghan.

Crochet Lacy Border

Note that I cover how to calculate borders in the border for the Happily Ever Afghan border.  The border for My Mother’s Garden is different.  However it uses the same stitch count, so you may head over to that post if you want to better understand afghan borders.

Border Foundation Round:

Multiple for border:  The base round on each side must have a multiple of 8 stitches PLUS 5 PLUS the corner stitches. (This is a FYI should you want to use this border on a different project)

I’ve already done the math for you, so here is how we will be working this round.  Please read all the way through this bit so you completely understand BEFORE starting the round.  The goal is to single crochet around, working an extra stitch as needed to get to the correct multiple on each side of the afghan.  First I will list out the general “rules” and then there are special instructions for the sides with 9 squares and different instructions for the sides with 10 squares.

General rules:

• There are now loops around the entire afghan from working the flat braid join
• Work a 2 sc into each loop on the side of the blocks
• Work 6 sc into the large loop where the blocks connect
• Work 5 sc in each corner

9 Square Side SPECIAL RULE:

ADD 1 EXTRA stitch on the side.  I added one stitch right about in the middle of the side.

10 Square Side SPECIAL RULE:

ADD 3 EXTRA stitches on the side.  I evenly spaced 3 extra stitches along the side.

If you follow the instructions above, you will have exactly the number of stitches you need to make the border work out perfectly.

After the foundation round, fasten off and reattach the yarn 3 stitches to the left of a corner stitch to start the border (see next section).

Border:

Attach yarn to the 3^rd stitch to the left of a corner stitch.

R1:  ch1, sc in the same st, *[ch 1, skip 3 st, (dc, ch1) 3 times in the next st, dc in the same stitch (this forms a large shell).  Ch 1, skip 3 st, sc in next st.]  Repeat from * until 2 stitches from the corner stitch.  Ch 1, skip 2 st, work large shell in the corner st, ch 1, skip 2 st, sc in next stitch.  Repeat from * around . At the end of the round, skip the last 2 stitches and join with  slip stitch to top of first sc in round.

R2:  Ch 5 (counts as dc and ch-2), *[(dc, ch 1, dc, ch1, dc) in center ch-1 space of large shell.  ch 2, dc in next sc, ch 2].  Work from * until corner shell, (dc, ch1) four times in center ch-1 space of corner shell, dc in same space (corner made). ch2**, dc in next sc, ch 2, repeat from * around in established pattern.  End the last repeat at the **.  Then join with a slip stitch to the 3rd chain of the starting ch-5 and slip stitch in the next chain space.

R3:  Ch 3 (counts as partial dc and ch-1).  *[(dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 2 times, dc in next dc, ch 1.  dc2tog over next 2 ch-2 spaces, ch 1].  Repeat from * to corner stitches.  (dc in next dc, ch 1, dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1) 4 times, dc in next dc. (Corner made), ch 1**.  dc2tog over next 2 ch-2 spaces.  ch 1.  Repeat from * around, ending last repeat at the **.  In the last ch-2 space of the round, make a partial double crochet, stopping when there are 2 loops left on the hook.  Then insert hook into the 2nd ch of beginning ch-3, yarn over, and pull through all 3 loops on hook to join.

R4:  Ch 1, sc in the next dc, *[(sc in the next ch-1 space, sc in next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp, (sc, ch3, sc) in next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, sc in next ch-1 space, insert hook into next dc and pull up a loop, skip (ch-1, dc2tog, ch-1 from prior row), insert hook into the next dc and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 3 loops on hook (sc2 tog made) repeat from * to corner stitches (working last sc2tog in first dc of corner stitches), sc in next ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp,[(sc, ch 3, sc) in next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, sc in next ch-1 sp] 3 times, sc 2 tog over next 2 dc.  Repeat from * around until there are 2 st left in round, then skip the next dc and sc in last dc, join with slip stitch to first sc.  Fasten off.

Weave in all ends.

Purchase an ad-free printable version of My Mother’s Garden Pattern here

I love seeing your finished projects! If you enjoyed making My Mother’s Garden Crochet Afghan I’d love to see yours on Instagram, be sure to tag me @crochet365knittoo.  If you are on Facebook, stop over to the Crochet 365 Knit Too Facebook page or pop over to the Crochet365KnitToo Club and share a photo!  I’d love to see your work!

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