Hi guys! If you love a good scrap-buster pattern, and you aren’t afraid to weave in some ends, then the Polka Dottie Blanket is the perfect project for you. In this post, you’ll learn how to crochet a circle granny square blanket, made from individual squares that are joined together as you crochet.
This pattern is lengthy and includes a lot of pictures, so it has been broken up into 3 different posts:
- Polka Dottie Granny Square Pattern
- Join as You Go Method
- This post – Materials, Yarn, Yardage, Blanket Construction, and the Pom-Pom Border
You can find everything you need to know below. I hope you enjoy making your Polka Dottie Blanket, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out for you.
Pin this Circle Granny Square Blanket for Later – HERE!
The materials and yarn section contains affiliate links that support the content on ThisPixieCreates. If you make a purchase through one of my affiliate links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. Thank you so much for your support! Find more information about affiliate links, as well as my Privacy & Disclosures Policy here.
Materials:
- 4.5mm crochet hook
- Scissors
- Yarn Needle
- Stitch Marker or Safety Pin
- Steamer or Spray Bottle
- Blocking Pins or Straight Pins
- Blocking Mat
Yarn:
- Lion Brand Skein Tones, Weight 4 Medium (100% Acrylic, 185 yd / 170 m, 100 g / 3.5 oz)
- Main Colour (MC): Ivory
- Circle Center Colours:
- Colour A: Almond
- Colour B: Hazelnut
- Colour C: Cedarwood
- Colour D: Adobe
- Colour E: Honey
- Colour F: Truffle
- Colour G: Mahogany
- Colour H: Cocoa
Yarn Note:
This pattern is versatile, so you can use any weight, brand, and type of yarn. If you choose to use a different yarn, make sure to adjust your hook size to suit your yarn choice.
Yardage:
- Main Colour (MC): 2000 yds (11 Skeins)
- Colours A – I: 200 yds of each colour (2 Skeins of each Colour)
- Total Yardage: 3800 yds
Pattern Construction/Measurement:
This blanket is made up of Polka Dottie Granny Squares that are joined together as you crochet.
- Square: Each square measures approximately 3″ wide x 3″ long.
- Blanket: The blanket is made up of 234 squares, and measures 43″ wide x 58″ long, after the border is added!
Create Your Own Custom Sized Blanket:
To figure out how many squares you need to make for your own custom circle granny square blanket, there is a worksheet below to help you. It walks you through choosing the size of your blanket, calculating the number of squares, and has a chart for tracking your progress! I hope it helps make the crochet process a little easier.
*The Ad-free Printable PDF has sizing instructions for 9 blanket sizes (Baby – King), along with the number of yards and squares needed for each size, a colour chart, and border instructions. It also includes step-by-step pictures, photo and video tutorials for extra support.
Polka Dottie Granny Square – Pattern:
This blanket is made up of 234 Polka Dottie Granny Squares that are joined together as you crochet.
The Polka Dottie Granny Square has 4 rounds:
- Rounds 1 – 2 are the circular center, and are meant to be colourful! Don’t be afraid to experiment with your colour choices.
- Rounds 3 – 4 turn the circle into a square! These rounds are done in the main colour.
Here is the complete tutorial for making the Polka Dottie Granny Square!
Blanket Layout and Colour Placement:
I chose to make this blanket using 10 colours: 1 main colour, and 9 contrasting colours for the center circles. To make this blanket, you’ll need to make:
- Colours A – I: 26 squares of each colour
- Total Squares: 234 squares
This blanket will be 13 squares wide x 18 squares long:
- Columns: 13
- Rows: 18
Here is a chart to show you how I arranged my colours. You can follow along with the chart, or create your own colour placement!
Join As You Go Method – Complete Tutorial:
Joining as you go means that after crocheting the first square, each additional square will be joined to the others. This join method always happens on the final round of the granny square (Rnd 4).
As with any new technique, joining as you go can be tricky and finnicky, but once you practice and get the hang of it, you might prefer it to sewing your squares together. I love being able to watch my blanket grow as I crochet!
Here is the complete tutorial for joining your Polka Dottie Granny squares together – it includes step-by-step pictures to help you!
Alternative Option: If you have trouble with this join-as-you-go method, or you’d like to skip it entirely, you can sew your granny squares together using the whip or mattress stitch.
Abbreviations:
- St(s) – stitch(es)
- Ch – chain
- Sp – space
- Sk – skip
- Sl st – slip stitch
- Dc – double crochet
- 3dc-cl – 3 double crochet cluster
- Pom-Pom – pom pom stitch
- MC – main colour
Video Tutorial:
Here is a video tutorial to show you how to make the border (Rnds 1 – 2) for the Polka Dottie Blanket. There are timestamps included, so you can skip to the part(s) you need.
Border:
When all of the squares have been joined together, it’s time to add a border! This border is made up of 2 rounds: 1 round of double crochets, followed by 1 round of pom-pom stitches.
Notes:
- Make sure the right side of the blanket is facing you!
- In Rnd 1, each square has 11 dc; corner squares have 12 dc. Make a dc in every st and corner ch-1 sp of each square.
- In Rnd 2, each square should have 2 – 3 Pom-Pom sts. For the final pom-pom st, you may have to sk more or less than 3 sts.
- The stitch counts are shown in <> and are approximations. Don’t worry if you are a couple of stitches off!
Round 1:
In the top right corner of the blanket (corner ch-1 sp), insert hook into the sp, YO and pull MC through to fasten on.
With MC, ch 2, 2 dc in ch-1 sp [dc in each st/ch across until last ch-1 sp of row, 3 dc in ch-1 sp (this is a corner), rotate the blanket to work along the next side] 3 times; dc in each st/ch across until first ch-1 sp of rnd, 1 dc in first ch-1 sp to complete the corner. Sl st to join. Do not turn. <686 dc>
Round 2:
See the tutorial below for how to make a pom-pom!
Starting in the first dc of Rnd 1, [Ch 3, make a pom pom, ch 3, sk 3 sts, sl st into next st] around. The last sl st will be worked into the first ch of the first pom-pom st to join the rnd. Fasten off and weave in ends. <172 pom pom>
How to Make a Pom-Pom Stitch:
To make a pom-pom stitch, we’ll have to learn how to make a 3dc-cl stitch. A pom-pom is made of 2 3dc-cl sts that are joined together to create a double thick stitch.
3 Double Crochet Cluster Stitch (3dc-cl):
- Step 1: YO, insert hook into indicated ch, YO, draw up a loop (there should be 3 loops on the hook).
- Step 2: YO and pull through the first 2 loops.
- Repeat Steps 1 – 2, 2 more times in same ch. There should be 4 loops on the hook.
- YO and pull through all 4 loops.
Pom-Pom Stitch:
- First Cluster: Ch 3, 3dc-cl in first chain
- Second Cluster: Ch 3, 3dc-cl in first chain
- Pull the second cluster over the first cluster, so one is sitting on top of the other.
- Sl st into the first chain where you placed the first cluster, to close the stitch.
Blocking Your Circle Granny Square Blanket:
You are so close to being done! The last step is to block your blanket.
Blocking is the process of wetting a crochet piece to make the ends and rows straight. To block this blanket, you will need a steamer / spray bottle / iron (with steam setting), straight pins, and a blocking mat / carpet / foam. My preferred method is a spray bottle.
Block your work by stretching out the blanket (vertically and horizontally), and placing pins along Rnd 1 of the blanket. Once the blanket is straight, put a pin at the base of each pom-pom stitch to hold it in place. Spray the blanket with water, use a steamer, or an iron on steam setting, making sure to keep the steamer/iron at least 2 inches away from the material, so it doesn’t burn.
Gently press the water or steam into the blanket with your hands, so the fabric absorbs it. Let the blanket dry completely before unpinning it!
Questions?
If you have any questions about the Circle Granny Square Blanket, please reach out to me. I am happy to help! Send me an e-mail through my contact page.
End Notes:
- And you’re done! I hope you enjoyed making your Polka Dottie Blanket. It’s a true labour of love, so I hope you enjoy it for years to come.
- Disclaimer: You are welcome to sell items that you’ve made from this pattern; however, you are not allowed to use my pictures or sell my pattern as your own (Copyright @ ThisPixieCreates).
If you enjoyed this pattern, and would like to explore more blanket patterns on the blog, click here.
Crochet Blanket Patterns You’ll Love:
Thank you so much for following along with me. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Love, Dayna
