This vibrant blanket is the perfect breath of fresh summer air. It’s worked in quick motifs – make it a baby blanket, as shown, or go as big as you like and add more squares with the easy join-as-you-go rounds! A simple textured border adds the perfect finishing touch.

Skill Level: Easy

Size: 32” x 32” as shown

Gauge: Rounds 1-5 on first square = 4” square

Materials

Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Baby (100% acrylic; 170 yards [156 meters]/100 grams): Goldfish (A, 1 skein), Angel White (B, 2 skein), Aqua (C, 2 skeins), Sweet Pea (D, 2 skeins)
Hook: US size I/9 (5.5 mm) hook or size needed to obtain gauge

Pattern

First Square

Rnd 1: With Color A, ch 4, sl st in 1st ch made to create loop, ch 1, [sc in loop, ch 3, dc in loop, ch 3] 4 times; join with sl st to 1st st, break yarn and finish off. (4 “petals” made)
Rnd 2: With Color B, join to any dc of previous rnd, ch 1, [sc in dc, ch 4, dc in sc, ch 4] 4 times; join with sl st to 1st st, break yarn and finish off. (8 sts, excluding chs)
Rnd 3: With Color C, join to any dc of previous rnd, ch 1, [hdc in dc, ch 1, sc in ch-4 loop, ch 1, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in sc, ch 1, sc in ch-4 loop, ch 1] 4 times; join with sl st to 1st st, break yarn and finish off. (28 sts, excluding chs)
Rnd 4: With Color B, join to any ch-2 sp, ch 1, [3 sc in ch-2 sp, sc in next 2 sts, (sc in ch-1 sp, sc in next st) 3 times, sc in ch-1 sp, sc in next 2 sts] 4 times; join with sl st to 1st st, break yarn and finish off. (56 sts)
Rnd 5: With Color D, join to 1st st of previous rnd, ch 1, sc in same st, [ch 2, skip 1 st, sc in next st, (ch 1, skip 1 st, sc in next st) 6 times] 4 times; join with sl st to 1st st, break yarn and finish off. (24 ch-1 loops and 4 ch-2 loops in corners)

Squares 2-8: First Row of Squares

Work Rnds 1-4 for each square as above. In Round 5, you will be joining the squares together, through the ch-1 and ch-2 sps of the second side.
Rnd 5, first side: With Color D, join to 1st st of previous rnd, ch 1, sc in same st, ch 2, skip 1 st, sc in next st, (ch 1, skip 1 st, sc in next st) 6 times.
Rnd 5, second side (joining to previous square): Ch 1, remove hook from working loop, insert hook in ch-2 sp of previous square, replace hook in working loop, ch 1, skip next st, sc in next st, (ch 1, remove hook from working loop, insert hook in next ch-1 sp of previous square, replace hook in working loop, skip next st, sc in next st) 6 times, ch 1, remove loop from working loop, insert hook in next ch-2 sp of previous square, ch 1, skip 1 st, sc in next st.
Rnd 5, third side: [Ch 1, skip 1 st, sc in next st] 6 times.
Rnd 5, fourth side: [Ch 2, skip 1 st, sc in next st, (ch 1, skip 1 st, sc in next st) 5 times], ch 1; join with sl st to 1st st of rnd, break yarn and finish off.

Squares 9-64: Rows 2-8 of Squares

Work Rnds 1-4 for each square as above. In Round 5, the first square of each row will be worked as in the first row, joined to the underside of the first square of the previous row. After that, each square of the row will need to be joined on two sides – the second side and the third side – first to the row above, then to the previous square in that row.
Rnd 5, first side: With Color D, join to 1st st of previous rnd, ch 1, sc in same st, ch 2, skip 1 st, sc in next st, (ch 1, skip 1 st, sc in next st) 6 times.
Rnd 5, second side (joining to square in previous row): Ch 1, remove hook from working loop, insert hook in ch-2 sp of square in previous row, replace hook in working loop, ch 1, skip next st, sc in next st, (ch 1, remove hook from working loop, insert hook in next ch-1 sp of previous square, replace hook in working loop, skip next st, sc in next st) 6 times, ch 1, remove loop from working loop, insert hook in next ch-2 sp of square in previous row, ch 1.
Rnd 5, third side (joining to square in same row): Remove hook from working loop, insert hook in ch-2 loop of square in same row, replace hook in working loop, ch 1, skip next st, sc in next st, (ch 1, remove hook from working loop, insert hook in next ch-1 sp of square in same row, replace hook in working loop, skip next st, sc in next st) 6 times, ch 1, remove hook from working loop, insert hook in next ch-2 sp of square in same row, ch 1, skip 1 st, sc in next st.
Rnd 5, fourth side: [Ch 1, skip 1 st, sc in next st] 5 times, ch 1; join with sl st to 1st st of rnd, break yarn and finish off.

Border

Treat the ch-2 sps where the edge squares are joined as ch-1 sps for the border.
Join with Color D to any unworked ch-2 sp in a corner of the blanket with sl st, (dc, sl st, dc) in same ch-2sp, *(sl st, dc) in each ch-1 sp to next corner, (sl st, dc) twice in corner ch-2 sp; repeat from * around blanket, finishing last repeat with sl st in first sl st of border.