Starting Strong with the Orange Bee 1 Square | Garden Medley Blanket CAL
Welcome to the very first square of the Garden Medley Blanket Crochet Along! We’re starting things off with the Orange Bee 1 square.
A bright, bold design that perfectly captures the playful garden theme of this blanket. It’s a cheerful way to kick off the CAL and a great introduction to working small color changes using the intarsia technique.
If you’re just joining in, make sure you’ve read the main CAL post here for information on materials, color choices, and the full release schedule.
About This Square
You’ll only need to make one of these squares for your blanket. The color contrast really makes the motif stand out, and since this is our very first square, it’s a great opportunity to get comfortable with reading charts and managing small sections of colorwork.
Get the Full Pattern
If you’d rather work ahead, you can grab the complete Garden Medley Blanket pattern now as a printable PDF. It includes all 12 charts, full written instructions, joining and border tutorials, and a coloring page to plan your palette.
👉 Click here to get the full pattern
And if you love this look, take a peek at the Bloom and Buzz Bundle, it includes two matching cushions that go perfectly with this blanket.
Materials & Notes
You’ll need the following materials to complete your Orange Bee 1 square:
Hook: 5 mm (or size needed to meet gauge)
Yarn: Amigo XL from Hobbii (Worsted weight, 100% Acrylic)
A – Ecru: 24 yards / 22 m
B – Black: 26 yards / 24 m
C – Curry: 13 yards / 12 m
D – Rust: 89 yards / 82 m
Extras: scissors, yarn needle, stitch markers, yarn bobbins, and a bobbin holder
Video Tutorials
If this is your first time doing colorwork or you’d like a refresher, these videos will help you get started:
- How To Read A Chart
- How To Do Intarsia Colorwork
- Foundation Single Crochet Tutorial
- How To Work With Multiple Bobbins
- 5 Tips For Crocheting A Graphgan
- 5 More Tips For Crocheting Graphgans
- How To Weave In Ends On A Colorwork Project
Tip of the Week
For this first square, let’s talk about foundation single crochet (FSC). It’s one of those techniques that sounds a bit fancy at first but is actually really simple once you’ve tried it.
The FSC works your foundation chain and the first row of stitches at the same time, so you’re skipping an extra step while getting a smoother and stretchier starting edge.
A traditional chain can sometimes feel tight or make your square pull in at the bottom, but the FSC keeps everything even and flexible. This helps your square sit flat and makes your edges look clean right from the start.
If you haven’t tried it before, my Foundation Single Crochet Tutorial shows exactly how to do it.
If you’d rather use the traditional method, that’s totally fine. Just chain 40, then single crochet into the second chain from the hook and in each remaining chain across. That will give you the same stitch count for Row 1. Try to keep your starting chain loose so it doesn’t pull in.
Both options work perfectly, but the FSC gives your square a professional finish and makes joining the squares later much easier.
Introduction
This pattern can be worked either by following the written instructions or the color chart.
Reading The Chart
The first row of the pattern is worked in FSC. For every following row, work a SC into every stitch. At the end of every row, ch 1 (not counted as a stitch) and turn. The ch 1 at the end of each row is not shown on the chart. The chart is worked flat.
Read odd-numbered rows from right to left, and even-numbered rows from left to right. Each square equals one SC (or FSC for the first row).
Right and Wrong Sides
This pattern is worked back and forth in rows of single crochet. Both sides look nearly identical, but the RS and WS labels are used to keep the chart orientation consistent. The chart is read from the bottom right corner upward.
- Right-handed crocheters: Odd-numbered rows are the Right Side (RS)
- Left-handed crocheters: Even-numbered rows are the Right Side (RS)
This keeps everyone’s chart orientation consistent so the finished design faces the correct direction, no matter which hand you crochet with.
Color Changes
- To change colors, work last st with the current color until 2 loops remain on the hook, yarn over with the new color, and pull through.
- Use bobbins to add new yarn, do not carry the yarn that is not in use under stitches.
- When using the same color twice in a row, add multiple bobbins of color as necessary.
Chart
Written Pattern
A – Ecru
B – Black
C – Curry
D – Rust
Row 1: (D) 39 FSC, ch 1, turn.
Rows 2-7: (D) 39 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 8: (D) 18 SC, (C) 3 SC, (D) 18 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 9: (D) 16 SC, (C) 7 SC, (D) 16 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 10: (D) 15 SC, (C) 9 SC, (D) 15 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 11: (D) 14 SC, (C) 11 SC, (D) 14 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 12: (D) 13 SC, (B) 13 SC, (D) 13 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 13: (D) 13 SC, (B) 13 SC, (D) 13 SC, ch 1, turn.
Rows 14-16: (D) 12 SC, (B) 15 SC, (D) 12 SC, ch 1, turn.
Rows 17-20: (D) 12 SC, (C) 15 SC, (D) 12 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 21: (D) 9 SC, (A) 3 SC, (C) 15 SC, (A) 3 SC, (D) 9 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 22: (D) 7 SC, (A) 5 SC, (B) 15 SC, (A) 5 SC, (D) 7 SC, ch 1, turn.
Rows 23-24: (D) 6 SC, (A) 6 SC, (B) 15 SC, (A) 6 SC, (D) 6 SC, ch 1, turn.
Rows 25-26: (D) 5 SC, (A) 8 SC, (B) 13 SC, (A) 8 SC, (D) 5 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 27: (D) 5 SC, (A) 9 SC, (C) 11 SC, (A) 9 SC, (D) 5 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 28: (D) 5 SC, (A) 9 SC, (D) 1 SC, (C) 9 SC, (D) 1 SC, (A) 9 SC, (D) 5 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 29: (D) 5 SC, (A) 8 SC, (D) 3 SC, (C) 7 SC, (D) 3 SC, (A) 8 SC, (D) 5 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 30: (D) 6 SC, (A) 6 SC, (D) 4 SC, (B) 7 SC, (D) 4 SC, (A) 6 SC, (D) 6 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 31: (D) 6 SC, (A) 5 SC, (D) 5 SC, (B) 7 SC, (D) 5 SC, (A) 5 SC, (D) 6 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 32: (D) 7 SC, (A) 3 SC, (D) 6 SC, (B) 7 SC, (D) 6 SC, (A) 3 SC, (D) 7 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 33: (D) 16 SC, (B) 7 SC, (D) 16 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 34: (D) 17 SC, (B) 5 SC, (D) 17 SC, ch 1, turn.
Rows 35-37: (D) 17 SC, (B) 1 SC, (D) 3 SC, (B) 1 SC, (D) 17 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 38: (D) 16 SC, (B) 2 SC, (D) 3 SC, (B) 2 SC, (D) 16 SC, ch 1, turn.
Rows 39-44: (D) 39 SC, ch 1, turn.
Row 45: (D) 39 SC.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Share Your Square
That’s it for the Orange Bee 1 square! It’s such a strong start to the Garden Medley Blanket and one of my personal favorites to make.
Once you’ve finished, block your square so it sits nice and flat, and head straight over to the next square, a beautiful butterfly design that pairs perfectly with this one.
Don’t forget to tag your photos with #GardenMedleyCAL so I can see your work and share it with the community!
If you’d like a quick reminder whenever each week’s square goes live, you can sign up for email reminders below.
