Joining & Border – Petal & Patch CAL Week 6
Congratulations, you’ve made it to the final week of the Petal & Patch Crochet-Along!
Over the last five weeks you’ve crocheted twenty squares and watched your blanket grow one square at a time. Now it’s time to bring everything together.
This week I’ll show you how to add a border to each square, join everything together, and finish the blanket with the final moss stitch border. Watching all of the individual squares become a finished blanket is always my favorite part of any crochet project, and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do.
Blanket Layout
This is the layout I used for my sample blanket.
Of course, you don’t have to use this arrangement. One of my favorite things about the Petal & Patch Blanket is how easy it is to create your own unique layout. Try swapping the flower squares around and see which arrangement you like best before you begin joining.
Before You Begin
Before you start joining your blanket, make sure you have:
- 20 completed squares
- Your squares arranged in your chosen layout
- Yarn ready for the borders and joining
- A large flat surface to lay your blanket out while you work
Once you’ve got everything arranged the way you like it, you’re ready to start assembling your blanket.
Materials
Brava Worsted (worsted weight, 100% Premium Acrylic; 218 yards / 200 meters, 100g):
Cream: 589 yards / 540 meters
Sky: 55 yards / 50 meters
Cotton Candy: 55 yards / 50 meters
Canary: 55 yards / 50 meters
You’ll also need:
5 mm crochet hook (or size needed to obtain gauge)
Scissors
Yarn needle
Adding A Border
Before joining, we will add a single round of Cream (A) moss stitch around all squares. This helps create clean edges and makes seaming easier later.
As you work the border, your goal is to have 20 single crochet stitches and 19 chain-1 spaces along each side, giving you 39 stitches per side for seaming (corner ch-2 spaces do not count).
Because each side is made up of either stitches or rows, you may not be able to follow a perfect skip-1 rhythm the whole way across. Focus on reaching the correct stitch count rather than spacing every repeat identically. You might sometimes skip one stitch or row, skip two, or skip none at all.
The aim is to spread your stitches evenly so the edge stays flat.
If you would like to see this step worked in more detail, you can watch a tutorial video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYPvd82YTic
Join your Cream (A) yarn with a SC in any corner.
Work a moss stitch border evenly around the square, keeping the stitch count above in mind.
Moss stitch is worked as follows: ch 1, skip the next stitch or row, SC in the next stitch or row, repeat across.
At each corner, work (sc, ch 2, sc) in the same space to turn the corner.
When you reach the final corner and return to where you began, work 1 SC into the same space as your joining SC, ch 2, then sl st into the joining SC to close the round.
By the end of each side, you should have 20 single crochets and 19 chain spaces (not including the ch-2 corner spaces), which will line up neatly for seaming.
Joining The Squares – Horizontal Seams
Lay out your squares in the correct order, following the diagram provided below. You’ll join all the horizontal seams first, then move on to the vertical ones after.
Using Cream (A), make a slip knot on your hook.
- Right-handed crocheters: Start with the first two squares on the right-hand side of Row 1 and Row 2.
- Left-handed crocheters: Start with the first two squares on the left-hand side of Row 1 and Row 2.
Hold two squares with wrong sides facing each other, matching the stitches along the edges. Join your yarn in the ch-2 corner space of both squares by inserting your hook through both ch spaces and working a SC join.
Then continue across the edge by working 1 SC through the outer loops only of both squares. Insert your hook through the outer loop of each SC and the outer loop of each ch stitch across the edge, joining each corresponding stitch or ch from both squares.
Continue in this way across the entire edge, keeping your stitches aligned so each stitch and ch is paired correctly.
When you reach the next corner, work 1 SC into the ch-2 corner space of both squares, then continue straight onto the next pair without fastening off or slip stitching between them.
Once all eight squares in the row are joined, fasten off and repeat the process for each remaining row.
Joining The Squares – Vertical Seams
Once all the horizontal seams are complete, it’s time to join the rows together vertically.
Using Cream (A), make a slip knot on your hook and hold the two rows with the wrong sides facing each other.
Join your yarn in the ch-2 corner space of both squares by inserting your hook through both ch spaces and working a SC join.
Then continue across the edge by working 1 SC through the outer loops only of both squares. Insert your hook through the outer loop of each SC and the outer loop of each ch stitch across the edge, joining each corresponding stitch and ch from both squares.
Continue in this way across the entire edge, keeping your stitches aligned. When you reach the next corner, work 1 SC into the ch-2 corner space of both squares.
Then, work directly over the top of the seam to keep the join smooth and continuous. Do not work into the seam itself; skip over it and insert your hook directly into the ch-2 corner space of the next two squares. Continue working SC through the outer loops only as before.
Blanket Border
Note on yarn management: Cream (A) is used throughout the border and does not need to be fastened off between rounds. At the end of each Cream (A) round, simply sl st to close, leave the yarn attached, and pick it up for the next Cream (A) round when you return to it. For all other colors, fasten off at the end of each round.
Round 1: Join Cream (A) yarn in any ch-2 corner space with 1 SC, then ch 2, 1 SC into the same space.
Work the border in moss stitch as follows: *ch 1, 1 SC in the next ch space, repeat from * across the edge.
When you reach a seam between two squares, work 1 SC into the ch-2 corner space of the first square, ch 1, then skip directly over the seam and work your next SC into the ch-2 corner space of the next square. Do not work into the seam itself. Continue in moss stitch across the next square.
At each outer corner of the blanket, work (1 SC, ch 2, 1 SC) into the ch-2 corner space to turn the corner neatly, then continue working in moss stitch along the next edge.
Continue in this way around the entire blanket, maintaining the moss stitch pattern and working all seams and corners as described.
When you reach the end of the round and return to where you began, finish with a ch 1, then slip stitch into the ch-2 space to finish the round.
Round 2: With Sky (B) ch 1 (does not count as a st) and work 1 SC, ch 2, 1 SC into the same ch-2 space. Then continue working in moss stitch (ch 1, 1 SC in the next ch space) evenly around the entire blanket.
At each corner, work (1 SC, ch 2, 1 SC) into the ch 2 corner space to maintain the shape. Continue in this way around, following the same stitch placement as the previous round.
Work the blanket border in moss stitch throughout, working (1 SC, ch 2, 1 SC) at each corner. Continue the border using the following color sequence:
- Rounds 3-4: Cream (A)
- Round 5: Canary (D)
- Rounds 6-7: Cream (A)
- Round 8: Cotton Candy (C)
- Rounds 9-10: Cream (A)
On the final round, finish with a ch 1 and sl st into the ch 2 space and fasten off.
Weave in all remaining ends securely.
Block the finished blanket. If using Brava Worsted or another acrylic, you can steam block by holding an iron on the steam setting a few centimetres above the surface. Do not press the iron directly onto the fabric.
Once dry, your Petal & Patch Blanket is complete. Enjoy!
Congratulations!
You did it!
I hope you’ve enjoyed making the Petal & Patch Blanket as much as I enjoyed designing it. It’s been so much fun seeing everyone’s squares come together over the last six weeks, and I can’t wait to see the finished blankets.
Once you’ve woven in your final end and your blanket is blocked, take a moment to admire everything you’ve created. Twenty squares might have seemed like a lot at the beginning, but stitch by stitch you’ve turned them into a beautiful handmade blanket.
Thank you so much for crocheting along with me!
Share Your Finished Blanket
I’d absolutely love to see your finished Petal & Patch Blanket!
Share your blanket on Instagram or Facebook and tag @Willow_Crochet so I can admire your finished project. Whether you followed my layout or created one of your own, I can’t wait to see what you’ve made.
