This beautiful blanket is a Catherine Wheel Granny Square Blanket, made using graduated shades of green. Below is a very detailed, row-by-row tutorial including stitch instructions, color change tips, and pattern growth so you can make it exactly like the photo.
🧶 MATERIALS
Yarn:
Use medium (worsted) weight acrylic or soft wool blend yarn in gradient greens.
Example color order (light → dark):
1️⃣ Light sage green
2️⃣ Moss green
3️⃣ Forest green
4️⃣ Deep olive green
Hook: 5.5 mm (I or 9) crochet hook
Extras: scissors, yarn needle, stitch markers (optional)
🔹 STITCH GUIDE
Abbreviations (US terms):
- ch = chain
- sl st = slip stitch
- sc = single crochet
- dc = double crochet
- st(s) = stitch(es)
- sk = skip
- sp = space
Catherine Wheel Stitch Breakdown:
The pattern alternates between large shells and inverted shells:
- Shell: 7 dc in one stitch
- Inverted Shell: 7 dc worked together across 7 stitches below
🌸 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
🔸 ROUND 1 — Center Circle
- Make a magic ring.
- Ch 3 (counts as dc), work 11 dc into the ring (12 dc total).
- Join with sl st to top of ch-3.
👉 Fasten off if changing color.
🔸 ROUND 2 — Form First Wheels
- Attach new color in any stitch.
- Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st (2 dc in one st).
- Sk 3 sts, 7 dc in next st (1 shell made).
- Sk 3 sts, 2 dc in next st.
- Repeat from step 3 around.
- Join with sl st to top of ch-3.
👉 You’ll see small “arches” start forming.
🔸 ROUND 3 — Inverted Wheels
- Sl st into the space between 2 dc from the previous round.
- Ch 3, yarn over, insert hook in each of the next 7 dc (from shell below) to pull up a loop each time — you should have 8 loops on hook.
- Yarn over, pull through all 8 loops. (That’s the inverted shell)
- Ch 3.
- 2 dc in center of next 2-dc group.
- Repeat around.
- Join with sl st.
👉 This creates the “petal” texture of Catherine Wheels.
🔸 ROUND 4 — Normal Wheels Again
- Join new color in center of inverted shell.
- Ch 3, 6 dc in same st (7 dc total = 1 shell).
- Sk 3 sts, 2 dc in top of next inverted shell.
- Repeat around.
- Join with sl st.
🔸 ROUND 5 — Inverted Wheels Again
Repeat Round 3, aligning inverted shells over shells.
🔸 CONTINUE THE PATTERN
Keep repeating:
- Odd rounds → 2-dc groups and 7-dc shells
- Even rounds → inverted shells
👉 Each time, your square grows evenly outward.
🪡 COLOR GRADIENT PLAN
To achieve the shaded look:
- Rounds 1–4: Light green
- Rounds 5–8: Medium green
- Rounds 9–12: Olive green
- Rounds 13–16: Dark green
Continue blending colors as desired for a soft gradient.
✨ EDGING (Final Round)
- Work 1 round of single crochet all around the blanket.
- In corners, make (sc, ch 2, sc) to keep them sharp.
- Fasten off and weave in all ends neatly.
📏 SIZE ADJUSTMENT
- Continue rounds until the blanket fits your bed.
- Twin size: ~42–50 rounds
- Queen size: ~60 rounds
- King size: ~70 rounds
🌼 OPTIONAL BORDER STYLE
You can finish with a puff or scallop edge:
- (5 dc in one stitch, sk 1 st, sc in next) repeat around for scalloped border.