While this isn’t technically a granny square, it’s a motif block I plan to incorporate into the final project. I’ve posted the free pattern for the Field of Rosebuds stitch. I’m working with a lace weight wool-acrylic-cashmere blend. I’m wet blocking, which doesn’t work well on this yarn so the pieces tend to still be curled and warped. When I assemble the final project, I plan to steam block the pieces.

Rosebud Wreath

This is a pattern of my own design. I am currently finalizing the design and working on a photo tutorial. It uses the same general rosebud and leaf stitches as the Field of Rosebuds block.

A Field of Rosebuds

Yarn Colors

• A: Background color. Something your rosebuds will show up nicely against, like white, black, cream, or even sky blue.
• B: Leaf color. A nice shade of green.
• C: Rosebud color. Red, pink, maroon, gold, or any color you’d like. I think this pattern would be really interesting with a slow striping yarn so the roses gradually change color as you work.

Yarn

Use your favorite. I used Lion Brand Bon Bons sport weight cotton for this tutorial. I show the results using a lace weight acrylic-wool blend at the end of this tutorial.

The Pattern

Start with a base row that has a multiple of ten stitches. Mine, shown here, is three rows of single crochet.

We’re going to start with one row of single crochet and the leaf stitches in color B.  Hold the last stitch with a stitch marker so you can pick this color up again. Don’t turn your work. Start so the last stitch and yarn are off to the left (for righties) and the right side of the work is facing you.

Row 1: Leaves

Start with a standing single crochet in the first stitch. Single crochet into the next three stitches.

Leaf stitch: Now it’s time for the leaf stitch. Single crochet into the next (fifth) stitch and chain 4.

Single crochet into the same stitch. This will turn the CH 4 into a loop.

Chain 6 and single crochet into the same stitch.

Chain 4 and single crochet into the same stitch. The leaf stitch is completed.

Single crochet into the next 9 stitches. Put a leaf stitch into the 10th stitch. Repeat [8 SC, 1 leaf stitch] until you are five stitches from the end of the row.

Single crochet into the next five stitches. On the last stitch, finish the stitch with color A (your background color). Cut off yarn color B and weave in the tail.

Row 2: Background

Chain 1 and turn (the wrong side of the work is now facing you). Single crochet into the next five stitches. The last stitch will be in the last SC before the leaf stitch.

Chain 1, skip over the leaf stitch and single crochet into the first stitch after the leaf, working in front of the leaf and pushing it towards the front of the work. [Single crochet into the next 8 stitches, chain one, skip the leaf stitch, single crochet into next stitch] until you reach the end of your leaves. Single crochet to the end (which should be five more stitches) and turn.

Single crochet across, putting one single crochet stitch into the CH1 spaces above the leaves.

Rows 3 & 4: Background

Add two more rows of single crochet.

Row 5: Rosebuds

Chain 1 and turn. Single crochet into the first four stitches. Finish the fourth stitch with color C (the rosebud color).

Rosebud Stitch: Double crochet spike stitch through the center CH 6 leaf and the CH 1 space above the leaf. The photos show where to insert the hook through the leaf and CH 1 space. Make sure to catch the loose color A yarn inside the stitch to hide it.

Double crochet spike stitch five more times into the same place (through the leaf and CH 1 space above the leaf) for a total of five stitches..

Pull your hook out. Insert it through the loops of the first stitch and through the loop of yarn from the last stitch.

Pull the loop through the first stitch loops to close the rosebud. Make sure the rosebud bulges out away from the fabric.

Chain 1. Drop yarn C and chain 1 with color A.

Single crochet into the next stitch, making sure to catch the loose color C under the stitch to hide it. The next stitch may be crowded under the rosebud. Push the rosebud out of the way to make sure you find the correct stitch.

[Single crochet into the next 7 stitches, finishing trapping color C under the stitches. Single crochet into the 8th stitch, joining in color C by dropping color A after pulling it through and finishing the last stitch with color C. Rosebud stitch into the leaf and space as before, switching back to color A. Put a single crochet into the next stitch.]Repeat until you have added a rosebud to each leaf. You should have five stitches left in the row. Single crochet to the end.

Row 6: Background

Chain 1 and turn. Single crochet into the first five stitches. Single crochet into the top of the rosebud cluster. Repeat [single crochet into the next 9 stitches, single crochet into the top of the next rosebud cluster] to the last rosebud. Single crochet to the end (four more stitches).

Row 7: Background

Add one more row of single crochet. Secure yarn A with a stitch marker.

Row 8: Leaves

Join color B with a standing single crochet. Single crochet into the next 8 stitches, for a total of 9 single crochets. Leaf stitch into the 10th stitch.

Repeat [single crochet 9, leaf stitch 1] until you have 10 stitches left in the row. Single crochet to the end, finishing the last stitch with color A to join. As before, cut color B and weave in the tail. Chain 1 and turn.

Row 9: Background

Single crochet 10. Repeat [chain 1, skip 1, single crochet 9] to last leaf. Single crochet to end (9 more stitches).

Rows 10 & 11: Background

Single crochet two more rows.

Row 12: Rosebuds

Repeat [single crochet 9 in color A, rosebud stitch 1 in color C] until you have added a rosebud to each leaf cluster. Single crochet to the end (10 more stitches). As you alternate between colors A and C, remember to catch the yarn you aren’t using under the stitches as you work across to hide it. Cut off yarn C.

Rows 13 & 14: Background

Add two more rows of single crochet.

Repeat rows 1 through 14 to add more rows of rosebuds.

Examples

Here is the piece I made for this demo alongside two “field of rosebuds” pieces done in a lace weight acrylic-wool blend. Because the lace weight yarn is so fine, I ended up doing each rosebud with seven DC spike stitches instead of five like I did with the cotton.

The Pattern in Compact Form

LC (leaf cluster): 1 SC, 4 CH, 1 SC, 6 CH, 1 SC, 4 CH, 1SC into same stitch.

RBC (rosebud cluster): 5 spike DC through CH 6 of leaf and CH 1 space above leaf. 1 CH. Switch to background color and 1 CH.

• R1: In color B with right side facing, 4 SC. Repeat [1 LC, 9 SC] to the sixth stitch from the end of the row. 4 SC. 1 SC in last stitch, finishing with color A to join. 1 CH, turn. Break off color B.
• R2: 5 SC. Repeat [1 CH, skip LC, 9 SC] to end of leaf clusters, working in front of clusters. 4 SC, 1 CH, turn.
• R3: 1 SC in each stitch (or chain space), 1 CH, turn.
• R4: 1 SC in each stitch, 1 CH, turn.
• R5: 4 SC, joining color C into last stitch. Repeat [1 RBC in color C, 9 SC in color A] for each leaf cluster. 5 SC, 1 CH, turn. Break off color C.
• R6: 1 SC in each stitch (or top of RBC), 1 CH, turn.
• R7: 1 SC in each stitch. Secure with stitch marker. Do not turn.
• R8: With right side facing, join color B. Repeat [9 SC, 1 LC] to the 11th stitch from the end of the row. 10 SC, joining in color A on last stitch. 1 CH, turn.
• R9: 10 SC. Repeat [1 CH, skip LC, 9 SC] to end of leaf clusters. 9 SC, 1 CH, turn.
• R10: 1 SC in each stitch, 1 CH, turn.
• R11: 1 SC in each stitch, 1 CH, turn.
• R12: 9 SC, joining color C into last stitch. Repeat [1 RBC in color C, 9 SC in color A] for each leaf cluster. 10 SC, 1 CH, turn. Break off color C.
• R13: 1 SC in each stitch, 1 CH, turn.
• R14: 1 SC in each stitch, 1 CH, turn.

Repeat R1 – R7 or R1 – R14 to desired number of rows. If breaking off yarn A to finish work, skip the last “1 CH, turn” and tie off work.

I am working on developing patterns for these. Roughly, I started with a chain of roughly 65 stitches. I single crocheted down the chain, around the end and back down the other side of the chains.  I went around again doing a fan edging, doing a buttonhole at one end with a chain 3 followed by single crochets. The large fan edging on the black bracelet is from The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches, and a line of glass e beads were stitched into the first of three single crochet rounds. The flower bracelet uses Aunt Lydia’s Monet for the base bracelet, finished with surface crochet and a variety of flowers and leaves tacked on with glass imitation pearls. Both bracelets are approximately 7″ long.

I used yarns from my stock of Lion Brand BonBons Beach and Nature collections. These are cotton sport weight yarns that make a nice tight, clean design.

Row 1: Magic circle, ch3,  15dc into the ring. Slip stitch to join to first stitch and tie off.

The initial chain 3 counts as a double crochet stitch, giving you a total of 16 double crochet stitches in the first row.

Row 2: Join in new color. Ch3, sc1, ch1. Repeat sc1, ch1 around the ring. Slip stitch into the second chain in the initial ch3. Tie off.

The initial chain 3 counts as the first  single crochet plus chain. Each chain 1 makes a space between the single crochet stitches. Slip stitching into the second chain of the initial chain 3 leaves the space between the initial chain and the first single crochet stitch. There are a total of 16 single crochet stitches and 16 chain spaces in the second row.

Row 3: Join new color into any of the chain spaces in the previous row. Ch4, sc1 into next space, ch2, sc1 into next space. Repeat ch2 sc1 around. Slip stitch into second chain of initial ch4. Tie off.

The initial chain 4 counts as the first  single crochet plus chain 2. Each chain 2 makes a space between the single crochet stitches. Slip stitching into the second chain of the initial chain 4 leaves the chain 2 space between the initial chain and the first single crochet stitch. There are a total of 16 single crochet stitches and 16 chain spaces in the second row.

Row 4 (petals): Join in new color in any chain space in the previous row. Ch3, dc4 into same space, single crochet into next space. Repeat dc5 into a space, sc into a space around. Slip stitch to join and tie off.

The first chain 3 counts as a double crochet stitch. You should have 8 dc5 petals with a single crochet stitch between each one.

Embroidery: Crochet embroider in a contrasting color between rows one and two. Crochet embroider in another contrasting color along the top of the petals, just below the top of the stitch (so the chain-like part of the stitching is still visible).

On the petals, make sure to dip the embroidery deep in between the petals to make them stand out from each other. See this surface crochet embroidery tutorial.

Row 5 (optional): Join in a new color in the middle dc stitch in any dc5 petal. Ch2, hdc1, dc1, tr1, dc1, hdc1. Sc3 into same stitch (top of next petal). Continue hdc1, dc1, tr1, dc1, hdc1, sc3 around. Sc2 into base of initial chain (instead of sc3).

This row will add a background that makes the piece a circle. It’s not a perfect circle, and has a subtle wave to it.

From here, the piece can be continued on into a larger mandala, hat, pot holder, etc., or could be turned into a square using standard squaring and corner turning techniques. My purpose was to make the bottom of a pouch (shown below). From here, I stitched additional rows without increasing to make the straight sides of the pouch. I did the embroidery on row 1, but I did not outline the petals.