Buds-a-Blooming Afghan Square – Crochet Pattern Review – Crochet n Crafts

I volunteered to pattern test this afghan square for my friend Rhelena of Crochet n Crafts. I am the worst when it comes to choosing color combos to use on afghan squares and in crochet-a-longs, but I really loved how this square looked, and I wanted to try my hand at it. I have so many ideas for this square, and hopefully will have some projects to share with you implementing some of my ideas. I also want to try my hand at some other versions to match different holidays and seasons. Ha! We will see how well that works out! 

Are you a raveler? Make sure to favorite and share your version of this Buds-a-Blooming 12″ Afghan Square!

Materials I Used:
     – Small Amounts of Red Heart Super Saver in Aran (Cream), Bright Yellow and Frosty Green (Sage) 
     – I9/5.5mm Crochet Hook (as recommended)
     – #18 Tapestry Needle for Weaving in Ends
     – Buds-a-Blooming 12″ Afghan Square, Free Crochet Pattern from Crochet n Crafts

Material Notes:
     Rhelena used Vanna’s Choice in her piece. Any yarn and respective hook size will work great for this square – will alter size though.

Time Spent:
     My square took me just over two hours to complete.

Measurements:
     My finished square ended up measuring 12.75″ across. See pattern notes.

My Gauge:
     As written, after Round 2 my piece was measuring 2.75″ in diameter. I did change Round 1 after my initial gauge, and the finished measurement after Round 2 was 2.5″ in diameter.

Pattern Notes:
     Originally working Round 1 as written with the triple crochets, my piece did end up flattening out after Round 3, but my beginning was still uneven and more so resembled a center that popped. This can be okay, and actually add an unexpected element, but I didn’t want my piece to pop, so I reworked with double crochets in place of the triple crochets, and my piece instantly laid flat.
I will say though, your yarn can have an effect of this. Try it with the triple crochets first, and see if your piece pops. It may not.

My first go ’round was worked in Brown, Frosty Green and Aran, but I didn’t like the placement of the colors. I do still like that color combo. The great thing about a square like this is the infinite number of color possibilities. Play around the colors! One thing you may want to consider when choosing colors and placement – think of the design. This piece looks like a flower in the center so when I worked my second piece, I chose Color B as Yellow to be the petals of the flower, and Color C as Sage to be the leaves of the flower.

In the pattern, there isn’t any turning, but I wanted to ensure that my bobbles in Rounds 2 and 11 were showing on the right side of the square without having to fiddle around with them so I worked these rounds from the wrong side (turning after Rounds 1 and 10, and then turning back to the right side after completing the bobble rounds).

I worked my Round 9 with half double crochets in the corners and over the single crochets, and a loose slip stitch in the center stitch of the double crochet shells to make a more even edging.

Because everyone crochets differently, your square may vary in size even though you follow everything to a “T”, and that’s okay! Measure as you go, especially towards the end. Round 14 is a great round for adjustment. You could substitute double crochet in place of the triple crochet (which is what I did) to make the square smaller, or even double crochet in place of the single crochet in Round 15 if you need a touch larger.
My finished square still ended up being larger than the 12″, but I wasn’t too worried. I will only be using this square in another project that I will be sharing with you soon! But think about if using to make an afghan – as long as all of your squares are the same size, it will work just fine!

I worked my last round in Color A because it just looked right to me. The given color changes are a guide. You can use a different color on every round, or work the whole thing as a solid piece. Be creative!

I think a wall hanging with four different squares to reflect the four seasons would also be awesome. That would require some brainstorming of color play, but goes back on the infinite number of color possibilities. 
There are so many other things you could do with this square like use it in a rug, wrap, crocheted top, table runner, or as a trivet. You could play with the size by trying different yarn sizes and make a necklace pendant, embellishment for a card, or decorative pot holder…

These are only a few possibilities. Do you have any other ideas? Would you like to see a specific project worked using this Buds-a-Blooming Square? Drop me a line below 🙂

With so many size, yarn type and color options, I would love to see them! Join the EyeLoveKnots Crafting Community to share your creations, and see what other’s are up to! 

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