Fireside Granny Square Blanket - Free Throw Crochet Pattern in Paintbox Yarns Simply DK

Fireside Granny Square Blanket – Free Crochet Pattern by Chloe Elizabeth Birch in Paintbox Yarns Simply DK

The Fireside Granny Square Blanket is a free, downloadable crochet pattern designed by Chloe Elizabeth Birch and worked in Paintbox Yarns Simply DK. The finished throw measures a generous 54¼in / 138cm square, making it a substantial and cosy blanket ideal for draping over a sofa or bed. Rated intermediate in difficulty, this project is a wonderful step up for crocheters who are comfortable with basic stitches and ready to explore classic granny square construction on a larger scale.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a large, square throw blanket built entirely from individual granny squares that are joined together to create the finished fabric. The granny square is one of the most iconic motifs in crochet, worked in the round from a central chain ring outward, with each successive round adding more clusters of stitches and expanding the square. The Fireside colourway gives the blanket a warm, autumnal palette, evoking the feeling of sitting beside an open fire — hence the name.

Techniques Used

• Working in the round – each granny square begins with a foundation chain joined into a ring with a slip stitch, and all subsequent rounds are worked outward from that centre point.
• Joining yarn between rounds – each colour round is fastened off and a new colour is joined into a corner chain space, a technique that keeps colour changes neat and avoids carrying yarn across the back of the work.
• Turning between rounds – the pattern instructs the crocheter to turn the work at certain rounds, a detail that creates a more even, consistent fabric texture across the square.
• Granny square construction – clusters of three double crochet stitches (worked as treble crochet in UK terminology) are placed into chain spaces, with corner spaces defined by a two-chain gap between clusters, the hallmark structure of the traditional granny square.
• Joining squares – once individual motifs are completed, they are assembled into the full blanket, a key intermediate skill that requires careful alignment of corners and edges.
• Border or edging work – as is typical with blanket patterns of this type, a finishing border is applied using the smaller US E4 (3.5mm) hook to neaten the outer edges of the assembled throw.

Stitches Used

• Chain stitch (ch) – used to form the foundation ring, corner spaces, and the gaps between stitch clusters throughout every round.
• Slip stitch (sl st) – used to close each round and to join new yarn colours into corner chain spaces at the start of each new round.
• Double crochet / treble crochet (dc/tr) – the primary stitch of the pattern, worked in groups of three to form the characteristic cluster blocks of the granny square. The pattern notes US terminology (dc) with the UK equivalent (tr) shown in parentheses throughout.

Each side of the granny square grows with each round: 5 stitches per side after round one, 9 stitches per side after round two, and 13 stitches per side after round three, with further rounds continuing to expand the motif in the same logical progression. The gauge is stated as 18 stitches and 9 rows to 4in / 10cm over the granny square pattern using the larger hook, with one full pattern repeat of 8 rows measuring 3½in / 9cm.

Materials

The pattern calls for Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a smooth, easy-care DK-weight yarn, in a carefully curated palette of ten colours. The full yarn requirements are as follows:

• 5 balls in Taupe (A) – the dominant background colour used across multiple rounds of each square
• 1 ball in Rust Orange (B)
• 1 ball in Ginger Orange (C)