Easy Layered Puff Flower Granny Square

October 12, 2026

This colorful crochet granny square has a deep blue circular center, a ring of soft blue-gray puff petals, a second ring of larger mint-green petals, and a clean white granny-style square border.

The design looks detailed, but the construction is straightforward once you understand the puff stitches. The center is worked in rounds, the two petal layers are built around it, and the final two white rounds transform the flower into a true square.

For the closest match to the reference, keep the colors exactly in this order:

Center: deep medium blue
First petal round: pale blue-gray / periwinkle
Second petal round: pale mint green
Square border: clean white

Finished Size

Using medium weight yarn and a 4 mm hook:

Approximately 5¾–6¼ inches / 14.5–16 cm square after blocking

Your exact size will depend on yarn and tension.

Materials

Medium weight #4 yarn
Deep medium blue
Pale blue-gray / light periwinkle
Pale mint green
White
4 mm / G crochet hook
Yarn needle
Scissors
Stitch markers, optional
Blocking pins, optional

Use yarns of the same weight and similar texture for all four colors.

A smooth acrylic, cotton blend, or soft anti-pilling yarn works especially well because the raised petals need good stitch definition.

Skill Level

Confident beginner

You should know:

magic ring
chain
slip stitch
single crochet
double crochet
working several loops together
working into chain spaces
changing colors
crocheting in joined rounds

Abbreviations

US crochet terminology:

MR — magic ring
ch — chain
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
dc — double crochet
sp — space
st / sts — stitch / stitches
rep — repeat

Important Construction Overview

The square has seven rounds:

Round 1

Blue circular center

Round 2

Blue setup round with 12 small spaces

Round 3

12 pale blue-gray puff petals

Round 4

12 larger mint puff petals

Round 5

First white round — turns the flower into a square

Round 6

Second white granny-style border round

Round 7

Simple white single-crochet finishing edge

The puff petals are not separate appliqués.

Everything is crocheted continuously around the center.

Special Stitch — Inner Puff Petal

The pale blue-gray petals need to be elongated but still compact.

Yarn over.

Insert hook into the indicated space.

Yarn over and pull up a long loop to approximately the height of a double crochet.

Repeat:

yarn over, insert into same space, pull up long loop

until you have done this:

4 times total

You should have approximately:

9 loops on the hook

Yarn over.

Pull through all loops.

Ch:

to lock the puff.

One inner puff petal is complete.

Keep all four pulled-up loops approximately the same height.

Special Stitch — Large Mint Puff Petal

The mint petals are slightly larger than the pale blue-gray petals.

Yarn over.

Insert hook into the indicated space.

Pull up a long loop.

Repeat until you have pulled up:

5 long loops total

You should have approximately:

11 loops on the hook

Yarn over.

Pull through all loops.

Ch:

to lock the puff.

The mint petal should look:

full
rounded
elongated
slightly larger than the inner petal

Do not make the mint petals dramatically longer.

They should form a balanced second flower ring.

PART 1 — BLUE FLOWER CENTER

Using:

deep medium blue

make a magic ring.

Round 1

Ch:

The ch-3 counts as the first dc.

Work:

11 dc

into the magic ring.

Pull the ring tightly closed.

Join with a sl st to the top of the beginning ch-3.

You should have:

12 dc

The center should remain flat and circular.

Round 2 — Create the Petal Spaces

Ch:

This does not count as a stitch.

Sc in the same stitch.

Ch:

Now repeat around:

sc in next dc, ch 1

Join with a sl st to the first sc.

You should now have:

12 sc
12 ch-1 spaces

Fasten off the blue yarn.

These 12 spaces determine the number of petals.

PART 2 — PALE BLUE-GRAY INNER PETALS

Join the:

pale blue-gray / periwinkle yarn

in any ch-1 space.

Round 3

In the same space make:

1 Inner Puff Petal

Ch:

In the next ch-1 space work:

1 Inner Puff Petal

Ch:

Repeat around.

You should finish with:

12 pale blue-gray puff petals

and:

12 ch-1 spaces between them

Join with a sl st at the base/top of the first petal as neatly as possible.

Fasten off.

Shape the Inner Petals

Before continuing, gently pull each puff outward with your fingers.

The petals should radiate evenly from the blue center.

You should see:

blue circular center
12 pale blue-gray oval petals
one small space between each petal

Do not flatten the puffs.

PART 3 — MINT OUTER PETALS

Join:

pale mint green

in any ch-1 space between two blue-gray petals.

Round 4

Work:

1 Large Mint Puff Petal

in the same space.

Ch:

In the next space between gray petals work:

1 Large Mint Puff Petal

Ch:

Repeat around.

You should have:

12 mint puff petals

and:

12 ch-2 spaces

Join.

Fasten off.

Check the Flower Before Squaring

Lay the motif flat.

You should now see:

Center

One compact blue circle

Inner flower

12 pale blue-gray petals

Outer flower

12 larger mint petals

The mint petals should sit outside and between the inner structures, creating a layered flower effect.

The entire motif should remain approximately circular.

A slight tendency to cup is acceptable at this stage because the white squaring rounds will help flatten it.

PART 4 — TURN THE FLOWER INTO A SQUARE

Now switch to:

white yarn

There are:

12 ch-2 spaces

around the mint round.

These divide perfectly into:

4 corners

with:

2 ordinary spaces between each corner

The structure is:

corner → side group → side group

repeated four times.

Round 5 — First White Squaring Round

Join white yarn in any ch-2 space.

This first space becomes a corner.

Ch:

This counts as the first dc.

In the same space work:

2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc

First corner complete.

Ch:

In the next ch-2 space work:

3 dc

Ch:

In the next ch-2 space work:

3 dc

Ch:

In the next space work a corner:

3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc

Ch:

Now repeat around:

3 dc in next space, ch 1

(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next space, ch 1

Continue until all four corners are complete.

Join to the top of the beginning ch-3.

Round 5 Stitch Layout

Each side should contain:

half of one corner
2 ordinary 3-dc groups
half of the next corner

Each corner contains:

3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc

The flower should now clearly be transforming into a square.

Straighten the Corners

Lay the work flat.

Gently pull each:

ch-2 corner

outward.

The four corners should form approximately:

90-degree angles

Do not pull the mint petals.

Only shape the white corner spaces.

Round 6 — Second White Granny Border

Sl st across the first 3 dc until you reach the:

corner ch-2 space

Ch:

In the same corner work:

2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc

Ch:

Across the side, work:

3 dc in the next ch-1 space

Ch:

Work:

3 dc in next ch-1 space

Ch:

Work:

3 dc in next ch-1 space

Ch:

At the next corner work:

3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc

Ch:

Repeat the same sequence around all four sides.

Join with a sl st to the beginning ch-3.

What Round 6 Should Look Like

Each side now has a clean granny-style frame surrounding the raised flower.

You should see:

small open spaces between white groups
clearly defined corners
layered colored flower centered inside
straight outer sides

The border should remain relatively narrow.

Do not add a wide white frame if you want the same proportions as the reference.

PART 5 — FINAL WHITE EDGE

This last round stabilizes the square and gives it a cleaner outline.

Round 7

Ch:

Sc in every dc around.

Work:

1 sc in every ch-1 space

At each corner ch-2 space work:

3 sc

Continue around.

Join with a sl st to the first sc.

Fasten off.

Finished Stitch Counts Are Less Important Than Structure

Because the final rounds contain grouped stitches and chain spaces, the easiest way to check the square is visually.

Every side must be identical.

Every corner must contain the same construction.

The motif should have:

12 inner petals
12 outer petals
4 identical corners
4 identical white sides

If one side has a different number of white clusters, go back and check Round 5.

FINISHING

Thread each yarn tail onto a yarn needle.

Weave the tails through stitches of the same color.

For the puff rounds:

weave the tail through several bases of the puff stitches.

Change direction.

Weave through another section.

Trim.

Do not pull the tails tightly enough to distort the flower.

BLOCKING

Blocking makes a big difference with this granny square.

Lightly dampen the finished motif.

Lay it flat.

Pin:

first corner
opposite corner
remaining two corners

Then straighten all four sides.

Arrange the puff petals with your fingers.

Make sure:

all gray petals point outward
all mint petals are evenly spaced
the center remains circular
the white border remains square

Allow to dry completely.

Finished Appearance

The finished square should show:

Center

A compact deep-blue circle

Inner Petals

12 pale blue-gray elongated puff petals

Outer Petals

12 larger pale-mint puff petals

Background

Open white granny-style squaring

Outer Edge

A clean white single-crochet finish

The raised petals should create most of the texture while the white border remains flatter.

If the Blue Center Ruffles

Check Round 1.

You should have:

12 dc

Do not accidentally count the beginning ch-3 and also make 12 additional dc.

The total is:

12 stitches

including the beginning chain.

If the Center Cups

Your tension may be too tight.

Try:

relaxing the stitches
using a slightly larger hook
pulling the magic ring firmly closed without tightening the surrounding stitches

If the Gray Petals Are Too Small

Make sure each puff uses:

4 long pull-ups

and that every pull-up reaches approximately dc height.

Short loops create small round bobbles rather than elongated petals.

If the Gray Petals Are Too Bulky

Do not use 5 or 6 pull-ups for the inner layer.

Keep them at:

The mint petals are supposed to be slightly fuller.

If the Mint Petals Look Like Bobbles

Pull each loop higher.

The goal is a long oval petal rather than a compact ball.

Keep the five long loops at approximately the same height before closing them together.

If the Petals Twist

After closing each puff:

gently rotate the puff so the strands sit side by side.

The long loops should form a smooth bundle.

Blocking will also help align them.

If the Square Cups After Round 5

Your white squaring stitches may be too tight.

Try:

loosening the ch-1 spaces
loosening the ch-2 corners
using a 4.5 mm hook for the white rounds only

The corners need enough room to spread.

If the White Border Ruffles

Your chains or dc stitches may be too loose.

Before changing hooks, block a small sample.

Slight waviness often disappears after blocking.

Strong ruffling means the border has too much length.

If the Corners Are Not Square

Make sure every corner is:

3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc

Do not use only one chain at the corners.

The ch-2 opening provides the room needed for the 90-degree turn.

If One Side Has More White Groups

Round 5 must use exactly:

12 mint spaces

in this rhythm:

corner

side

corner

side

corner

side

corner

side

That creates four identical sides.

Color Placement

For the exact visual effect, keep the colors in this order:

Round 1–2

Deep medium blue

Round 3

Pale blue-gray / light periwinkle

Round 4

Pale mint green

Rounds 5–7

Clean white

Do not alternate colors inside a single round.

Make a Blanket

This square works especially well as a repeated blanket motif.

For approximately 6-inch finished squares:

Small Baby Blanket

Make:

30 squares

Arrange:

5 × 6

Before the joining border, this gives approximately:

30 × 36 inches

Larger Baby Blanket

Make:

42 squares

Arrange:

6 × 7

Approximate motif area:

36 × 42 inches

before the final blanket border.

Joining the Squares

Block every square to the same measurement before joining.

Good joining methods include:

mattress stitch
whip stitch
slip-stitch join
single-crochet join

For the cleanest look, join with:

white yarn

so the seams visually blend into the white borders.

Simple Blanket Border

After joining all squares:

Join white yarn in any outer corner.

Border Round 1

Sc evenly around.

At each blanket corner:

3 sc

Border Round 2

Sc in every stitch.

At each corner:

3 sc in the center corner stitch

Fasten off.

The simple border allows the layered flowers to remain the main focus.

Make a Cushion Cover

Make:

4 squares

Arrange:

2 × 2

for the front.

Join them with white yarn.

Crochet a plain back panel or make another four-square panel.

Join around three sides.

Insert a cushion.

Close the remaining side.

Make a Tote Bag

Make:

4 squares for the front

and:

4 for the back

Join each set in a:

2 × 2 arrangement

Add a plain crochet side-and-bottom gusset.

Finish with sturdy handles.

The dimensional puff flowers make especially attractive statement bags.

Final Pattern at a Glance

Round 1 — Blue

12 dc in MR

Round 2 — Blue

Repeat:

sc, ch 1

around.

You need:

12 ch-1 spaces

Round 3 — Pale Blue-Gray

In every ch-1 space:

1 four-pull elongated puff, ch 1

Total:

12 petals

Round 4 — Mint

In every space between gray petals:

1 five-pull elongated puff, ch 2

Total:

12 mint petals

Round 5 — White

Divide the 12 spaces into four groups of three.

Corners:

3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc

Other spaces:

3 dc

Use ch 1 between groups.

Round 6 — White

Granny-style second squaring round.

Corners:

3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc

Work 3-dc groups into each side ch-1 space.

Round 7 — White

Sc around.

At each corner:

3 sc

Fasten off and block.

The finished motif should be a layered blue, pale blue-gray, and mint puff flower surrounded by a crisp white square frame, with exactly 12 small inner petals, 12 fuller outer petals, four balanced corners, and a clean finished edge.

Beginner Patterns