Purpureus Grandiflorus is the Latin name for the spring crocus. It’s still very much winter here – there are no flowers to see yet – but I’m hopeful that spring is just around the corner!

Image of Crocus from Wikipedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crocus_x_vernus_%27Queen_of_the_Blues%27_1.JPG

This design can be repeated to infinity, so you can make it any size you want! It can be made from the bottom-up or the center-out using either the interlocking crochet technique or the overlay mosaic crochet technique.

Each option comes in its own file with the full written pattern and an appropriate chart(s). The mosaic charts are marked with X’s to show the dropped double crochets.

Overlay mosaic crochet blanket, using white as the Main Color (MC), crocheted by Linda Bakker

I created a 20 minute video explaining all the different options and colors and sizes, etc. If you change the playback feed to be fast you can make me sound like a chipmunk.

But wait, there’s more!

Using my Tunisian Mosaic Crochet tutorial you can use the overlay mosaic crochet pattern with the tunisian crochet technique! (Technically you can also do tunisian crochet from the center-out but I don’t have a tutorial on that – yet!)

One of the great things about this Purpureus Grandiflorus design, besides being gorgeous, is that you get ALL the files in one purchase. So, if you want to make the blanket using one technique but you’d rather use a different technique to create a matching pillow – you easily can!

Interlocking sample with black as the Main Color (MC) crocheted by CynCityCrochets

Comparing to Double Wedding Rings

Most of my designs are done from the bottom-up. I only started adding a center-out option to a few designs in the last few months.

Purpureus Grandiflorus is like Double Wedding Rings because it is a large square design that gets repeated over and over to get the finished piece.

However, unlike Double Wedding Rings, Purpureus Grandiflorus is a doodle that came 100% from me and wasn’t inspired by a very traditional quilt design.

Interlocking Crochet from the center-out, blue as Main Color (MC), crocheted by Heather Passmore

What’s in a Name?

I’m not sure if you noticed, but “Purpureus Grandiflorus” is a mouthful!! *horrified giggle*

I’m fully expecting to a wide range of nicknames for this baby!

So far, I most commonly shorten it to “Purp Grand” and then I think of a big-time felon.

Initially, I was calling it “Purple Flowers” but I didn’t want to limit everyone’s color palette.

I did use purple for my small interlocking square but there’s not too much purple in the variegated yarn I used for the center-out mosaic blanket.

Speaking of Colors!

The Main Color (MC) in all four crochet options is the one that draws the flowers. Some of my testers used a darker color for their MC and other testers used a lighter color for the MC. This blanket can be done either way!

Kami used a variegated yarn for the Main Color (MC) in her center-out overlay mosaic crochet blanket. You can see there are sections where the design gets washed out because the colors are no longer highly contrasting. Kami says she really likes the washed-out look and is happy with the final blanket!

For my center-out mosaic blanket, I chose to use Hobbii Horizon, in 13 Sunup Sky because:

  • it was on sale
  • I had a good contrast color in my stash (Hobbii We Love Yarn MegaBall in White)
  • there was some purple in it

I kind of wish I didn’t use this yarn because:

  • it’s a light worsted weight yarn, which means it takes longer to make a big finished blanket
  • the colors change much more rapidly than I realized (I think I’d rather control the color changes)
  • not enough purple

I used two full skeins of this purple/orange/yellow Hobbii Horizon (Sunup Sky) plus I used a little bit from a third skein for a total of 1253 yards to finish the row I was on. I used one full skein of MegaBall in white (1312 yards).

Ignoring my own gauge recommendation, I used a 5 mm hook with this 3 – Light Worsted yarn. My blanket is 44” / 112cm square. It is about 2 and half squares wide which is a total of about 6.25 squares.

Size Options

This design can be repeated to infinity, so you can make it any size you want! You don’t even have to end after a ‘finished square’ but the yardage amounts are based on the initial square design.

Because of the ability to repeat as many times as you want, you can create a king-size blanket with fingering weight yarn while the next person makes a pillow covering with worsted weight yarn!

Center-out mosaic crochet square by Alexandra

Testing Team

As always, I’m extremely dependent on and thankful to my testing team! Interlocking and Overlay Mosaic (center-out and bottom-up) patterns tested by Alexandra, Anonymous, CynCityCrochets, Heather Passmore, Kami, Linda Bakker, Nessa Miller, & Sheryl Dunbar.

Wrong Side

People are often interested in knowing what the wrong side will look like, especially when it comes to the interlocking crochet version.

Pictured below is the right side and wrong side of Nessa Miller’s interlocking crochet Purpureus Grandiflorus blanket. White was used as the Main Color (MC) – you can see white is drawing the flowers on the right side.

I don’t bother locking in stitches or doing anything special when I use the overlay mosaic crochet technique, so this is how the wrong side looks:

I love how mosaic crochet leaves a faint impression of what’s on the right side. It’s a bit like illusion knitting (which is on my list to try)!

I hope you’ll enjoy my new pattern! I have so many more things to create for you and I am so thankful for all the support I consistently receive!

Get the Pattern

Use code PURPG with the purchase of “Purpureus Grandiflorus” to save 30% off your ENTIRE CART at checkout!

Valid on Etsy & Ravelry. Offer expires 11:59 pm CST February 25, 2023.

Interlocking crochet sample by Sheryl Dunbar using white as the Main Color (MC)