A Busy Mum Valentine’s Project That Actually Got Finished - The Miles High Series in Granny Squares
Kate FoxThis was meant to be a quick Valentine’s Day project.
Not a three month WIP.
Not something that lives in the basket under the couch.
Not another “I’ll finish it when the kids are older” situation.
I wanted something I could actually complete within a week.
And I did.
Yes, it would have been faster if I didn’t have to stop every five minutes to make a Vegemite sandwich, referee a sibling argument, or locate a toy that was apparently lost forever. But still. Finished. Within. A. Week.
Busy mum win.
(and for my busy people, the TL/DR is at the bottom ;) )
The Community Chose This Chaos
I asked for a 3 to 5 book romance series to crochet for Valentine’s Day. You all voted for these three series:
• A Court of Thorns and Roses Series
• Miles High Series
• Knockemout Series
ACOTAR and Miles High were neck and neck.
Then the limited edition covers of Miles High edged ahead. Just. And can I say, the Foxy Community are very passionate about one or the other. No fence sitters here!
Which was perfect because those covers are bold, high contrast and basically begging to become granny squares.
So I committed.
How I Converted Book Covers to Granny Squares
If you’ve been following my book blanket journey, you’ll know I’ve been quietly building a system for turning book covers into structured colour plans.
Not just holding the yarn up to the cover and hoping for the best.
Actual breakdowns of:
• dominant colours
• supporting shades
• where to place contrast
• how to repeat anchors across a series
That spreadsheet saved this project. It meant I could sit down during nap time, smash out a round or two, pack it up when someone yelled “Muuuuum”, and come back without losing momentum.
It kept it achievable.
One day I’ll release it properly as a resource. For now, it’s my slightly obsessive colour brain living in a spreadsheet.
The Squares
Square 1 – The Stopover
Yarn: Cozy Cloud Legacy
Colours: 71, 54, 19, 18, 47, 6
This one set the tone for the whole series. Bright. Confident. Clear colour blocking.
It felt like a strong start.
Square 2 – The Takeover
Yarn: Cozy Cloud Legacy
Colours: 24, 43, 19, 18, 24, 12
This square leaned bold and punchy. Repeating colour 24 was intentional. It gave weight and structure so it didn’t look random next to Square 1.
Square 3 – The Casanova
Yarn: Cozy Cloud Legacy
Colours: 41, 13, 19, 18, 47, 43
This one is my favourite.
I did not expect that.
But the colours just work. The contrast, the depth, the balance. It came together so easily compared to some of the others.
Sometimes you overthink a square.
Sometimes it just clicks.
This one clicked.
Square 4 – The Do-Over
Yarn: Cozy Cloud Legacy
Colours: 24, 42, 19, 18, 71, 54, 63
Didn't expect to take this title literally. This square nearly broke me.
Eight hours.
Ten variations.
Ten.
I frogged it.
Rebalanced it.
Shifted colour placements.
Took photos.
Stared at it while making dinner.
This one was the toughest because it sits softer than the others. The risk was that it would drift too far from the series palette and feel disconnected.
But when this final version came together, it felt right.
Not perfect.
Right.
And that matters more.
Square 5 – Miles Ever After
Yarn: Cozy Cloud Legacy
Colours: 43, 79, 19, 18, 22, 74
This one had to feel like a finale. Richer. Stronger. Confident enough to close the series.
The Border
Yarn: Cozy Cloud Legacy
Colour: 19
White felt like the obvious choice.
It was the most consistent colour across the entire series. Every cover had it in some form, so using it as the border didn’t just look clean, it made sense.
It tied everything together without competing.
But here’s where I got a little artsy.
I worked the border stitches in the back loop only.
That created a subtle ridge along the edge. When I ran my fingers along it, it immediately reminded me of book pages. You know when you flick through a book with your thumb and forefinger and the pages ripple?
That.
It almost looks like an open book sitting under my keyboard.
It felt like this quiet little bridge between the story on the cover and the yarn in my hands. Books to crochet. Paper to fibre. Billionaire romance to granny squares.
Look at me getting symbolic while also wiping Vegemite off the bench.
But honestly, those small details are what make a project feel intentional instead of just assembled.
The Finished Project
Instead of turning these into a blanket, I joined the five squares into a keyboard mat.
Why?
Because it was achievable.
Five squares is manageable in a busy week. I could crochet while supervising homework. I could do a round while pasta boiled. I could finish a square over a few nights without sacrificing sleep.
It let me stay present as a mum and still complete something creative.
That’s the sweet spot.
What This Project Proved
• You can complete a creative project in a week, even with interruptions
• Planning your colours properly changes everything
• One square will test your patience
• One square will surprise you
• Community involvement makes it more fun
This only happened because you voted.
And now I need to know.
Do you want to know more about how I selected the colours for each square from the book covers?
Or do you want the actual pattern for this keyboard mat?
Because this concept would work for any five book series. The magic isn’t the billionaire romance. It’s knowing how to:
• pull the right dominant colours from the cover
• choose supporting shades that do not muddy it
• place those colours in the square so it feels intentional
• repeat anchor colours across the series
Once you understand how to convert pages into yarn and placement, you can recreate any series you love.
If you’re curious about the colour selection process, tell me.
If you want the pattern, tell me that too.
If you want both, even better.
I’ll build what you actually want.
TL/DR
I asked you to vote on a romance series for Valentine’s Day.
Miles High won by a hair.
I converted the five limited edition covers into granny squares using my colour planning spreadsheet.
Square 4 nearly broke me with 10 variations and 8 hours of tweaking.
Square 3 surprised me and became my favourite.
I joined them into a keyboard mat using a white back loop only border that looks like book pages.
Finished in one week between Vegemite sandwiches and lost toy emergencies.
Now tell me.
Colour breakdown, pattern, or both?