Reverse Engineering Crochet

Someone from my Loose Knit Group came to knit night with a crochet placemat that she has had for ages and ages. She wanted to replicate them, because they were so special to her, but the person who made them has long since passed. She had made it in medallions and was asking about the best way to sew them together, but when I looked at the placemat, it was obvious that they were joined together as they were crocheted. So I offered to take it home and work through the best way to replicate it. I finally pulled it out this afternoon to look at it and started working on the first medallion. I'll post photos later tonight.