A beginner friendly crochet throw.

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My college friends are so dear to me, they are the people who became adults with me. When I think of the defining moments in my life that make me who I am today, frequently one of them is part of those moments. I love them all so much, and even though we live in different states and are all busy adulting, I laugh at our inside jokes almost daily. In case you are wondering, 20 year old inside jokes age WONDERFULLY.

When life events occur for my “college friends” I love to shower them with my affection via handmade gifts. Blankets, matching his and hers aprons, baby sweaters and hats. If I love you, I’ll create things for you.

This blanket was created as a baby blanket for one of my treasured college friends (and his wife). An oversize baby blanket that will last well into childhood. Or… big enough to enjoy a warm beverage alone on the couch if you don’t have a baby to crochet for right now. I’m REALLY bad at gauging how big a baby blanket should be, this one was a generous 42″x46″ upon completion. I wanted a blanket that would light weight, flexible, textured, easy to construct but not boring, durable, and with very few holes for little fingers and toes to make trouble with.

The stitch pattern is one row, two alternating stitches. You begin and end every row with a SC. It was incredibly easy to maintain the proper stitch count. The edges were so straight, I felt the blanket didn’t need an edging to feel finished!

For this blanket I choose to use Lion Brand’s DK Cake in Lakeside, an 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool blend. Easy care, drape, durability, and affordability were factors in choosing this yarn. This blanket uses approximately 2000 yards (5 cakes/skeins), be certain your dye lots match! Mine did not and I had to do some creative maneuvering to ensure the finished blanket would be harmonious. If you choose to use a worsted weight yarn and a larger hook, your final project will be larger.
If money and the ability to machine dry were no object, I may have choose Manos del Uruguay’s Feliz in Stellar instead.

Randclaw Blanket

By Cinnamon of Miscellaneous Design Studio

For Babies and Beyond

Wrap your precious little one up against the elements (or overly air conditioned spaces) in a beautiful blanket suitable for crocheters of any skill level.

Acrylic, Acrylic Blends, and Machine-Washable Wool Recommended

Skills: Chain, Double Crochet, Single Crochet

Finished Dimensions: 42″ x 46″

Gauge: gauge for this project is not vital, but to obtain a finished product of the approximate size with the approximate yardage given in this pattern use the listed gauge as a guideline:
4 sts/in

Yarn: You can use any DK (size 3) weight yarn of your choice. Acrylic or Machine-Washable Wool, and their blends are recommended for drape, weight, and washability. You will need approximately 2000 yards depending on the size you wish to make and your native gauge. Smaller blankets will use less yarn, larger blankets will use more yarn.

            Sample: 5 cakes/skeins Wool-Ease DK Cake (80% Acrylic, 20% Wool, 393 yards) in Lakeside by Lion Brand Yarns

Notions: Yarn needle for weaving in ends

 Hooks:  H/5mm

Tips: You can easily make this project larger or smaller. Vary the gauge or the number of the starting chain (multiple of 2) or the number of total rows worked.

Abbreviations are in US terminology:

            CH: Chain

            DC: Double Crochet

            SC: Single Crochet

Pattern Stitches:

Chain: Yarn-over, pull through the loop

Double Crochet: wrap yarn around the hook, insert hook into the next stitch of the previous row, yarn-over, draw up the loop, yarn-over pull through two loops, yarn-over pull through the remaining 2 loops on hook.

Single Crochet: insert hook into the next stitch of the previous row, yarn-over, draw up the loop, yarn-over pull through the2 loops on hook.

Pattern Instructions:

Chain 162

Set-up row: Into the second chain from the hook, SC. *DC into next stitch, SC into next stitch* repeat across chain. You will end with a SC.

Row 1: Chain 1 (does not count as a stitch). SC into first SC, *DC into the next stitch, SC into the next stitch* across the row. You will end with a SC.

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Check Yourself: You will be SC into the SC of the row below and DC into the DC of the row below.

Continue to work ROW 1 every row until you run out of yarn, or the blanket is as long as you want it to be. Fasten off

Finishing:

Weave in ends. Block.

Go grab a coffee, you deserve it!

Notes for using different weights

Light Worsted: Size I/5.5mm: projected gauge: 3.5 stitches per inch. Estimated finished width: 46 inches.

Worsted: Size J/6mm hook:projected gauge 3 stitches per inch. Estimated finished width: 53 inches.

Chunky, Bulky, Super Bulky: Tips here!