Octagon Fireworks Crochet Blanket
This was my first ever published crochet pattern!
Better late than never, I am finally getting around to posting about my very first original pattern. This pattern appeared on my hook while I was pregnant with my third baby, when my sciatica started pinching and the Melbourne Summer heat started wearing me down. We didn't find out the sex of any of our babies and I wanted to make a nice bright colourful crochet blanket that would go well with either a boy or a girl.
So I picked out some rainbow colours from my stash and set out to make a hexagon blanket.
However I had recently finished multiple hexagon blankets so I wanted a different shape.
I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to work out I needed squares to go along with the octagons for the pattern to work... but thankfully I got there in the end!
Once the blanket started taking shape I fell a bit more in love with it and wanted an 'adult' fireworks blanket to go along with it.
Cue the call of the gold and white mill end bags I had sitting in my stash, paired with a very similar silver yarn, and the Jewel Fireworks Pattern came to be.
Joining blankets together, my favourite part!
These two blankets were made with different joining methods. The Rainbow Fireworks blanket was made as a join as you go blanket where each shape was joined during the last round. Whereas with the Jewel Fireworks Blanket, each shape was made, then joined using a continuous join. Another process that took a lot of trial and error to work out how on earth you can get one continuous join for octagons and squares. But I have outlined that best I can in my pattern. To complete the continuous join, you single crochet in each stitch, then remove your hook, place through the adjoining loop and slip stitch through before completing the next single crochet.
I have drawn up a diagram of how to do the continuous join, so thankfully there aren't a million ends to sew in after the joining stage.
Also is it weird that I think my favourite part of the Jewel Fireworks Blanket is the border?
It just seems to frame the blanket so nicely and is so squishy and cozy when you are snuggled up under it on a cold winter morning. (I say morning rather than night because that seems to be when I actually get to snuggle under it with my newborn and my sleep hating toddler!)
As you can see you can orientate the rows in two different ways - horizontal rows of octagons on the right, or diagonal rows of octagons on the left. The different orientation changes how straight the border ends up.
Where can you find the pattern?
So it was with a great deal of courage, fear that no-one would like or buy the pattern, fear that I made a million mistakes despite the editing and checking, and then just one big breath of courage that I hit publish on my very first original pattern.
You can find it in the Kate Made It shop here or in my Etsy or Ravelry shop here.
I hope you enjoy the pattern and I would love to see your version of my Fireworks Blanket! If you do make your own blanket, share the picture with me on instagram with the #fireworksblanket.
Happy Hooking!
