Rainbow Endz Blanket Crochet Pattern
2017 was the year of the handmade present for us!
And the latest is a handmade wedding blanket I recently gifted to a dear friend. This blanket was a pleasure to make as I made it with a large hook, and double stranded yarn so it worked up really quick and is super squishy and warm.
Here is the 'pattern' I used (p.s. I made it up as I went along.... )
I have updated this pattern to include a bit more detail around the continuous join and the exact instructions for making up the hexagons. You can find it on in the Kate Made It Shop, Etsy and Ravelry shop for a small fee in a nice print friendly format!
I mixed up the colours I used and tried to mix colours that both complemented and contrasted so it would keep the blanket interesting!
One thing I am usually terrible at is sewing in ends as I go, but I actually sewed in ends as I completed each piece, so when I was ready to join I didn't have a massive groan at the 9384 ends I had to sew in! (I felt so disciplined sewing in the ends as I went.)
Then when it came time to join, I used a continuous join method and gave them all one row of white border.
I made approximately 48 hexagons (to be honest I didn't count them!) I just laid them out on my bed til I was happy with the size.
I then bordered it with three rows of DC (double stranded white yarn) and then one round of crab stitch. I attempted to make a patterned border but with the striking colours it was a bit much, so simple crab stitch it was.
Here is a great tutorial for the crab stitch.
Once all the ends were sewn in, I washed and blocked it and 'ta-da'!
I ended up using up so much of my yarn stash I got to go shopping again after finishing this blanket so it was a win-win!
What is your go to stash busting project?
Materials used:
Size 8 hook
2 strands of various coloured 8 ply acrylic yarn (I used most of my 'half used' skeins for this blanket!)
Needle to sew in ends
Hexagon: Using size 8mm hook and two strands of different coloured yarn.
Round 1 - Magic ring, ch 4 (counts as first dc & chain 2), *2 dc in ring, ch 2, *5 times, 1 dc, sl st to 2nd chain of beginning chain, pull magic ring tight. You will have 6 sides with 2dc each and 6 ch2 corners. (12 stitches)
Round 2 - Chain 2 (counts as first dc),* (dc, ch2, dc) in chain space, dc in each dc across* 6 times, omit last dc, sl st to top of beginning chain. (24 dc, 6 corner spaces)
Round 3 - Chain 2 (counts as first dc), dc in next stitch, *(dc, ch2, dc) in chain space, dc in each dc across* 6 times, omit last dc, sl st to top of beginning chain. (36 dc, 6 corner spaces)
Round 4 - Chain 2 (counts as first dc), dc in next 2 stitches, *(dc, ch2, dc) in chain space, dc in each dc across*, 6 times, omit last dc, sl st to top of beginning chain. (36 dc, 6 corner spaces)
Round 5 - Chain 2 (counts as first dc), dc in next 2 stitches, *(dc, ch2, dc) in chain space, dc in each dc across*, 6 times, omit last dc, sl st to top of beginning chain. (48 dc, 6 corner spaces)
Continuous join: Using two strands of white yarn and 8mm hook.
Joining the blanket is done using white yarn, each hexagon gets one round of white dc while you are doing a continuous join to save unnecessary ends.
Simply join your yarn in any dc, dc around and (dc, ch2, dc) into the corner spaces. When you are doing a joining row, simply work a dc, remove your hook, put it through the adjoining stitch, pull active loop through, and work the next dc. This method eliminates an unbearable number of ends to sew in once you are finished.
I have included a diagram of the direction to follow for a continuous join for hexagons, it is quite similar to how you do a continuous join for squares, just with a few more edges and corners.
Border: Using two strands of white yarn and an 8mm hook
Row 1, 2 & 3: DC in each dc below, (dc, ch2, dc) in each ‘peak’ corner space. In the ‘valley’ of the border, work a 3dctog.
Row 4: Crab stitch around. Fasten off and weave in ends.
