Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Spiral Baby Blanket - With Free Pattern!

This baby blanket is wonderful if you're in the mood for some mindless crochet while watching TV or focussing on some other activity. One of my least favourite parts of crochet is adding new yarn to change colours and having to weave in the ends from the previous colour. With this pattern you don't have to finish off the old colour, you just leave it hanging there until you're ready to use it again. I've used solid colours here, but I also think this would look good if you used black with a variegated yarn.

I've been vague about the size of the blanket in the pattern so stitchers can just keep stitching until the piece is the length they want. And if you have some leftover yarn in the end, you could make two smaller versions of this and sew them together for a matching pillow.

I've tried my best to write the directions out clearly, but if anyone has any questions feel free to contact me either in the comments section or via the blog's email address. cthulhucrochet(@)gmail.com. As always, I love to see what people make with my patterns so if you take on this pattern feel free to leave a comment with a link to a jpeg so I can see your work.


Spiral Baby Blanket

Materials

  • Worsted weight yarn in two contrasting colours – amount will vary depending on the size of your blanket. My sample was made using 3 skeins of Vanna's Choice Baby in Little Boy Blue (Colour A) and 2 skeins of Vanna's Choice White (Colour B).
  • 1 crochet stitch marker or safety pin
  • size I (5.50mm) crochet hook

Note: Throughout the blanket you will alternate between the two colours, stitching with Colour B into the previous row of Colour A until you run out of spaces to stitch in, the switching back to Colour A and stitching in the Colour B stitches you just made.

Using Colour A,

Chain 4, sl st in first chain to join. Working in spiral rounds

Rnd 1: 1 sc in same space as sl stitch, 1 sc in next stitch, 2 hdc in next stitch, 4 dc in next stitch, put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of this last stitch to hold it, and slip out the crochet hook.

Rnd 2: Using Colour B, (wrap a loop of Colour B around hook) sc in first sc of previous round, sc in next st, 2 hdc in next 2 stitches, 2 dc in each of next 3 stitches. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of this last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from rnd 1.

Rnd 3: Using Colour A, 1dc in Colur B stitch from previous round, *ch 1 dc in next stitch* repeat until you have 12 ch 1 spaces. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from previous round.

Rnd 4: Using Colur B, *2 dc in next stitch, ch 1 (right above ch 1 of previous rnd)* repeat until you run out of spaces to stitch in. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from previous round.

Rnd 5: Using Colour A, 1 dc in next stitch, 2 dc in dc before the chain space, ch 1* repeat until you run out of spaces to stitch in. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from previous round.

Rnd 6: Using Colur A, *dc in each space, 2 dc in the space before the chain, then ch 1* repeat until you run out of spaces to stitch in. Put the stitch marker or safety pin in the loop of last stitch to hold it, put hook back in the loop you were holding from previous round.

Continue stitching in rounds, repeating *1 dc in each space, 2 dc in the space before the chain, then ch 1*, and switching between colour A and B as necessary. Continue with this pattern until blanket reaches desired size, then follow the Finishing instructions.

Finishing

While in Colour A continue to work pattern until you are 3 stitches away from the last ch1-space in your round. In these last 3 stitches work 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, then sl st into the chain space and finish off Colour A. Pick up Colour B and work pattern as usual until you reach the last 3 stitches of the previous round. In these spaces work, 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 1sc and finish up with a sl st into the first stitch of Colour B from the round you just finished.

Border

Using Colour A sl st into any dc stitch on blanket, ch 1, sc crochet in each stitch around, then sl st back into first stitch to join.

Skip first 2 stitches *5 dc in next stitch, skip 1 stitch, sl st in next stitch, skip 1* repeat around edge, sl st into first stitch and finish off. Weave in ends.

Enjoy!

38 comments:

Saffron Panda Amigurumi said...

What a pretty blanket! Thank you for sharing the pattern.

How long did it take to complete approximately?

amber said...

Thanks Saffron Panda! I'm not sure exactly how long it took because I took a long break in the middle to work on other projects. Mine's probably about 45-50 inches in diameter and if I'd worked on it for 1-2 hours a day, I probably could have finished it in about 3 weeks.

Because of the spiral nature the beginning goes really fast. Then when I was near the end, it was taking a full hour just to do one round because there were so many stitches! It is fun to make, mostly because it's so repetitive that you don't have to think too hard about the pattern while you're working.

Weehawk said...

Good pattern and easy to follow. My baby blanket was done with Bernat Baby Softee yarn in Lemon and Lilac, ended up 32" in diameter.

kes. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
amber said...

Hi Kes, It's been a few months since I did this pattern, but I believe it's the first stitch of Colour B from the previous round that you should dc in. Basically when you put your hook back in Colour A it should be the next space that's available (in Colour B) if you continue working around in the direction you've been going.

Hope that helps!

Xphron Vistle said...

just love this pattern! thanks alot its just awesome!

kes. said...

Thanks, Amber!
I figured it out & the blanket's coming along well!!

Aelita said...

Awesome pattern I like it. I had to frog it few times before I got it right but now I'm doing good. I am making one for me and i will make one for a friends babyshower.

audrey Draher said...

I like this alot!!! Will have to pick out cool yarn to make one. Will send jpg when it's is finished.

Unknown said...

Love this pattern! Thanks so much for sharing!

Dee Gonzalez said...

Good morn, Amber. I've been searching all ovr the www for an easier way to do this blanket. Elated to say yours is the easiest I found. :√} Thanks a million. I like doing reg crochet items, but this makes a perfect baby blanket thru the 1st yr. Haven't started it yet, because I want to ask your permission to photograph, and sell the blanket when I'm done making it. Not for me only, I'm starting a biz called reDezined, in which most of my projects have been tweaked slightly from the orig patt. I don't think there's anything to tweak on yours. The best part of what I'm doing is: for every item sold I make a matching set of hat & booties for 1 boy & 1 girl in the nicu @ a NYC Hosp of the customer(s) choosing. Please tell me if there are any rules and/or regulations regarding this lovely work of art. Thanking you in advance. You can see some of the projects I've crocheted by viewing my pics on Facebook- Dee Gonzalez.

Dee Gonzalez said...

Oh here's a pic so you'll recognize my face. LOL, I think there's a few Dee Gonzalez's. Never mind, site's giving trouble. Just look for an afro-american with purple hair. That'll be me. :^]

Tyler said...

This may sound strange, but I really like this idea to use up my scraps. I think it could be a really neat project to have all the different colors melding together. If I make it, I promise to post pictures. Thank you for posting the pattern!

amber said...

Hi Tyler, I think you're right. I've often thought of using this pattern for my scraps too. I think it would turn out well if one strip was black or white, and then the other strip alternated between scrap colours.

Diana said...

Amber,
I have been eager to try this pattern since I found it online. I finally got the yarn today and am trying it out. This is only my 4th project (2nd blanket) and I'm a little confused about a few things. I understand if you haven't done the pattern in a while but whatever help you can give is appreciated.

I'm getting confused right in the Row 4-6 area. Do I dc in the ch stitch? Do I skip the ch stitch?

The row 4 pattern says "*2 dc in next stitch, ch 1 (right above ch 1 of previous rnd)*" I was thinking that I do the 2 dc then ch 1 and then skip the ch 1 in the previous row and 2 dc in the stitch after that. Is that right?

Then in row 5 you say to 2dc in dc before ch stitch then ch stitch. does that mean to skip the ch stitch in the previous row? Or do I just dc in the ch below...

I am thinking that if I stitch in the chain stitch, I'll mess up the design.

Help! I'm sure I'm making this much harder than it needs to be but I'm very new at this. Thank you very much! - Diana

amber said...

Hi Diana,

The row 4 pattern says "*2 dc in next stitch, ch 1 (right above ch 1 of previous rnd)*" I was thinking that I do the 2 dc then ch 1 and then skip the ch 1 in the previous row and 2 dc in the stitch after that. Is that right?

What you've said here is exactly right. You never stitch in the chain spaces. To make the increases you need to make the blanket lay flat you make two double crochets (dc) in the stitch before the chain space, you then make a chain, skip over the chain space from the previous row and make you're next dc in the stitch right after the chain space from the previous row.

Put more simply, you do exactly what you think you should be doing. Don't stitch in the ch spaces.

Hope that helps. Feel free to write again if you have more questions. Good luck with your blanket! I'd love to see some pictures when you're finished.

Anonymous said...

I want to make this in just one color and I am a begginer. Would that be hard to do???

amber said...

Mindi, there shouldn't be any problem doing the blanket in just one colour. You'd have to have two different balls of the same colour to attach though. Maybe tie a piece of contrasting yarn around one of them so that you can remember if you're using it as colour A or B. Good luck. I'd love to see a picture when you're done.

Ginger said...

I made pink/white and blue/white versions of this for a friend who was having a boy & a girl twins. It's a fun pattern to crochet because you don't have to do a lot of counting and so on, and the result is really beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

pogosplace said...

Thank you for this pattern. I crochet for Project Linus and have started it with some sport weight yarn that was donated to our chapter.

I'm "missing" something. Is there a chain between picking up the old loop and the first DC of the "other" color?

Without one, I seem to have a wider segment and it is just going to get wider as I go along.

pogosplace said...

I think I found my answer. Thanks again for a great pattern!

amber said...

Hi pogosplace, I'm glad you were able to figure it out. And before I was even able to offer a solution. Feel free to email me a picture or post a link when you finish your spiral blanket. I'd love to see how it turns out!

leahdawn said...

Thanks so much for the pattern, it was very fun and quick to make! I used almost the same colours you did, I really like the blue/white combination for this one.

Sarah said...

I love this pattern! Thanks so much for sharing it! I used it to make a baby blanket for a good friend's shower, and I may make another big one as a throw because my family loved the look so much. I posted a pic on my blog if you'd like to see how mine turned out. http://mypolarlife.com/2012/06/baby-blanket-and-rattle/

Unknown said...

I'm working on this pattern now using tan and camo in Red Heart Super Saver. It's already huge (as it is for a 5 year old, not a baby) and it looks fantastic. The beginning part of the pattern took me a few tries, but after that, it's worked up pretty quick and I don't have to worry about losing count! Love it!

Anonymous said...

I made a blanket similar to this using 4 colors for my cousin! It's wonderful!!! I took me about 6 weeks to complete (working while making it)

Anonymous said...

Hi, I have been attempting this pattern and I know I am doing something wrong. I have worked in round a fair deal, but when attempting this pattern I have large holes as soon as I start double crocheting. Do you know what may be my issue? I tried a smaller hook, but that didn't make a difference so it must be something I am doing incorrectly...Thanks in advance for your help.

Anonymous said...

I found two errors in this pattern. In row 5, there is no beginning asterisk ( * ), I assume it should be before " DC in next stitch". In row 6, I assume you should be using color B, not A.

Yeshie said...

thanks so much for the pattern! just finished one out of black and a variegated purply/fuschia mix (took your advice :) ). made it as my second crochet project ever and I love the result! will definitely be making another one in the future.

Anonymous said...

I have just finished round 4 but my blanket is not as flat as I thought it'd be...

Pern said...

I am a little confused about something.. I believe I have done everything right so far, but i I am looking at the picture you have posted of the full blanket, there are a line of gaps the run the length of the blanket at a diagonal that I am not seeing in my work. I am only on the 5th row, but I should be seeing them already. I can't even tell in the instructions where this is supposed to be happening... help?

Unknown said...

Pern, the chain 1s are where the gaps are. I made one (that I completely forgot to take a picture of) for a friend of mine who lives far away. I am now working on my second in all white for my sister. This is her first.

Baby Girl Carpenter said...

I really struggled with 4-6 too! Frogged it 3 x's, I'm still not sure it's right but I don't know what else to try!

Baby Girl Carpenter said...

Is there a Ch1 when you get to the last stitch of the round?

Anonymous said...

Fantastic pattern, thanks for providing it. Fast, easy, and satisfying!

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tam said...

Did you realize that The Crochet Crowd did a whole Crochet Along using your pattern? Same EXACT pattern - they did videos and had contests and all!
I remember seeing your pattern long before that (I made a few baby blankets using it!), and I hope you were compensated for it!!

Lee said...

Hi.... love your pattern.... but I’m not great at reading patterns, you don’t by any chance have a visual tutorial.... I would love to make it.... thanks.