It's finally released!! The Peaches & cream baby blanket is my first published baby blanket pattern & I know that not everyone is in a position to purchase PDF crochet patterns. So for the first time I decided to launch the free version of this gorgeous shell stitch baby blanket here on the blog, at the same time as the PDF version is released so that no one misses out or has to wait 😊
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So I shall get straight to it .....
Construction
The main blanket is worked flat using mainly treble crochet shell stitches. The Shell stitches are created by working 5 treble crochet stitches into 1 stitch from the row below, with 1 double crochet worked either side of it. (You can find a video tutorial here).
The blanket border is created with a row of half treble crochets followed by a row of half treble puff stitches with 2 chain stitches either side. The puff stitch is created by working a half treble crochet & then working a half treble crochet 3tog around the post of the stitch just made (you can find a video tutorial here).
About the yarn for this shell stitch crochet baby blanket
Knit & Purl baby yarn is a chunky (#5 weight) chenille yarn sold by Aldi here in the UK. Each 100gm ball is approx. 95metres (104 yards) long. This lovely soft yarn creates a gorgeously squishable blanket for baby.
Good substitutes for this yarn would be Bernat baby blanket yarn or Hobbii yarn's baby snuggle solid.
You will also need:
A pair of embroidery scissors
a darning/yarn needle for weaving in ends
Abbreviations:
ch – chain
st(s) – stitches
dc – double crochet
htr – half treble crochet
tr – treble crochet
htr3tog – half treble 3 together
Please note that this pattern uses UK terminology throughout. The PDF version version which includes both UK & US terminology is available to purchase for a small fee here.
Gauge:
3 complete shell stitches tall X 2 shell stitches wide over 10 cm (4”).
The finished size of your blanket should be approx 80cm (31.5”) x 54cm (21.25”).
Making a Swatch:
It’s important to make a gauge swatch as, if you cannot match the gauge given, your blanket may not be the size intended. Making a swatch will also help you to get used to the pattern repeat before starting the full blanket.
Top tip – don’t cut or fasten off your yarn after you finish the swatch. Simply pop a stitch marker in, check your measurements are correct & then you can undo your swatch & use the same yarn to start your blanket.
Swatch Pattern:
Row 1: Chain 17. Turn. 1dc in 2nd chain from hook & in each st across. Turn. (16 st’s)
Row 2: ch3 (counts as 1st st here & throughout pattern). 2tr in the same st. skip two. 1dc, *Skip two, 5tr in next st, skip 2, 1dc. Repeat from * across. Turn (16 st’s).
Repeat row 2 Five times. Remove your hook, insert a stitch marker & measure the centre of your swatch to see if it matches the measurements given.
If your swatch measures smaller, try increasing your hook size. If it’s too big, try going down a size.
Pattern begins:
Row 1: Chain 50. Turn. 1dc in 2nd chain from hook & in each st across. Turn. (49 st’s)
Row 2: ch3 (counts as 1st st here & throughout pattern). 2tr in the same st. skip two. 1dc, *Skip two, 5tr in next st, skip 2, 1dc. Repeat from * across to the last 3 st’s, skip two, 3tr in last st. Turn (49 st’s).
Row 3: ch1 (does not count as a stitch here or throughout pattern), 1dc in same st, *skip two, 5tr in next st, skip two, 1dc. Repeat from * to end. (49 st’s).
You can find a video tutorial for this pattern here.
Repeat row’s 2 & 3 until you have 42 rows (ending with a Row 2) then continue to border.
Border:
You can find a video tutorial for this border here.
Round 1: Begin by turning your work & working back along the last row of the pain pattern as follows: Ch1, 1dc in the same st & in each of the next two st’s, *1htr in each of the next three st’s, 1dc in each of the next three st’s. Repeat from * until you reach the last st of the row.
Into the last st of the row, work 1dc, 1ch & 1dc. (49 st’s – the second dc in the last st will count as the first st down the side).
Now work down the side of the blanket as follows: Into each ch3 space, work 2dc’s. Into each dc space, work 1dc.
In the final dc (from row 1) work 1dc, 1ch, 1dc. (64 st’s)
Work 1dc into each ch1 space along the bottom, working 1dc, 1ch & 1dc into the last st. (49st’s)
Work back up the side of the blanket as you did for the first side. In the final ch3 space, work 2dc’s, 1ch & 1dc. Ss to the first dc of this round. (64 st’s)
226 st’s in total for round 1.
Round 2: ch2, 1htr in same st. Skip the next st. *1htr in next st. htr3tog around the st just created.
Skip the next st. Repeat from * around, adding in 2ch st’s at each corner. Ss to the top of the first htr of the round. Finish by htr3tog around the same htr. (76 “bobbles” in total for this round).
Fasten off, weave in ends & finally block your work to ensure nice straight edges & good definition of your stitches.
A final note!
I really hope you've enjoyed using this free pattern & would love to see your versions. Don't forget to tag me if you post your version on social media. You can comment below to let me know how you found it.
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