Tooty Stripey Blanket

The fully revised, updated & WRITTEN version of the Tooty Stripey Blanket,

The Allsorts Blanket is now PUBLISHED!

Click HERE to go to the pattern page on Ravelry

Please Note:  Both the design of the Tooty Stripey Blanket Pattern, and the Merino Stripey Blanket and my are my own design and property. Whilst I would be delighted if you use them to make your own version, please give me credit as the designer and share a link to the pattern, not the pattern itself. Thank you.


This is the page devoted to the pattern for my Tooty Stripey Blanket - a hand drawn chart in both UK  & US Crochet Terms. 

Not the sort a beginner could easily follow I'm afraid, being chart only (sorry...) but if you have some experience and can read a chart you should get on ok.

Please note - I published an updated version of the chart in Feb 2022. It shows the correct pattern repeat and is larger and easier to follow (I hope!!) If you have a copy of the original chart, it shows a stitch count of 90 + 2 but that's incorrect, it should be 96 + 2. If you didn't receive a notification of the pattern update, feel free to pop across to Ravelry and download the new version.

(In April 2020, after nearly 3 years and 17.5k Ravelry downloads, I decided to add a small charge to the pattern page  - but you can still get it free by using the coupon code mentioned there, and you are very welcome to do so. 
I love to think of all the people all around the world making my blanket!
And if you chose to pay that small optional fee, then THANK YOU SO MUCH! I spent a huge amount of time designing the blanket and preparing the chart and every so often I think of a little tweak that I file away. One day I really will sit down and produce a fully written, updated pattern, with  a new chart, and lots of photos. One day... (And that day came and the link to that pattern is shown above!) 

Please read the notes further down before using the chart, tempting though it is to jump straight in!!



And why "Tooty"  ??...

Firstly though, let me explain why is it called The Tooty Stripey Blanket?? Well, that's because the James Brett colours I'm using remind me of good old Tooty Fruity sweets from my childhood!
They were one of my favourites - apart from the purple ones! Did anyone like the purple ones back then?? They'd probably taste completely different to me now - I wonder if you can still buy them?...

I wanted to recreate the stripey blanket I made back in early 2013 but incorporating some of the more interesting stitches I have learned in the intervening years. I was only just starting out with crochet blankets back then and didn't know many stitches at all, certainly nothing fancy or textured.
But I've come a long way since then!
Whilst I see lots of amazing and inspiring crochet out there in blogland, I still love to make up my own patterns where I can. Or if I'm following a pattern, very often I can't help adapting it and tweaking it as I go!

I tried to use Allsorts of different stitches to give my blanket plenty of interest and texture and lots of colour!! Just right for a baby. But more importantly - it is completely reversible and has no wrong side. Each side has as much interest and texture as the other. One of my little bugbears is seeing blankets being used by people who can't crochet and using them wrong side up!!

So, without further ado, here's how I did it.

PATTERN NOTES

Materials
James Brett Supreme DK, which is 70% acrylic and 30% polyamide. (Apparently the polyamide helps makes it super soft and more durable, so it's perfect for baby blankets that might need regular washing.)

My original pastel rainbow palette consists of the following (shade number in brackets) -

Lemon      (2)
Yellow      (20)
Green        (7)
Pale Blue  (5)
Pale Pink  (6)
Mid Pink  (11)
Lilac         (3)
Orange     (19)
Aqua        (21)
Mint         (1)
Variegated (SW2)

The variegated yarn is from their Stonewashed range. I chose colour no. SW2, as it looked like it would pick up several of the other colours. (I've now seen some more colours in the range that would have fitted in well, and would replace the variegated colour with one of these.)

Quantity
How much did I use?? Well, some pattern rows used short stitches so used less yarn than those which were taller, or textured. So if you're using stash yarn, make sure you have 35g of at least ten colours - that will be enough to include the granny stitch border rows. I used a total of 300g to make a baby blanket measuring approx 25" x 30".

I used them in a reasonably random order but did try to make sure that each eleven rows had all the colours in it. If you prefer though, you could use your colours in a set order as I did with my second blanket - it will look equally good and requires less thinking, so you can just get on with the hooking!!

Update:
I have now heard about a couple of websites that produce "random" colour sequences for you. You enter the colours you are using, number of rows per stripe etc, and it produces a nice and even but random sequence. The second site even lets you choose exactly which shades of Stylecraft or Deramores yarn you want to use!

http://www.biscuitsandjam.com/stripe_maker.php

http://www.randomstripes.com/

Alternatively, take a look at my Merino Stripey Blanket (it has it's own page here) where I describe how to calculate a  repeating stripe pattern, which even takes into account having different amounts of each colour.)

Hook size 4.5mm
Initially, I made a test granny square with sizes 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm & 5mm but decided I liked the look of the "fabric" best with a 4.5mm hook.
But you can go with what suits your yarn and your tension.

Tension
Strictly speaking, tension is not important, as long as you work to an even tension. As this is a small blanket, the finished size is easily adjusted by working more or less border rows.
(NB You might  want to either work a little more loosely, or go up a hook size for rows 45 - 47, the spring forward stitch, as it comes out a bit tighter and might pull in the side edges.)

Finished Size
I wanted a blanket size of about 25" x 30" including the border and with my own personal tension that was roughly 90 stitches or so for the main body, then a 2 1/2 inch border. I decided to go for a number that was divisible by 24, plus 1 stitch at each end - 98 stitches.
(There are stitch patterns which have a 2 stitch repeat, as well as 3, 4 and 8 stitch repeats - and pobably 6 stitches too! - so a multiple of 24 will accomodate all of them. 24 being divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8.)

Casting on
As my own tension can be tight, especially with chain stitch, I prefer to do a "treble foundation" row, rather than a chain foundation, which means I don't need to add on any turning chains to my total.
If I had been working a foundation chain, I would have started with a chain of 96 plus 2 end stitches, plus 3 turning chain - a total of 101. But it really is worth learning how to do a treble foundation for a blanket made in rows. Once you've got the hang of it you won't look back!
Another good thing about a treble foundation  row is that you have nice stitches to work into when you come to work the border, rather than trying to work into the "back bumps" of a chain foundation.

Also, I should mention here that I made sure the colours for my first two rows, were repeated as the last rows, so they became part of the border. This is not essential, although I do tell you further down how to work your border assuming you have done this.

Check your stitch count
I'd advise you to check your stitch count regularly, especially after "straightening" a shell row etc, although don't worry if your stitch count goes up or down one or two stitches now and then - sometimes it does depending on the stitch pattern you're working but make sure it goes back to your normal count in a row or two.

The Chart
There are 4 pages in total, one is the guide to all my symbols and any special (ie made up) stitches I used and then 3 pages of row by row charted instructions. NB The rows are worked back and forth, that is, you need to turn your work on every row. If you want the blanket to be reversible you need to remember to turn the work, otherwise you might find you have all your textured stitches on one side....
It might be an idea to put a label on each side so you can see at a glance if you need to work an odd numbered row, or an even row.

An important thing to mention as well, is that my chart does not show any turning chains. Use them if you wish but I much prefer to use "standing stitches" and as I change colour on every row they are a much neater solution than turning chains.
And I tried hard to draw it in such a way that it's obvious that you work into the stitches of the previous row, or between clusters etc. 

And you might  want to either work a little more loosely, or go up a hook size for rows 45 - 47, the spring forward stitch, as it comes out a bit tighter and might pull in the side edges.

Edit: and here is a little video (if it will upload and play...) of how to work the htr/fptr stitch -

But it won't even upload, never mind play.... I'll try and make another in a different format if I can.  😕

Are you ready then??
CLICK HERE to pop across to Ravelry to download my (updated in Feb '22) chart in UK terms and US terms - or perhaps I should say, my hieroglyphics!! (Why not have a look at some of my projects while you're there??)

The chart doesn't include what colour to work on each row, as ideally you will actually choose and arrange your own colours. But should you want to do the same as me, then use this Colour Sequence List. (It differs very slightly from what you will see in my photos as I needed to add 3 rows when I tested the pattern. )

Now, in true "Blue Peter Fashion" (ie, here's one I made earlier!), I'm going to assume that you've happily worked the whole of my chart and you now have a blanket that just needs a border.

Straightening the Edges
So lets assume you've worked all 82 rows of your blanket and you're reading to give it a border. If you read the note above and on the "Guide to symbols" page of the chart, you will have seen I opted to repeat 2 colours which then became part of the border. Row one was variegated trebles and row 2 lilac half trebles ; row 81 lilac half trebles and row 82 variegated trebles.
Along the side edges I added a row of lilac half trebles, topped with variegated trebles. To me, this really finished off the pattern and "separated" it from the main border.
But lets straighten any wonky edges first!

Because I used lots of different stitches I found my side edges went in and out, in and out - this was partly down to my (slightly) tight tension, especially when I worked the first V stitch row as I only did 1 chain in each V - the chart now tells you to do 2!

Doesn't that wonky edge look plain AWFUL?! But don't worry, a little steam blocking at this stage can help straighten that out before you add your border. (My second blanket in rainbow colours was not as bad.)
Measure the widest part of your blanket and pin your blanket out, gently stretching it out to get nice straight sides, adding pins as you go to hold it in place. Then get your steam iron - and being extremely careful not to touch the iron to the blanket - steam your whole blanket section by section, paying particular attention to the areas you know you had to stretch a bit. Then leave it alone until it is completely dry. This will mean at least overnight.

Doesn't that look better?? And don't worry about all my ends. I did weave them in carefully but read somewhere that you should leave the ends hanging afterwards until you've washed and dried the finished blanket, then snip them off. The theory behind this is that washing and drying can pull your blanket about and you might find little cut ends start popping up. So wait until that pulling about has happened, then cut your ends. And believe me, it can be quite satisfying sitting down with a glass of wine and going snip, snip, snip!!! Whether this method actually works better than cut as you go, I couldn't say though.

The Inner Border
Now. Edging.
I worked a row of lilac half trebles into the edges of the rows and just did as many as was needed so there were no little gaps anywhere. Don't work into the side of the variegated trebles at each end though, stop at the lilac rows.

This may actually be too many for your border and it might start to "wave" and I like a perfectly flat border. So I needed to do a bit of maths before working a row of trebles in variegated.

I measured exactly in centimetres across several rows of trebles in the blanket and took an average - 53 cm. I divided my original 92 stitches this figure by  to get the exact number of stitches per cm ( what you might call my tension). Then I measured the length of the blanket - again taking an average. I multiplied that figure by my stitches per cm, to give me the actual number of stitches I needed on each side.

My blanket width was 53 cm and 92 stitches = 1.74 stitches per cm.
The side edge measures 71.5 cm, therefore 71.5 x 1.74 = 124 stitches needed for the side edge.
Now count how many half trebles you've actually worked (I had done 146) and take that away from how many trebles you need to do next.
146 - 124 = 22 stitches too many. Divide 124 by 22 to gauge roughly how often you need to work a decrease on your trebles row to reduce your stitch count to 146 (or whatever number you need for your blanket).
124 / 22 = 5.6
When I worked my next row in trebles, I did 4 tr, tr2tog. Two or three times I had to work 5 tr not 4tr but by the end of the row I had reduced my overall stitch count to 124.
You also need to work 2 trebles into the side of each variegated treble on the two end rows, as shown in the photo below, to get the corners nice and square and make it look as if you have two rows of colour that go right round your blanket. These extra trebles increased my stitch count to 128 on the side edge. Yours obviously, may be a little different.

Repeat this on the other side and make sure you get exactly the same number of stitches.

The Outer Border
Now you're ready to start your proper border. You can do whatever suits you and your blanket but I went for simple granny stitches on mine. (I'll show you an alternative further down later, as I was running very low on yarn for my second blanket and had to go for something much simpler!)

For a granny stitch, your stitch count needs to be divisible by 3, plus 2 - and as it happens both my short or long edges are just right at 92 and 128 stitches each!!
I worked 5 rows of trebles, so decide which colours and their order from the yarn you have left. Remember, you want your border to enhance and finish your blanket, not detract from the main body.

Starting in a corner stitch, make (3 tr, ch2, 3 tr), *skip 2 sts, work 3tr into next st*, repeat from * to * to last 2 stitches. Work (3 tr, ch2, 3 tr) into the corner stitch, then repeat from * until you have gone all the way around the blanket. Cut the yarn and work an invisible join.
Turn the work and join your next colour into the corner stitch and repeat the above process. Keep doing this until your border is the desired depth - I did 5 rows.
I then chose to work a row a loops along the very edge. Double crochet into any space, ch4, dc into next space. Repeat until you reach a corner, then (dc, picot, dc) into the corner space. (Picot = ch3, slst into the first ch) and continue like this until you have edged the whole blanket.


Edit : I have now finished writing the updated version of the pattern, The Allsorts Blanket and as part of it, I tried out some different edgings to show what was possible. 

They were only samples to give you ideas but I'd like to share those ideas here too. 😉

Remember, your border should enhance your blanket, not draw the eye away from the central panel. Sometimes less is more. But sometimes more is better! 



And that's it - you're finished!! Give yourself a pat on the back!!

You might want to give your blanket a proper wash and block, then trim off all the ends if you haven't already, before using it.

😃

I'd really love to see the blankets made with my pattern and hope you either drop me a line or link them to my design in Ravelry. Or post them on Instagram with the hashtag #tootystripeyblanket .
And please, whilst I am quite happy for you to share a link to my pattern, please don't share the pattern file itself, in any format, and do not claim it as your own design.



The Tooty Stripey Blanket is entirely my own design (with the exception of one new stitch by Juliet, I didn't even check any books or blogs for how to work the individual stitch patterns) but I have learned my craft at the knee of others - and probably been inspired by their colour choices too.
If you'd like to take a little wander around blogland at all the lovely people who have inspired me with their work and taught me with their fabulous tutorials, then please take the time to have a good look round all of these -

Lucy of Attic24
Jacquie of Bunny Mummy
Hannah of Not Your Average Crochet
Vanessa of Coco Rose Diaries
Sandra of Cherry Heart
Julie of Little Woollie
Heather of Little Tin Bird
Sue of Suz Place& 8th Gem
Dedri of Lookatwhatimade
Claire of Mrs Brown Makes
Esther of It's All in a Nutshell
Tatsiana of LillaBjorn's Crochet World
Angie of Le Monde de Sucrette
Juliet of Yarn is the Answer


They're all women. Fancy that...

Have a look over at Craftsy (you don't need to be a member, just scroll down) for How to read a Crochet Chart