Sunday Stripes: A Free Crochet Blanket Pattern

What you'll make

Sunday Stripes is a granny stripe blanket. Each row is a line of three-double-crochet clusters, tucked between the clusters of the row below. The colour changes every two rows, in four colours, so the stripes grow two rows at a time.

It finishes at about 30½ × 35½ in (77 × 90 cm), a baby or stroller blanket. It is 71 rows in all, and the written pattern fits on two pages. It is a free pattern, free for personal use.

If you are looking for a crochet baby blanket pattern with a clear, repeating shape, this is one. Rows 3 and 4 make the whole body of the blanket, and you simply repeat them.

Is it right for a beginner?

Yes. The pattern is rated Beginner, and it is a good easy crochet blanket for beginners: you only need chains and double crochet. After the first two rows, you work the same two rows again and again.

There are two things to learn. First, the clusters always go into the spaces between the clusters of the row before, never into the stitches. Second, the ch-3 at the start of a row counts as 1 dc. Once those two habits click, the rest is rhythm.

Gauge is not critical here. A different gauge changes the size and the yarn you use, but the blanket still works.

What you need

You need yarn in four colours, one hook and a tapestry needle. Call the colours A, B, C and D. The pattern uses these letters for the colour changes.

• Yarn: worsted-weight (#4) cotton blend or acrylic in four colours, about 275 yds (250 m) of each of A, B, C and D (about 1,100 yds / 1,000 m in all).
• Hook: US H-8 (5 mm).
• Notions: tapestry needle.

Size and gauge

The finished blanket is about 30½ × 35½ in (77 × 90 cm), a baby or stroller blanket.

Gauge is 4 clusters (12 dc) and 8 rows = 4 in (10 cm) in granny stripe. Work a few rows to check if you like. Remember that gauge is not critical: a different gauge changes the size and the yarn used.

How long does the yarn last? Plan on about 275 yds (250 m) of each colour, so about 1,100 yds (1,000 m) for the whole blanket.

Abbreviations (US terms)

This pattern uses US crochet terms. Here is what each abbreviation means.

• ch: chain
• dc: double crochet
• st(s): stitch(es)
• sp(s): space(s)
• cluster: 3 dc worked into the same space
• rep: repeat
• *: repeat the instructions after the * as directed

How a granny stripe blanket works

A granny stripe is a simple idea. Each cluster is 3 dc worked into the same space. On the next row, you work your clusters into the spaces between the clusters below. That is the whole granny stripe pattern.

Rows 3 and 4 do it in turn. Row 3 starts with a dc in the first space and ends with a dc in the last space and a dc in the top of the ch-3. Row 4 works 3 dc in each space between clusters across. Then you repeat those two rows.

The tricky bit is the colour change. Change colour at the end of every second row: work the last step of the last dc with the new colour, and carry on.

The free crochet blanket pattern, row by row

Here are the complete written instructions. You make the foundation chain in colour A.

• Foundation: With A, ch 94.
• Row 1: Dc in the 4th ch from the hook and in each ch across. (92 dc)
• Row 2: Ch 3, turn, skip the next st, 3 dc in the next st, *skip the next 2 sts, 3 dc in the next st; rep from * to the last 2 sts, skip the next st, dc in the top of the ch-3. (30 clusters)
• Row 3: Ch 3, turn, dc in the first sp, *3 dc in the next sp between clusters; rep from * to the last sp, dc in the last sp, dc in the top of the ch-3. (29 clusters and 2 half clusters)
• Row 4: Ch 3, turn, 3 dc in each sp between clusters across, dc in the top of the ch-3. (30 clusters)
• Rows 5–70: Work 33 more repeats of the last 2 rows, changing colour every 2 rows.
• Row 71: With A, ch 3, turn, dc in each st across. (92 dc)
• Finishing: Fasten off. Weave in all the ends along stitches of the same colour.
• Optional edge: with A, work 1 round of sc evenly around the blanket, with 3 sc in each corner.

The colour sequence

Work two rows of each colour, in the order A, B, C, D, then A again. That makes an eight-row colour repeat: four colours, two rows each.

Keep your four balls where you can reach them. Change colour at the end of every second row, as described above. Row 71 is worked with A.

Making it bigger for a throw

This blanket is easy to make bigger. To make a throw, start with a longer chain: any multiple of 3, plus 4. Then work more repeats of the two granny rows.

A longer chain makes the blanket wider, and more repeats make it longer. Both use more yarn than the 275 yds of each colour listed above, so buy extra before you start.

Following it in Row & Round

In Row & Round, a highlighter bar sits on the row you are working in your PDF pattern. Tap +1 and the count and the bar move together. Undo is always one tap away, and your place is saved on every tap.

This pattern suits a second counter. A second counter in Row & Round, linked and counting to 8, shows where you are in the four-colour repeat. You can link a pattern row to a repeat so it goes back to 1 each time the repeat goes up. A glance then tells you which pair of rows you are on.

That helps with a long, repeating pattern like this free crochet blanket pattern, where one lost count can make you lose track of the colours.