Crochet Pattern: Striped Baby Blanket with Checkered Texture

This is an adjusted version of this pattern. Next time I make a baby blanket, I think I'll try updating the pattern to alternate between FPDC checks and BPDC checks so that the blanket looks the same on both sides. I also wonder if 16 rows per stripe, rather than the 18 I chose, would result in the square blanket I had initially been aiming for.

Materials: Sport/DK weight yarn, two-three skeins of each color. I chose Bernat Softee Baby in Lemon and Pink.
Hook: 5.00 mm or Size H
Final size: 33" x 38"

Stitches used:
CH = Chain
SC = Single Crochet
DC = Double Crochet
FPDC = Front Post Double Crochet

The pattern is a multiple of 15 plus 2 for those who would like the blanket bigger. And don't forget to add the SC as your 16th stitch to the last check in every row. This is especially important for rows that end in the ridged check, as the final FPDC will get lost without the extra SC.

Base: Chain 137 with color A (lemon). The final CH, as always, is the turning chain.

Row 1: 136 SC across, CH 1, turn

Row 2: 136 SC across, CH 1, turn

Row 3: *15 SC, #FPDC around next SC two rows below, 1 SC, repeat 6 more times from #, FPDC (this is your 8th FPDC). Repeat 6 more times from *, 16 SC, Ch 1, turn (this gives you a total of 9 checks)

Rows 4-19: Repeat rows 2 and 3 (note, you will be using the posts of the FPDC 2 rows down rather than a SC)

Row 20: Change yarn to color B (pink), repeat row 2

Row 21: *#FPDC around the next SC two rows below, 1 SC, repeat 6 times from #, FPDC (this is your 8th FPDC), 15 SC, repeat 6 times from *. Final checker: ^FPDC around the next SC two rows below, 1 SC, repeat 7 times from ^, (ending with the SC after your 8th FPDC), CH 1, turn

Rows 22-37: Repeat rows 20 and 21 (again, using the posts of the FPDC 2 rows below rather than a SC)

Row 38-end: Change yarn to color A (lemon) and repeat rows 2-37 until you reach the desired length. Tie off. I chose to end on the 9th stripe to make a square...ish.


Border: SC around the blanket for a border using desired color, SC Three times in each corner stitch. Repeat until you reach the desired border thickness. Tie off and weave in any loose ends. I chose 2 rounds in pink.

Project #1: 99% complete

This might be the fastest I've ever completed a blanket, or almost completed one since I do still need to add the border tomorrow morning. I've always found crochet therapeutic in the way it forces a sort of meditative state on you. When you're focused on counting to 15 stitches hundreds of times, you can't really think about any of the other problems in your life. Considering how harrowing that last couple weeks have been, meditative crochet has been a welcome respite. Plus, the further I get with the blanket, the more I love this pattern. Anywho, here's the receiving blanket sans border:

Project #1: Receiving Blanket for a Baby Girl!

I've been remiss lately when it comes to my crafting. It took me months to knit a scarf for my mother that should have taken at most a couple weeks. Last weekend I finally sat down to look at the crazy collection of yarn that's been living under my bed. Just because I organized it in baskets didn't change the fact that it had become a mess of a collection. So I got myself together and made the matching hat for my mother - for whatever good it will do her now that it's spring and routinely 70+ degrees. But there was tons of yarn left, and I had no clue what to make. Thankfully, my coworker has the most perfect timing. She asked me to make a baby blanket and even gave me a due date! There's nothing better than an immovable deadline to remind me that I cannot keep giving up on projects.

Here's the yarn she selected: Bernat Softee Baby in Pink and Lemon

I'm trying front-post double crochet for the first time on a large project. I did it with the hat last week, and though it went well, a hat is much smaller and quite a bit more forgiving. So far, I think this pattern is fabulous. I've made a couple adjustments, like keeping 8 FPDC stitches in the second stripe's squares for symmetry's sake, but overall it's been any easy pattern to follow. Can't wait to see the final product. Here's the blanket so far: