Baby Rainbow Sampler Blanket (part 7)

Find the other parts of the Baby Rainbow Sampler blanket here:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9
• Part 10
• Part 11

Notes

• Don't forget: Blue colour codes are for the Rainbow version!

Colour layout

Techniques

Puff Stitch

Click here for the tutorial about the puff stitch.

Surface crochet

Click here for the tutorial about the surface crochet.

Granny Clusters

Click here for the tutorial about granny clusters.

Puff Stitch section 3 (rows 82-86)

Another Puff stitch section. How I love these stitches!

Row 82 (RS) Join Colour P (O) with a ss in first st, begin-puff stitch in same st, *ch1, skip 1 st, puff stitch; repeat from * another 70 times, ch1, skip 1 st, 1dc in last stitch, cut yarn, turn. [1 begin-puff stitch, 71 puff stitches, 72 ch, 1 dc]

If you look closely at your stitches, you can see that the chains you’re crocheting look like they’re laying on top of the puff stitches!

Row 83 (WS) Join Colour A with a ss in first st, ch1, 1hdc in same st, *1hdc in ch, 1hdc in puff stitch; repeat from * another 70 times, 1hdc in last ch, 1hdc in final puff stitch, ch1, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 84 (RS) Join Colour N, repeat Row 82. [1 begin-puff stitch, 71 puff stitches, 72 ch, 1 dc]

Row 85 (WS) Join Colour A, repeat Row 83 but instead of cutting yarn, ch1, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 86 (RS) 145hdc, cut yarn, turn. [145 hdc]

Surface crochet section (rows 87-93)

This section we’ll be working with a new technique: surface crochet. Surface crochet is special. It’s not worked on top of the stitches, but OVER the stitches (hence the name). It’s the perfect way to adorn a little piece of crochet you’ve made.

It’s also a versatile technique. While we’re only making straight rows in this blanket to keep it simple, you can also crochet shapes like the crossed rows in the Hygge shawl, or circles like in my Roller Coasters. You can go crazy with colours if the basics you’re working with are simple!

For surface crochet, you will need a basic crochet fabric to work on. That’s why we’ll be working a couple of rows of hdc only. You can surface crochet on any type of solid stitch though (sc’s, hdc’s, dc’s). If you want to make shapes that are worked over several rows, you’re going to want to stick with tight sc’s though. The height of a dc is just too big to cross with a single chain, as you can imagine.

Row 87 (WS) Join Colour B (P) with a ss in first st, ch1, 1hdc in same st, 1hdc in each of the next 144 sts, ch1, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 88 (RS) 145hdc, ch1, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 89 (WS) Repeat Row 88. [145 hdc]

Row 90 (RS) Repeat Row 88. [145 hdc]

Row 91 (WS) 145hdc, cut yarn, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 92 (RS) Join Colour A with a ss in first st, ch1, 1hdc in same st, 1hdc in each of the next 144 sts, ch1, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 93 (WS) 145hdc, cut yarn, turn. [145 hdc]

Surface crochet Make sure the RS of the blanket is facing you. Take Colour K (Q), hold your yarn at the back of your work and insert your hook right below the loops of the first stitch of Row 88 (the same space where you crocheted the last stitch of Row 89). Pick up the yarn, pull up a loop. Insert your hook from front to back in the next stitch of Row 88, pick up the yarn, pull up a loop. Make sure the loops are loose. Pull your last loop through the first loop (effectively slip stitching), which creates a stitch that lays flat on top of your crochet. Insert your hook in the next stitch, pull up a loop and pull through loop on hook. Continue like this across your blanket. Insert your hook into the final stitch, pull up a loop, pull through loop on hook, cut yarn with a 20cm (8in) ending and pull the thread all the way through to fasten your final loop.

Repeat the instructions above for the stitches in Row 89.

It’s important to check your surface tension throughout. You do this by stretching your fabric widthwise. If it is supple and stretches as much as your regular stitches do, you’re good. If you feel that your stitches are very tight and are impairing the stretch, redo this row and make sure to keep all loops very loose. If this is difficult for you, you can use a larger hook instead.

Granny Cluster Section 4 (rows 94-95)

I’m sure you know these stitches by heart!

Row 94 (RS) Join Colour J (Q) with a ss in first st, ch3 (counts as first dc), 1dc in same st, *skip 2 sts, 3dc in next st; repeat from * another 46 times, skip 2 sts, 2dc in last stitch, cut yarn, turn. [47 Granny clusters with 3 dc, 2 clusters with 2 dc, 145 dc in total]

Row 95 (WS) Join Colour A with a ss in first st, ch1, 1hdc in same st, 1hdc in each of the next 144 sts, cut yarn, turn. [145 hdc]

Popcorn section 3 (rows 96-100)

This section might look like the previous sections, but it’s different in one way. You’re making the popcorns on a WS row. So in order to have the popcorns pop on the right side of the blanket (the RS), you’ll have to make inversed popcorns. Don’t worry, they’re not difficult.

Row 96 (RS) Join Colour H (P) with ss in first st, ch1, 1hdc in same st, 144hdc, ch1, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 97 (WS) 7hdc, *inversed popcorn, 9hdc; repeat from * another 12 times, inversed popcorn, 7hdc, ch1, turn. [14 popcorns, 131 hdc]

Row 98 (RS) 145hdc, cut yarn, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 99 (WS) Join Colour A with ss in first st, ch1, 1hdc in same st, 144hdc, ch1, turn. [145 hdc]

Row 100 (RS) 145hdc, cut yarn, turn. [145 hdc]

Continue with part 8 of the pattern.

Diagram