The Stargazer Blanket

There are some projects that you know will be very special even before you start them. This blanket belongs in that category.

I have always loved patchwork quilts and I was browsing some beautiful designs on Pinterest and thought, ‘If only I had more time to sew and make a beautiful traditional quilt’. I am realistic – this is never going to happen. But then it occurred to me that I can create a similar effect in crochet. For me, this is a much faster goal.

I definitely chose a joyful colour palette to be cheery. I love using Stylecraft Bellissima and Bambino (its the same yarn). The yarn has a lovely soft quality and the hues are clear but slightly muted. As I played around with the colour I adapted my design. As you can see from one of the earlier images, I mixed up the colours. But then I felt it would be lovely to create a muted rainbow… and the more I played, the more I enjoyed the combination.

Honestly this was just going to be a ‘me’ project. No plan for at written up pattern, just crochet for the love of crochet. But I was so encouraged by how so many of you messaged me with your love for the pattern.

I have made a large ‘kingsize’ square. It has 9 stars. I have designed 2 motifs – one way of combining the colours is used 5 times and the other motif is used 4 times. I think it would be easy to make a lovely baby blanket just using one star – or a lap blanket using 4. I have given the yarn quantities in the pattern for all three sizes.

I have written the pattern in UK crochet terms and there is a colour diagram showing how the colour squares fit together for both motifs. There is also a stitch diagram for the solid square and for the half and half square. This diagram shows you how to work the stitches up to row 3, it gives you the idea of the pattern. But each square has 5 rows. The photographs provide a suggestion of how you can fit the stars together. But don’t feel restrained by my design, place each star on the floor and see how you like them to fit together. For the edging I used a very simple double crochet stripe. When the blanket is this colourful. You don’t need to have a fussy border.

My top tips for making this blanket are:

• Have fun and enjoy making it.
• Make up enough squares to make a star, then block those squares so they are nice and neat. I would sew or crochet those square together so you have the wonderful sense of the blanket growing.
• You might find you solid squares are much looser than your half and half squares. If this is the case, try working your solid squares in a small hook – perhaps a 3.25mm or a 3mm.
• Make sure you are economical with your tails. A large blanket uses a lot of yarn. I make sure I fasten off my yarn with enough to weave in the ends 3 times. But I am economical with my yarn
• I have enjoyed used this yarn – but if you have yarn in your stash please use my design as a guide and whittle down your yarn collection

For me this design flew off my hook. I began it in June and finished it in mid-August. But right from the beginning I knew it would be a perfect Autumn project. As the blanket grows you can snuggle under it with your hook and yarn in hand.

If you make up this blanket (big or small) I would love to see how you get on. It is such a brilliant feeling to see us all working together to create something special. Finally, thank you for your encouragement and enthusiasm. It makes the world of difference and motivates me to keep on making.