Vintage Granny Stripe Blanket

Vintage inspired throw to brighten a couch, chair, bed or caravan.

This version measures 40 inches wide and can be as long as you like. 

Hook: 4mm 

 Yarn:  DK acrylic yarn (Stylecraft Special DK)

Each row needs 6 grams. Find all your bits, get postal or kitchen scale and weight your scraps

Tip 1:  Every few rows weaving in your ends so you can finish as you go. 

Tip 2: to make any other size, simply chain as long or short as you wish and do the first row of DC clusters. Before you start the second row, weigh the ball your working from, finish the row and weigh again. This will tell you how many grams of your yarn will cover 1 row. 

Chain 131 stitches loosely

Foundation Row:

Make 3 DCs (1 cluster) in the 5th chain from the end. This is 1 beginning link for the next row and your first cluster. Skip 2 chains and make a cluster in the 3rd chain. Repeat to the end.

Make 1 DC in the last chain. Leaving a tail, cut yarn. 

Row 1:

I like to work each row right to left so the clusters all have the same look. 

So go back to the beginning and in the 5 chain link you created on the row below, add new color and chain 3, make 2 DC. This will make your first cluster.  Make a 3 DC cluster in each space all the way across to the end. 

Make your last 3 DC cluster in the ending link, leaving a tail cut yarn. 

Row 2:

Insert hook into the top of the first DC on the last row. 

Join in your new color and chain 5 (link created)

Make 3 DC cluster all the want to the end.

Make a link, make 1 DC into the top of the last DC on the previous row. Leave a tail and cut.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until desired length. Make a row of SC to finish it off. 

RAF Roundel Blanket

Inspiration for this is the RAF roundels from the WW2 era. I used 2 versions. 

Roundel #1. Red, white, blue, Yellow:

Type A.1 as seen below on Vera, the Lancaster in Hamilton Ontario's Warplane Heritage Museum (she still fly's.. sometimes over my house :) ) Used on camouflaged surfaces  of fighters, Spitfires, Hurricanes etc. Bombers -Lancaster's, wellingtons etc. 

The other is type A as seen on the spitfire below. Used by fighters during WW2, usually under the wings. 

Its not easy getting a shot from under the wings!

The Pattern:

Please note I am not the best pattern writer and I hope you already know how to crochet, otherwise please look up tutorials on youtube. 

5mm Hook

Materials: 100 gram balls of Acrylic. I used:

Super Soft Aran (Sirdar)

4x Dark Denim Blue

2x Denim Blue

1x Poppy Red

Uptown Worsted (Universal Yarns)

2x White

2x Sage Green

2x Dijon Yellow

Colour Sequences:

Roundel #1 Make 24

Row 1: Poppy Red

Row 2: White

Row 3: Denim Blue

Row 4: Dijon Yellow

Row 5: Sage Green (the colour of a spitfire to incorporate a fighter plane in the design and to add the last round, not actually a colour of the roundel its self )

Roundel #2 Make 37

Row 1 and 2: Poppy Red

Row 3: White

Row 4 and 5: Dark Denim Blue

With Row 1 yarn:

Chain 4, join a ring

Ch 3 (counts as first DC). DC 11 into circle and join.

With Row 2 Yarn:

Ch 3. (counts as first dc). DC 2 more in the space.

*ch 2, 3 dc in next st* repeat 11 times

ch 2 and join to first cluster. 12 clusters

With Row 3 Yarn:

Attach yarn in a chain space, chain 4 (counts as first tr). 2 tr in the same chain space.

*ch 3, tr 3* in each chain space from row 2. Join to first cluster. 12 Clusters

Row 4 Yarn:

Attach yarn to a chain space. Ch 3 (counts as first dc). 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in same chain space. 

*3 dc in next space than dc 3, ch 2, dc 3 in next space* 5 times, 3 dc in last space and slip stitch to first cluster. You now have 5 distinct sides 

Row 5:

Attach yarn in a corner space. Ch 3. *1 dc in next 9 sts, in corner : 1 dc ch 1 1 dc* around. When you get back to the first corner, 1 dc and ch 1. Slip Stitch to first dc. 

Sew together in a circular pattern as pictured. I did a boarder in dark denim just doing DC in each sts all the way around (in the corners I did 3 dc to make it smooth)

Enjoy!