It’s been a while since I’ve released a crochet pattern but, in today’s post, that’s exactly what’s happening! This pattern is for a super quick & easy, festive project that can be whipped up using scraps of cotton yarn (that you probably already have!). These are my…

❄️☕️ SNOWFLAKE COASTERS ☕️❄️

You can find this pattern on Ravelry here, if you want to save it for later!

Table of Contents

• Materials & Tools
• Pattern Notes
• Abbreviations
• Written Pattern
• Photo Tutorial
• Blocking the Coasters
• Final Thoughts

Materials & Tools

To make these coasters, you will need the following:

• Stylecraft Naturals Organic Cotton, in the shade Gypsum (7168), (50g = 104 m [114 yds]) (or other, DK weight yarn). You will need about 5g of yarn per coaster.
• 3.00mm crochet hook.
• Darning needle.
• Scissors.

Pattern Notes

• This pattern uses UK crochet terminology (please check the Abbreviations section below for stitch explanations if you’re unsure!)
• Gauge is not important for this project. I would recommend using a size down from whatever hook size you would usually use for a DK weight yarn- for me, this is a 4.00mm hook, so I’ve used a 3.00mm hook for this project.

Abbreviations

• ch = chain: yarn over and pull through.
• ss = slip stitch: insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through stitch and loop on hook.
• dc = UK double crochet: insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through. You will now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through both loops.
• tr = UK treble crochet: Yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over again and pull through. You will now have three loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through two of the loops, then yarn over again and pull through the remaining two loops.

Written Pattern

Round 1: 11 dc in a magic ring. Ss to join.

Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as first tr), then tr in the same stitch (at the base of the ch 3). *Ch 4, skip 1 stitch, 2 tr in next stitch* until there is 1 stitch remaining. Ch 4, then ss to top of the ch 3 to finish round.

Round 3: **Start by working a ‘long arm’: (*Ch 5, skip first ch, then ss in next 2 ch* twice. Ch 4, skip first ch then ss in next 3 ch. *Ch 3, skip first ch, then ss in next 2 ch AND first 2 ch from second ch 5* twice. Ss to the 2nd tr from Round 2). 2 dc over the ch 4 from Round 2, then work a ‘short arm’: (Ch 6, skip first ch, then ss into next 2 ch. Ch 4, skip first ch, then ss in next 3 ch. Ch 3, skip first ch, then ss into next 2 ch AND first 3 ch from previous ch 6). 2 dc over the same ch 4 from Round 2, then ss to top of the next tr from Round 2.*** Repeat from ** to *** around.

Cut yarn and fasten off. Darn in the ends, then block before using (see instructions at end of post).

Photo Tutorial

I’ve also created a photo tutorial for this pattern, just to help make everything super clear and easy to follow! If you find the above pattern a little hard to follow (I’m looking at your Round 3…), hopefully this will help you.

Start by working 11 dc in a magic ring.

After you’ve worked the stitches, pull the tail to tighten the loop.

Then, to finish off Round 1, slip stitch to the top of the first double crochet stitch. Andddd there you have it! 11 dc in a magic ring.

To begin Round 2, work 3 chains. This ch 3 counts as the first treble crochet of the round.

Next, you need to work a treble crochet in the same space (i.e. where you worked the slip stitch to finish off Round 1). I’ve used a needle here to indicate the stitch you need to work into.

Like this! As I mentioned, the ch 3 from the start of the round counts as one treble crochet, so you now have a cluster of 2 treble crochets.

Work 4 chains.

Then skip the next dc and work 2 treble crochets into the dc after that (again, indicated here by a needle).

Like so!

Keep repeating this process (ch 4, skip one dc, then work 2 tr into the next dc), until there is one dc remaining on the round below (you will have just worked 2 tr into the previous dc, as pictured).

Work 4 more chains.

Then, to finish off Round 2, slip stitch to the top of the ch 3 from the beginning of the round (indicated by the needle again).

Like so! Now you’ve finished Round 2.

Round 3 is where things get a little more complicated, but it’s also the final round of the coaster, so you’re nearly there! Start by working 5 chains.

Now you’re going to start by working into the 2nd chain from the hook (indicated by the needle). You’ll be doing this throughout the rest of this process (after any chaining), so try to remember that rule of thumb— it will make things a lot easier!

Slip stitch into the 2nd chain from the hook.

Then slip stitch into the next chain as well, so you have a little row of two slip stitches at the top of your chain. This forms the first ‘branch’ on the arm of the snowflake.

Next, you need to make another branch, so chain 5 again.

And, again, you’ll be working into the 2nd chain from the hook (indicated by the needle).

Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work a slip stitch into each of the next two stitches to make the 2nd ‘branch’.

Now, it’s time to make the top of the snowflake arm. Start by chaining 4.

Then, starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next 3 stitches.

Now you’re going to come back down the other side of the arm, to make the branch symmetrical. Chain 3.

Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next two stitches to make the next branch.

Now you need to anchor this branch to the other side of the arm. To do this, you want to slip stitch into the two remaining, intact chains from the 2nd chain 5 (the first of which is indicated by the needle here). These two chains are the first 2 chains of that chain 5, that you didn’t make into a branch.

Slip stitch into those two stitches, and you’ll see that the branch you just made has lined itself up alongside the 2nd branch. Success!

Now, it’s time to make the final branch on this arm, in exactly the same way as the previous branch. Chain 3.

Starting with the 2nd chain from the hook, work 1 slip stitch in each of the next two chains, then work 1 slip stitch into each of the two remaining chains from the first ch 5 of the arm (the first of which is indicated by the needle).

Like so!

To finish off this first arm, you need to anchor it back onto the top of the 2 tr cluster from Round 2. To do this, slip stitch into the top of the 2nd tr, indicated here with the needle.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll have finished your first arm! I call this one a ‘long arm’, because it is the larger of the two arm styles used in this pattern. You’ll work a ‘long arm’ over every 2 tr cluster, and a ‘short arm’ in every ch 4 gap. Next up, then, it’s time to work a ‘short arm’.

To set up the short arm, you need to work 2 dc under the next ch 4 from Round 2. To do this, insert your crochet hook from front to back through the gap made by the ch 4, as pictured.

Pick up a loop of your working yarn with the hook and bring it back through to the front.

Then, pick up another loop of the working yarn (over the top of the ch 4, this time) and draw it through both of the loops on your hook to make a double crochet.

Work another double crochet in the same way, so that you have 2 dc around the ch 4.

Now it’s time to make the ‘short branch’. Start by working 6 chains. This slightly longer chain length helps to offset the ‘short arm’ with the ‘long arms’ on either side of it, so your snowflake coaster will lie flat more easily and look nice and even.

Just like with the ‘long arm’, you’ll always start by working into the 2nd chain from the hook.

Starting with the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next two chains to make the first ‘branch’.

Then, chain 4 to begin the top of the ‘short arm’.

Starting with the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next 3 chains. This makes the top of the ‘short arm’.

To make the final branch, chain 3.

Starting with the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next two chains. This makes the final branch, which will sit opposite the first branch on this arm. To anchor it to the other side of the arm, just like with the ‘long arm’, you need to slip stitch into the remaining chains from the initial ch 6 (i.e. the first 3 chains from that ch 6). The first of these stitches is indicated here by the needle.

Slip stitch into the three remaining chains from the initial chain 6 to finish off the ‘short arm’.

To finish off this section, work 2 more dc over the ch 4, so that your ‘short arm’ sits in the middle of 4 dc in total, which, in turn, sit over the ch 4 from Round 2.

Then, slip stitch into the top of the next treble crochet.

This sets you up for the next ‘long arm’, which you can work in exactly the same way as the first.

Like so!

After the 2nd ‘long arm’, work a second ‘short arm’, making sure to work 2 dc over the ch 4 from Round 2 before and after working the arm.

Like so!

Keep repeating that process, alternating between ‘long arms’ (on top of the 2 tr clusters) and ‘short arms’ (on top of the ch 4s), until you’ve worked right around the snowflake and come back to your first ‘long arm’.

Finish off by slip stitching to the top of the ch 3 from Round 2 (i.e. where you started that first ‘long arm’, indicated here by the needle), then cut the yarn and fasten off.

And that’s it! Your snowflake coaster is done. All you need to do now is weave in both ends and block the coasters to help them lie flat (the instructions for that are below).

Blocking the Coasters

Blocking the coasters helps them to lie flat and look more even. You can block them in whatever way you usually block projects made with cotton yarn, but I’ve used steam to block these ones!

To steam block your coasters, do the following:

Using a steam iron/clothes steamer, briefly steam the coaster.

Pin the steamed coaster onto a blocking mat. Place one pin at the top of each ‘long arm’, making sure they are nice and straight.

Give the pinned coaster another brief blast of steam, then leave in the pinned position overnight to set.

After that, you can unpin the coaster and start using it! The finished, blocked coasters are about 10cm in diameter.

Final Thoughts

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Snowflake Coaster pattern: it’s such a quick, easy project to whip up, especially once you get the hang of the repeating pattern. I’ve actually made 7 of these coasters for our Christmas table this year, which I just know is going to look so lovely and festive!

As I mentioned earlier, you can find this pattern on Ravelry, so you can easily add it to your festive queue/favourites for next year, if you don’t have time to whip some up this year!

Gemma

xxx

If you missed the first 5 parts of the series, you can find them here:

• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #1: Introduction
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #2: Making the Brick Blanket
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #3: Adding the Surface Crochet Vines
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #4: Making the Rose Pieces
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #5: Making the Wisteria Pieces

Table of Contents

• A Note on Child Safety
• Equipment
• Positioning the Elements
  • The Layout
    • The Wisteria
    • The Roses
• Sewing on the Wisteria Pieces
• Sewing on the Rose Leaves
• Sewing on the Roses
• Final Thoughts

A Note on Child Safety

Obviously, because this is a baby blanket, it’s important to make it as safe as possible for young children. When developing this pattern, child safety was always at the forefront of my mind, so I have used specific techniques for sewing on each of the appliqué elements to make sure everything is attached as securely as possible. Having said this, anything handmade will only be as safe and secure as you make it- if any elements are not sewn on securely, they will pose a serious choking hazard. Additionally, accidents can happen- appliqué elements may become loose after repeated use, or as a result of the wear-and-tear of daily life, so, just to be on the safe side I would not recommend leaving a young child/baby with this blanket unsupervised.

Equipment

To assemble the blanket, you will need the following equipment:

• All of the appliqué elements (i.e. the roses, rose leaves and wisteria pieces from parts #4 and #5).
• Sewing needle (with an eye large enough to fit DK weight yarn).
• Scissors.
• Crochet hook (optional: I used this to help position the elements before I stitched them down, to ensure I was happy with the overall look before attaching anything permanently).

That’s it! If you’ve left long ends on each of the appliqué elements, as instructed in the specific posts (one pink end for each rose piece, one dark green end for each rose leaf and two light green ends for the wisteria pieces), you shouldn’t need any additional yarn at this stage. This means that you will end up with fewer ends to darn in (a major win, if you ask me) and the appliqué elements will be attached more securely.

Positioning the Elements

Before you start sewing, it’s a good idea to lay out all of the elements on the blanket, so you can get an idea of how the finished blanket will look. You can absolutely just lay the elements on top, but I found that all of the loose ends lying on top of the blanket made it difficult to visualise the finished product. This is where the crochet hook comes in! Lay the elements out where you want them, then pull the ends through to the back of the blanket using the crochet hook (the size of the hook doesn’t really matter- use whatever you have to hand). That way, you’ll get a much better idea of how the finished blanket will look.

The Layout

You can attach the appliqué elements in whatever layout you choose, but, if you want to mimic my blanket, here’s a rough overview of how I did it:

The Wisteria

The wisteria pieces are grouped together in clusters of 2 (1 long piece, 1 short piece). You should have 10 long wisteria pieces and 10 small, so you’ll end up with 10 wisteria clusters around the perimeter of the blanket. Start by placing one wisteria cluster in each of the four corners. Then place one wisteria cluster in the centre of each short side. Finally, space 2 wisteria clusters evenly down each long side of the blanket. Like this, you should have ten, equally-spaced wisteria clusters all around the perimeter of the blanket.

When it comes to positioning the individual wisteria pieces, make sure that each wisteria piece sits right on top of (or up against) one of the brown, surface crochet ‘vines’. This is important because that surface crochet is supposed to mimic the wisteria branch, so the wisteria flowers need to look as if they are growing from it! Make sure that the leafy end of the wisteria pieces sits closest to the branch, as pictured. I opted to position all of the clusters so that they were pointing inwards, towards the centre of the blanket, as if they are hanging down from the branch.

The Roses

Each of the spaces between the wisteria clusters is filled with a rose cluster, so you end up with a continuous, alternating pattern all around the perimeter of the blanket: wisteria, rose, wisteria, rose, etc.

For the most part, rose clusters consist of two rose pieces (1 large, 1 small) and one rose leaf piece. The only two exceptions to this are the clusters in the centre of each long side of the blanket: these rose clusters consist of three rose pieces (2 large, 1 small) and two rose leaf pieces. You should end up with 8 x 2-rose clusters and 2 x 3-rose clusters.

Much like how the wisteria pieces should look as if they are growing out of the brown surface crochet ‘vine’, the rose clusters should sit on the green surface crochet ‘vine’, so they look like they are growing from it. The roses can be placed in any orientation, but the leaves should always be positioned so that the round end sits on the green vine, while the pointed end points away from it.

Sewing on the Wisteria Pieces

Each wisteria piece should have two long, green ends left attached for sewing onto the blanket. One end will be at the base of the petals, while the other will be at the top of the petals (i.e. the base of the leaves). The end at the base of the petals will be used to attach the purple part of the wisteria to the blanket, while the other end will be used to secure the leaves. This will add an extra layer of security, while also giving you the freedom to position both the petals and the leaves however you would like.

Let’s start with attaching the petals. Each wisteria piece is sewn on individually, one at a time. I prefer to start with a long wisteria piece and create an organic shape with that, then move onto a shorter piece and ‘nestle’ it alongside the first piece. After both petal pieces are attached, I stitch down both of the leaves. We’ll be using a simple running stitch to stitch the central, green chain that runs through all of the petals to the blanket.

Thread the petal end onto your needle, then insert the needle through the blanket, from front to back, as pictured, where you want the bottom of your wisteria piece to sit.

Bring the needle back up in a slightly different spot, so that it comes through the green starting chain, close to the end.

Bring the needle back down to the other side of the blanket, bringing it back through the green starting chain, a little further along the wisteria piece.

Keep going, weaving the needle up and down through the blanket and the starting chain, until you come to the end of the petals. I prefer to wait until I’ve attached all the elements before weaving in the ends, just in case I want to change any positions, but you can sew them in whenever you want. For the neatest finish, I recommend bringing the end to the front of the work and darning it into the starting chain underneath the petals. This way, the petals will hide it from the front and the back will still look nice and neat.

Once you’ve sewn the first, long wisteria piece on, you can attach the second, shorter wisteria piece. The two pieces should sit snugly alongside each other, to give the illusion of a single, full wisteria bloom. Attach the second wisteria piece in exactly the same manner as the first, using a running stitch that is worked through the central green chain.

At this point, you should have one wisteria cluster with all the petals stitched down. Now, it’s time to attach the leaves. Attaching the leaves will add an extra layer of safety to the blanket and allows you to control how they sit.

I like to stitch the leaves down in a wide ‘v’ shape, so that the top of the wisteria petals sits within the leaves.

Use the same running stitch technique as the petal section for the leaves. When attaching the leaves, I like to run my stitches right down the centre of the leaf piece, so that the leaves on either side can still move and stand up, to make them look more natural.

Start by threading the end (the one from the base of the leaf piece/top of the petals) onto a needle, then pull the needle through to the back of the blanket, where you want the top of the leaf piece to sit.

Bring the needle back up through the blanket, coming up through the centre of the leaf piece, near the top edge.

Bring the needle back down, slightly further along the centre line of the leaf piece to make the next stitch.

Repeat this until you have stitched all the way down the centre of the leaf, stopping just before the end, so that the final little leaf is left free to curl up/move. When sewing in the end, I like to darn it into the leaf piece itself, again, to keep the back of the blanket looking tidy.

Repeat this process for both leaves, then you’ll have your first, completely attached, wisteria cluster! Repeat for all ten of the clusters, aiming to keep the shapes of the petals and leaves as organic and natural-looking as you can.

Sewing on the Rose Leaves

The technique for attaching the rose leaves is exactly the same as for the wisteria leaves. The aim is to run a line of stitching down the very centre of the leaf, leaving the sides and pointed top free to give the leaf some dimension. The long end that we left on the leaf pieces should sit at the base of each leaf (i.e. the rounded end, not the pointy end). We’ll use this to attach the leaves to the blanket.

I like to sew the rose leaves on first, before the roses themselves, so that the roses can overlap the leaf slightly- it just makes everything look a bit more natural.

Start by threading the end onto the needle, then bring it down through the blanket, from front to back, where you want the base of the leaf to sit (i.e. on the green surface crochet ‘vine’).

Come back up through the blanket, from back to front this time, a little bit further down the centre of the leaf, sticking to that centre line. Because of how we crocheted these leaves, it’s pretty easy to see where that centre line is, so use that as your guide.

Then, bring the needle back down through the centre of the leaf and the blanket beneath.

Keep bringing the needle up and down, through the work, until you come to just before the end of the leaf. Leaving the pointed end unattached will help the leaf to look more organic.

Now, you have an attached leaf! As before, I like to leave all the sewing in of ends until I’ve attached everything, but, when you do sew in the ends for the leaves, try to sew them into the leaves themselves, keeping the ends at the back of the leaves, if possible.

Sewing on the Roses

The roses are, unfortunately, the trickiest element to attach to the blanket, but, once you get the hang of it, it shouldn’t take too long to attach each one. Each rose piece should have one, long end for sewing in at the back. The aim is to use this end to work a running stitch all around the base of the rose, in a rough circle. This technique will provide the most strength and security.

Start by threading the end onto your needle, then bring the needle through to the back of the work, anchoring the rose wherever you want it to sit.

Next, bring the needle back up through the work, slightly further around the circumference of the rose, and catch a few stitches from the lower side of the rose as you do this.

Bring the needle back down through to the other side of the blanket, slightly further around the circumference of the rose again, catching a few more stitches from the lower side of the rose as you go.

Work all the way around the rose like this, running the stitches through both the blanket and the rose as you go, until you have stitched a wide circle all around the rose. The wider your circle of stitching, the more secure the rose will be. Don’t go too wide, though, or you’ll be able to see the stitches.

Ta-da! Now you have one attached rose!

Attach any other roses in the cluster in the exact same way, with the circle of stitching. However, when you come to the area where the new rose abuts the old rose, push your needle horizontally through the side of the first rose, as shown (you’re not going through the blanket itself at this stage, just the rose!).

Then do the same thing to the new rose, pushing the needle through horizontally, before continuing on your way around the rose, stitching it to the blanket again.

These two stitches just help to pull the roses together a little bit. This is optional, but will help to make the rose clusters look more organic and less like two separate roses, sitting near each other.

Now you’ll have a perfect little rose cluster! Repeat this process for all of the remaining clusters, then sew in all the ends (once you are happy with your finished blanket, of course!). As with the other elements, I recommend bringing the rose ends through to the front of the work and sewing them into the underside of the roses, for the neatest finish.

Final Thoughts

And… that’s it! Once everything’s sewn on, you’ll have your very own, Bridgerton House Baby Blanket ready to be used!

These instructions may seem a little overwhelming, but once you get into the swing of things, the sewing-up part of the process will go really quickly. Of course, you don’t have to follow my instructions- if you have a preferred method of sewing on embellishments, or just think of a better way to do it, you can absolutely go ahead and do that!

In other news…

Now that this pattern is finally complete, I’ve put it on Ravelry! You can find it here (and you can check out some of my other designs here, if you’re interested!).

I’ve had so much fun designing and developing this pattern for you over the past couple of years- I’m so glad it’s finally yours in its entirety! I hope you love it as much as I do!

Gemma

xxx

• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #1: Introduction
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #2: Making the Brick Blanket
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #3: Adding the Surface Crochet Vines
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #4: Making the Rose Pieces

Table of Contents

• Crochet Wisteria: The Basics
• The Starting Chain (or ‘Stem’)
• Crocheting Integrated Wisteria Leaves
• Crocheting Around a Central Chain
  • Small Wisteria Piece
  • Large Wisteria Piece
• Written Pattern
  • Materials & Tools
  • Small Wisteria (Make 10):
  • Large Wisteria (Make 10):
• Final Thoughts

Crochet Wisteria: The Basics

Each wisteria section on the blanket is made up of two individual wisteria pieces, one smaller, one larger, which are attached to the blanket alongside one another to create a tapered, organic shape.

Each individual wisteria piece consists of a central, green stem, two-tone purple petals and a sprig of green wisteria leaves. The leaves are crocheted immediately after working the starting chain, using the same yarn thread, without cutting it in between. This means there are fewer ends to sew in, but also adds an extra layer of safety to the blanket (as there are fewer small, separate embellishments). The petals are crocheted in a continuous spiral around the central stem, switching from the darker purple shade to the paler purple shade about halfway up. The technique is a little unusual, but is relatively simple to work up, once you get the hang of it.

The Starting Chain (or ‘Stem’)

Each wisteria piece begins with a green starting chain, which will form the main ‘stem’ of the wisteria blossoms. The important thing to remember with this starting chain is that you must use a larger hook than you would typically use for DK weight yarn- I typically use a 4mm hook for Stylecraft Special DK, so I have used a 5mm hook for this starting chain. This is because, when you crochet into the starting chain in a spiral for the petals, it pulls the starting chain much tighter than if you were crocheting into it in the usual manner. Using a larger hook helps to keep the starting chain nice and loose, so your wisteria pieces stay flat.

The length of your starting chain determines the length of your finished wisteria piece. For the smaller wisteria pieces, you will start by chaining 14. For the larger wisteria pieces, you will start by chaining 19.

Much like with the rose pieces from the last post, it’s important to leave a long end (approx. 25cm) at the start of your starting chain, for attaching the wisteria pieces to the blanket later on.

Crocheting Integrated Wisteria Leaves

I specifically formulated the pattern for these wisteria pieces to minimise both the amount of ends that needed to be sewn in (because sewing in ends is the WORST) and the amount of separate, small pieces that needed to be individually attached to the blanket (because this is, after all, a baby blanket and needs to be as safe as possible). Because of this, I integrated the wisteria leaves into the same pieces as the wisteria stem/petals. Although this does require a little bit of mid-crochet hook switching, it does mean that there are fewer ends and fewer separate pieces, so it’s really for the best!

The leaves are created using a combination of chains and slip stitches. The same pattern is used for both wisteria pieces, large or small. The size of the leaf piece does not change, irrespective of whether the starting chain consists of 14 or 19 chains.

The wisteria leaves are crocheted immediately after the starting chain is worked. Once you have completed the starting chain (on the larger, 5mm hook), don’t cut the working yarn. Pull the loop out a little, so it doesn’t unravel mid-switch, then remove your 5mm hook and replace it with a 3mm hook (as shown above). Using a finer hook for the leaves helps to give them more definition.

Start by chaining 6 more stitches, using the smaller hook. This will form the start of the leaf section. I’ve marked the end of my starting chain with a stitch marker, to make it easier for you to see what’s going on, but it’s not necessary.

Next, slip stitch into the 2nd chain from the hook.

Then slip stitch into the next 2 stitches. This creates one, 3-stitch leaf.

Now, we’ll make the next leaf. Start by chaining 5, then, again, slip stitch into the 2nd chain from the hook. Finally, slip stitch into the next 2 chains. This creates a second 3-stitch leaf.

Now we’ll make a third 3-stitch leaf. Chain 5, slip stitch into the 2nd chain from the hook, then slip stitch into the next 2 chains.

Now we’ll make a smaller, 2-stitch leaf. Chain 4 this time, then slip stitch into the second chain from the hook. Slip stitch into the next chain to finish this leaf. This finishes off the left-hand side of the sprig. As you can see, it consists of three 3-stitch leaves and one 2-stitch leaf.

Now, we’ll make the 1-stitch leaf that will sit at the very bottom of the sprig. Chain 3, then slip stitch into the 2nd chain from the hook. This completes the leaf.

From now on, we’ll be working back up the length of the sprig, creating the leaves on the right-hand side. The leaves on the right-hand side will be a mirror image of the ones on the left.

Start by slip stitching to the next stitch, to get to the right position to form the first leaf.

Ch 3, then slip stitch into 2nd chain from the hook. Slip stitch into the next chain to create another 2-stitch leaf, opposite the 2-stitch leaf on the other side.

Skip the next stitch (i.e. the base of the 2-stitch leaf on the other side).

Then slip stitch to the next chain to secure the leaf to the central train.

Make a 3-stitch leaf by chaining 4, slip stitching into the second chain from the hook, then slip stitching into the next 2 chains.

Again, to attach the leaf to the central chain, skip the next stitch (the base of the 3-stitch leaf on the other side) and slip stitch to the next chain.

Repeat this process to make another 3-stitch leaf. After, attach the leaf to the central chain by skipping the next stitch (the base of the 3-stitch leaf on the other side) and slip stitching to the next chain.

Make a final 3-stitch leaf by chaining 4, slip stitching into the second chain from the hook, then slip stitching into the next 2 chains to finish off the stem

Once you’ve done this, you should have a symmetrical sprig of wisteria leaves that is completely attached to your initial starting chain. Cut the green yarn now, leaving a long end again for sewing up (approx. 15-20cm). We will be using the long end from the start of the starting chain to attach the petal section of the wisteria piece to the blanket, while this end will be used to attach the wisteria leaves to the blanket.

Crocheting Around a Central Chain

Once you have the starting chain ‘stem’ and the integrated sprig of leaves, it’s time to add the petals. This is where things get a little… unusual, so stay with me! Essentially, all you’re doing is crocheting into each chain down the stem, but twisting the stem as you go. By doing this, you’ll end up crocheting a spiral of petals that winds it way around that starting chain ‘stem’, mimicking the conical, 3D shape of a wisteria sprig.

We’re going to start at the bottom of the wisteria sprig (i.e., the opposite end of the stem to the leaf). We’ll start crocheting with the darker purple yarn (I’m using Stylecraft Special DK, in the shade Wisteria) and a 3mm hook.

Small Wisteria Piece

Let’s start with a small wisteria piece. Start by laying out a 14-chain stem piece in front of you, with the leaf on the left-hand side and the ‘v’s of the starting chain facing up at you.

Insert your hook through the middle of the first chain, from back to front, as shown in the photo above.

Using the purple yarn, make the first petal in this stitch. Chain 1, then work 2 dc into the same stitch.

Because of how we inserted our hook into that first stitch, you’ll now be looking at the back of your starting chain. Don’t twist the chain, just insert your hook into the next stitch in exactly the same way as before: through the middle, from back to front (as you see it now), as indicated by the needle here.

Slip stitch into this chain.

Then make another (ch 1, 2dc) petal into it as well.

Again, you’ll notice the chain has turned over again, and you’ll now be looking at the front of the starting chain. Again, we’re going to work into the next chain by inserting our hook through the middle of it, from back to front.

Slip stitch to the chain, then work another (ch 1, 2dc) petal into it. You should now have 3 petals.

Repeat the whole process, continuing to insert your hook into new chains from back to front, twice more, for a total of 5 petals.

Now we’re going to start increasing the size of the petals, to give that slight conical shape to the sprig. While the petal instructions will change, the hook insertion method stays the same. That is, you should always be inserting your hook through the middle of the chain, from back to front. After working odd-number petals, you should be looking at the back (bumpy side) of the chain. After working even-number petals, you should be looking at the front (v-pattern) side of the chain. This can be a helpful rule to remember to keep you on track, in case your chain gets twisted and you forget where you are!

For the sixth petal, work the following pattern into the next chain: (Ch 1, 1dc, 1htr, 1dc).

Slip stitch into the next stitch, then repeat this process once more, for a second medium-sized petal (or petal #7).

At this point, cut the darker purple yarn and attach the paler purple yarn (I am using Stylecraft Special DK, in the shade Parma Violet). I attach the pale yarn by pulling it through to finish off the dc from the previous petal, which gives a seamless finish.

With the paler purple yarn, work another 3 medium clusters by working in that same (Ch 1, 1dc, 1htr, 1dc) pattern into the next 3 chains, continuing on with the back-to-front hook insertion method and slip stitching into the next chain as you go.

Finally, we’ll make the large petals. Slip stitch into the next chain, inserting the hook from back to front. (Ch 1, 3 htr) into the same stitch.

Repeat this process (slip stitch into the next stitch, then work (ch 1, 3 htr) into the same stitch) 3 more times, for a total of 4 large petals.

Slip stitch to the final chain, again, inserting the hook from back-to-front, to finish off the final petal.

At this point, you can cut the pale purple yarn and fasten off.

At this point, you can weave in all of the purple ends (both pale and dark). Try to darn them into the petals themselves, matching the end to the petal to keep the colours separate.

I also used the green end at the bottom of the stem to define the bottom petals ever so slightly- just thread it onto a darning needle and pass it through between the two petals, to create a little green ‘stripe’. Keep this end attached for sewing the wisteria piece to the blanket later.

Large Wisteria Piece

To make the larger wisteria piece, all of the petal patterns and hook-insertion techniques stay exactly the same. All that changes is the number of petals and the point at which you change from the darker purple yarn to the paler purple yarn.

Following the instructions for the smaller wisteria piece, lay one of the 19-chain stem pieces out in front of you.

Work 5 small (ch 1, 2dc) petals in the darker purple yarn.

Then work 4 medium (ch 1, 1dc, 1htr, 1dc) petals in the darker purple yarn.

Switch to the paler purple yarn, then work 1 more medium (ch 1, 1dc, 1htr, 1dc) petal in the paler purple yarn.

Finally, work 9 large (ch 1, 3htr) petals in the paler yarn.

Weave in all the purple yarn ends as for the smaller wisteria piece, and define the bottom two petals using the green yarn end as before.

Written Pattern

Materials & Tools

• Stylecraft Special DK in the shades Pistachio, Wisteria and Parma Violet.*
• 5mm hook (for the starting chain).
• 3mm hook (for the leaves and petals).
• Scissors.
• Darning needle.

You can find the specific quantities for each of the yarn colours on the introductory post for this pattern, under ‘Master Material List’.

Small Wisteria (Make 10):

Using a 5mm hook, ch 14, leaving a long end (approx. 25cm) at the start for attaching to the blanket.

Switch to a 3mm hook to make the leaves.

*Ch 6, ss into 2^nd ch from hook. Ss in next 2 chains.

Ch 5, ss into 2^nd ch from hook. Ss in next 2 chains.

Ch 5, ss into 2^nd ch from hook. Ss in next 2 chains.

Ch 4, ss into 2^nd ch from hook. Ss in next chain.

Ch 3, ss into 2^nd ch from hook.

Slip to next stitch, ch 3, ss into 2^nd ch from hook. Ss in next chain.

Skip next stitch on main stem (at base of opposite leaf), ss to next ch, ch 4, ss into 2^nd ch from hook. Ss in next 2 chains.

Skip next stitch on main stem, ss to next ch, ch 4, ss into 2^nd ch from hook. Ss in next 2 chains.

Skip next stitch on main stem, ss to next ch, ch 4, ss into 2^nd ch from hook. Ss in next 2 chains.

Skip next stitch on main stem, ss to next 2 ch.

Cut the green yarn, leaving a long end (approx. 15-20cm) for attaching to the blanket.**

From now on, when working into the starting chain, always insert hook through the middle of the chain, from back to front. This will twist the chain after every petal is worked. After working odd-number petals, you should be looking at the back (bumpy side) of the chain. After working even-number petals, you should be looking at the front (v-pattern) side of the chain.

Attach Wisteria yarn to first chain of initial starting chain (opposite end to leaf).

(Ch 1, 2dc) into first stitch, then ss into next stitch. Repeat 4 more times, for a total of 5 small petals.

(Ch 1, 1dc, 1htr, 1dc) into next stitch, then ss into next stitch. Repeat 1 more time, for a total of 2 medium petals.

Cut Wisteria yarn and attach Parma Violet yarn.

(Ch 1, 1dc, 1htr, 1dc) into next stitch, then ss into next stitch. Repeat 2 more times, for a total of 3 medium (pale) petals.

(Ch 1, 3htr) into next stitch, then ss into next stitch. Repeat 3 more times, for a total of 4 large petals.

Cut Parma Violet yarn. Weave in all purple ends, leaving both green ends for attaching to the blanket later. Define the bottom two (small) petals by threading the green end at the base of the wisteria onto a darning needle, then working a small stitch over the petals to separate them. Do not cut the green yarn after.

Large Wisteria (Make 10):

Using a 5mm hook, ch 19, leaving a long end (approx. 25cm) at the start for attaching to the blanket.

Switch to a 3mm hook and follow the pattern for the small wisteria piece from * to ** to make the leaves.

From now on, when working into the starting chain, always insert hook through the middle of the chain, from back to front. This will twist the chain after every petal is worked. After working odd-number petals, you should be looking at the back (bumpy side) of the chain. After working even-number petals, you should be looking at the front (v-pattern) side of the chain.

Attach Wisteria yarn to first chain of initial starting chain (opposite end to leaf).

(Ch 1, 2dc) into first stitch, then ss into next stitch. Repeat 4 more times, for a total of 5 small petals.

(Ch 1, 1dc, 1htr, 1dc) into next stitch, then ss into next stitch. Repeat 3 more times, for a total of 4 medium petals.

Cut Wisteria yarn and attach Parma Violet yarn.

(Ch 1, 1dc, 1htr, 1dc) into next stitch, then ss into next stitch, to make 1 more medium petal.

(Ch 1, 3htr) into next stitch, then ss into next stitch. Repeat 8 more times, for a total of 9 large petals.

Cut Parma Violet yarn. Weave in all purple ends, leaving both green ends for attaching to the blanket later. Define the bottom two (small) petals by threading the green end at the base of the wisteria onto a darning needle, then working a small stitch over the petals to separate them. Do not cut the green yarn after.

Final Thoughts

Once you’ve made 10 small wisteria pieces and 10 large wisteria pieces, you will have all of your wisteria appliqué elements ready to go for your Bridgerton House Baby Blanket! The next post in this series will include detailed instructions for attaching these, along with the rose pieces from last week’s post, to your blanket, so keep them somewhere safe until then.

Obviously, these crochet wisteria pieces are nowhere near anatomically correct, but, when attached to the blanket, I think they do a really good job of giving the impression of wisteria, which was the aim! They are a little fiddly to make, but that’s more because the spiral technique is quite different to typical crochet, not because it’s particularly hard or fine work! Just remember that, when you’re working the petals, you should always be inserting the hook through the middle of the next chain, from back to front, and you’ll be absolutely fine.

These wisteria pieces were definitely one of the more complicated elements to design for this blanket pattern, but I’m super happy with how they turned out- particularly the integrated leaf section, which not only reduces the number of ends you have to sew in (yay!) but also makes this blanket that little bit safer for young children (double yay!).

I hope you’ve enjoyed this wisteria embellishment tutorial! As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not super experienced at writing crochet patterns, so please do let me know if you run into any problems with this and I will do my best to help you out! I’ll see you next week for Part 6 (the final part!).

Gemma

xxx

• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #1: Introduction
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #2: Making the Brick Blanket
• Bridgerton House Baby Blanket #3: Adding the Surface Crochet Vines

Table of Contents

• Crochet Roses: The Basics
• Making the Large Roses
• Making the Small Roses
• Winding the Roses
  • Not All Rolls Are Made Equal
• Making the Rose Leaves
• Written Pattern
  • Materials & Tools
  • Large Rose (make 12):
  • Small Rose (make 10):
  • Rose Leaf (make 12):
• Final Thoughts

Crochet Roses: The Basics

Each rose is crocheted as one piece, which is then rolled up and sewn together to create the flower shape. The roses are crocheted on a very small hook (2mm). This helps to give the roses more structure and creates a neater finish. If you find using a small hook with DK weight yarn to be too much of a struggle (it can be a bit hard on your fingers!), you can absolutely use a larger hook- just be aware that your roses will be larger in size and less rigid.

For this blanket, you will need to make 2 different sizes of rose: large and small, using 3 different shades of pink. This provides dimension and reflects the roses seen in the show, where the centre of each flower is a darker shade that gradually lightens to the pale pink outer petals. To keep things simple, I’ve opted to use a few different shades to make multiple, plain-coloured roses, rather than incorporate the gradient into each individual rose.

The roses are arranged in clusters around the perimeter of the blanket. For the most part, the clusters are formed of 1 large + 1 small rose, though, in the centre of each long side of the blanket, there is one larger cluster consisting of 1 small + 2 large roses. For my blanket, I made the following number of roses in each shade of pink, but you can, of course, change this to suit your yarn/preference:

• Pale Pink (Stylecraft Special DK in Powder Pink): 4 large, 3 small.
• Mid Pink (Stylecraft Special DK in Pale Rose): 4 large, 4 small.
• Dark Pink (Stylecraft Special DK in Raspberry): 4 large, 3 small.

To help integrate the appliqué roses into the background, rose leaves are crocheted separately and sewn onto the blanket alongside the rose clusters. Each cluster is adorned with one rose leaf, except for the larger, 3-rose clusters, which have 2 leaves. The leaves are crocheted using the same Khaki shade used to make the surface crochet rose vine from the previous instalment. All in all, you’ll need to make 12 rose leaves for this blanket.

Making the Large Roses

You will need to make 12 large roses.

Using a 2mm hook, chain 25. Leave a long end (approx. 30cm) for attaching the rose to the blanket later on.

When starting the first row, work into the 3rd chain from the hook.

Work 4 dc into this stitch. Consider these 4 stitches, combined with the 2 turning chains, as a cluster of 5 dc, or 1 ‘petal’.

Skip the next stitch, so that you will be working into the second chain from your hook.

Slip stitch into that stitch.

Skip the next stitch, so that, again, you will be working into the second chain from your hook.

Work 5 dc into that stitch.

Keep working in this pattern (skip 1 stitch, 5dc in next chain, skip 1 stitch, ss into next) to the end of the row. You should now have 6 x 5 dc clusters (or 6 ‘petals’).

Turn and chain 1 to start the next round.

Skip the first slip stitch, so that you will start by working into the 2nd stitch from your hook (i.e. the first dc stitch).

Htr into each of the next 5 stitches (i.e. into each of the 5 dc from the row below).

Slip stitch into the next stitch (which is also a slip stitch, from the row before).

Continue working in this pattern (htr 5, ss) to the last 5 stitches (or the last petal). Work 4 htr into the next 4 stitches (the 4 dc from the row below), then work one final htr into the top of the ch 2 from the previous row.

Turn and chain 1 to start the next row. From now on, you will be working into the front loops only. This helps to give a delicate shape to the petals.

Dc into the first stitch (the last htr from the row below).

Work 2dc into each of the next 3 stitches, then dc into the next stitch. Finish off this first petal by working a slip stitch into the next stitch.

Work in this pattern (dc, 2 dc in next 3 stitches, dc, ss in next stitch) to the end of the row.

Cut the yarn and sew in this end, leaving the long end from the starting chain to secure the rose after winding/sew the rose onto the blanket.

Making the Small Roses

The smaller roses are made in a very similar manner to the larger roses, except they have fewer petals and are worked up in 2 rows, as opposed to 3.

Using a 2mm hook, chain 17. Leave a long end (approx. 30cm) for attaching the rose to the blanket later on.

Work 4 dc into the 3rd chain from the hook. Like with the larger rose, these 4 stitches, combined with the 2 starting chains, count as a cluster of 5 dc, or 1 ‘petal’.

Skip 1 stitch, then slip stitch into the next. Work in the following pattern: (skip 1 stitch, 5dc in next chain, skip 1 stitch, ss into next) to the end of the row. You should end up with 4 x 5 dc clusters (or 4 ‘petals’).

Turn and chain 1 to start the next row. From now on, you will be working into the front loops only. This helps to shape to the rose petals.

Skip the first slip stitch, then work in the following pattern to the end of the row: (dc, 2dc in next 3 stitches, dc, ss in next stitch) to end.

Cut the yarn and sew in this end, leaving the long end from the starting chain to secure the rose after winding/sew the rose onto the blanket.

Winding the Roses

To take the roses from flat, scalloped pieces to 3D flowers, you need to roll up the crocheted piece.

Start by threading the remaining end onto a sewing needle. You will use this end to secure the roll and it’s much easier to thread it before you’ve rolled up the rose!

Roll the rose up along the inner edge (i.e. the straight, non-scalloped edge), this will form the bottom of the rose, with the scalloped edge forming the top of the petals. Keep the bottom edge level as you roll and aim to roll it nice and tightly, for the most secure rose.

Once you have your roll, you need to secure it. Use the threaded needle and push it through the base of the rose a few times, staying relatively close to that bottom edge and making sure to catch each of layers of the spiral at some point.

Once your rose ‘roll’ is firmly secured, you can remove the sewing needle. Do NOT cut the yarn at this point- you will still need it to attach the rose to the blanket! Just set the rose aside as it is, ready for when you assemble the blanket.

Not All Rolls Are Made Equal

The direction in which you roll the rose does make a difference! Luckily, it just changes the appearance of the roses ever so slightly- so you can roll whichever way you prefer. I’ve used a combination of the two styles for my blanket, but you can do whatever you like!

Consider the initial, flat crocheted piece. Because of the way we worked the final round, working into the front loops only, there is a clear distinction between the two sides of the fabric.

If you roll the rose with the right side facing inwards, you’ll end up with a rose that looks a little like this- it’s got a slightly cupped, bulbous shape, as if the rose hasn’t quite fully opened yet.

If you roll the rose with the right side facing outwards, you’ll end up with a rose that looks like this- the spiral effect is slightly more prominent and the rose looks like it is a little more ‘open’ and ‘in bloom’.

As I mentioned, you can roll your roses whichever way you prefer- or you can be like me and use both! I did choose to roll all of the small roses outward, because they are so tiny I found that, when rolling them inward, they lost a little of their structure and rose-like appearance. Again though, it’s entirely up to you!

Making the Rose Leaves

For the rose leaves, you’ll be glad to hear that it’s very much a one-size-fits-all kind of situation! I used a slightly larger hook for the leaves, compared to the roses, to a) give my fingers a rest and b) allow the leaves to look a little more organic and natural looking (i.e. less stiff). It’s still a pretty small hook (2.5mm), to keep the leaves in proportion to the roses, but it won’t be quite as tight as the roses!

Using a 2.5mm hook and Khaki yarn, start by chaining 7. Leave a long end (approx. 25cm) to attach the leaf to the blanket later on.

Start by working into the 2nd chain from the hook. You’ll only be working into the top loops of the chains for this first part.

Work one dc into the 2nd chain from the hook.

Then, work a htr into the next stitch.

Work a tr into each of the next 2 stitches.

Then work another htr into the next stitch.

Work a dc into the final stitch.

Then, slip stitch into that same stitch.

This will allow you to curve around the base of the leaf, so that you can work back up the other side of your starting chain.

From now on, you’ll be working into the back loops of your starting chain (i.e. into the same stitches as before, just from the other side of the chain!

Work in the same pattern as before (dc, htr, tr 2, dc) all the way back up the starting chain.

To finish off the leaf and create the ‘pointy’ end, slip stitch to the top of the first dc.

Cut the yarn and weave in this end, leaving the long end from the starting chain for attaching the leaf to the blanket later on.

Written Pattern

Materials & Tools

• Stylecraft Special DK in the shades Powder Pink, Pale Rose and Raspberry (for the roses) and Khaki (for the rose leaves).*
• 2mm crochet hook (for the roses).
• 2.5mm crochet hook (for the rose leaves).
• Scissors
• Darning needle

* You can find the specific quantities for each of the yarn colours on the introductory post for this pattern, under ‘Master Material List’.

Large Rose (make 12):

Ch 25, leaving long end to attach onto blanket (approx. 30cm).

R1: 4dc in 3^rd ch from hook (counts as 5dc). Skip 1 stitch, ss into next. (Skip 1 stitch, 5dc in next chain, skip 1 stitch, ss into next) to end (6x 5dc clusters). 

R2: Turn and ch1. Skip first ss. (Htr in next 5 stitches, ss into ss from previous round) to last cluster. Htr in next 5 stitches, working the final htr into the top of the ch 2 from the previous round. 

R3: Turn and ch1. Working in front loops only, (dc, 2dc in next 3 stitches, dc, ss in next stitch) to end.

Cut yarn and sew in short end. Roll and secure (using long end) to form rose (inward or outward). Leave this end attached to sew rose onto blanket later.

Small Rose (make 10):

Ch 17 leaving long end to attach onto blanket (approx. 30cm).

R1: 4dc in 3^rd ch from hook (counts as 5dc). Skip 1 stitch, ss into next. (Skip 1 stitch, 5dc in next chain, skip 1 stitch, ss into next) to end.

R2: R3: Turn and ch1. Skip first ss, then, working in front loops only, (dc, 2dc in next 3 stitches, dc, ss in next stitch) to end.

Cut yarn and darn in short end. Roll outward and secure (using long end) to form rose. Leave this end attached to sew rose onto blanket later.

Rose Leaf (make 12):

Ch 7, leaving long end to attach to blanket (approx. 25cm)

Working in top loops only, dc in 2^nd ch from hook. Htr, tr in next 2, htr, dc. Ss into same stitch.

Work back down the chain (working in back loops now). Dc, htr, tr 2, dc. Ss to top of first sc.

Cut yarn and weave in end. Leave the long end attached to sew leaf onto blanket later.

Final Thoughts

Once you’ve made 12 large roses, 10 small roses and 12 rose leaves, you’ll have all of your rose appliqué pieces ready to go! I’ll be providing detailed instructions for attaching all of these elements onto the blanket in a later post, so keep them safe until then.

I really love these roses, because they’re actually pretty straightforward to make, even though they look a little complicated. They’re also super customisable- you can use any colour of yarn you want, you can roll them up in different directions, make as many/as few as you like and vary the sizes as much as you need. I admit, crocheting DK weight yarn on a 2mm hook is a bit of a trial, but it makes for such neat, structural roses that I really do think it’s worth it. If it’s not feasible for you, absolutely just increase the hook size- a slight improvement in structure and appearance is obviously NOT worth any sort of crochet-induced insanity!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this rose embellishment tutorial! As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not super experienced at writing crochet patterns, so please do let me know if you run into any problems with this and I will do my best to help you out! I’ll see you next week for Part 5!

Gemma

xxx

Let’s get into it, shall we?

Table of Contents

• Surface Crochet: Explained
  • Surface Crochet vs Chain Stitch
• How to Surface Crochet
• Seamlessly Joining a Surface Crochet Loop
• Crocheting into Surface Crochet
• Interweaving Surface Crochet Paths
  • Weaving the Vine Over
  • Weaving the Vine Under
• Mapping Out the Curved Path
• Pattern
  • Materials & Tools
  • Surface Crochet Vines: Written Pattern
  • Pattern Note
• Final Thoughts

Surface Crochet: Explained

Surface crochet is a crochet technique that can be used to create decorative lines of stitching on top of a piece of crocheted/knitted fabric. It produces a very similar effect to chain stitch in embroidery. Essentially, surface crochet is just a series of slip stitches that are worked onto the surface (hence the name) of an existing fabric. Once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy to do!

Surface Crochet vs Chain Stitch

As I mentioned, surface crochet produces a very similar effect to the embroidery technique known as ‘chain stitch’. If you’re a seasoned embroiderer, or find the surface crochet technique difficult to master, you can absolutely make this blanket using chain stitch, with a sewing needle instead of a crochet hook. However, I prefer using the surface crochet technique for a couple of reasons:

• Unlike with embroidery, when you surface crochet, you work directly from the ball of yarn (i.e. you don’t have to keep cutting new pieces of yarn to work with). I would do anything to minimise the amount of ends I have to sew in, so this is a real plus for me! Additionally, because the colour is visible on the back of the blanket, fewer ends to sew in also makes for a neater finish, so it’s a win-win!
• Although the basic shape of the stitches is the same, there is a slight difference in appearance between chain stitch and surface crochet. Embroidered chain stitches can look a little lacy and ‘gappy’, whereas surface crochet stitches are naturally a little less open, which makes for a bolder, cleaner line of stitching.
• It’s easier to keep an even, controlled tension with surface crochet. To adjust the tension when surface crocheting, you can simply adjust the hook size (where a bigger hook gives you a looser tension). When using a sewing needle, you have to be more mindful of your tension for each stitch. This is particularly important for this blanket, because the surface crochet stitches have to be quite loose, so that a) they don’t distort the blanket and b) they can be crocheted into.

How to Surface Crochet

When surface crocheting, the yarn should always be held at the back of the fabric, while the hook is held at the front.

Always use a larger hook when surface crocheting, to help keep the tension loose and prevent the fabric from warping. For this project, I’ve used a 5.5mm hook (with DK weight yarn, which I would normally use a 4mm hook for).

Throughout the process, hold the hook in your dominant hand and tension the yarn using your non-dominant hand, just like you would for regular crochet.

Start by inserting your hook into the fabric, from front to back, like so.

Pull up a loop of yarn from the back of the fabric.

Insert the hook into the fabric again, from front to back, a short distance from the entry point. This distance will be the length of your stitch- for this project, my stitches were about 0.5-0.75mm long, but you want to try and mimic the length of the chain that you would make with the same hook size/yarn weight.

Draw up another loop of yarn from the back of the fabric, then pull it through. You should now have two loops on your hook.

Pull the top loop through the bottom loop to make a slip stitch. Don’t pull this too tight- keep your tension nice and loose throughout the process, to prevent the fabric from warping.

This is your first surface crochet! As you can see, the ‘v’ of the slip stitch sits on top of the fabric, while, on the back of the fabric, you’ll see something more akin to a running stitch.

Keep making surface crochet stitches, following your desired shape, until you have finished your design.

To fasten off the surface crochet, cut the yarn at the back and pull the loop on the needle through from the front. At this point, you can either join your surface crochet line into a continuous loop (see the instructions in the next sections), or sew in the end.

If you plan to sew in the end at this stage, thread it onto a sewing needle. Insert the threaded needle into the fabric, from front to back, over the top of your last surface crochet stitch to secure it, before sewing in the end on the back.

At first, this technique will feel very counterintuitive, but, once you get into the swing of things, you’ll fly through it! I find it helpful to treat it as if I’m ‘doodling’ on the fabric and ‘drawing’ lines of stitches. Remember that you can always rip out some of the stitching and start again if you’re not happy with the shape of the line/stitch length.

Seamlessly Joining a Surface Crochet Loop

For this pattern, we’ll be making multiple continuous chains of surface crochet around the perimeter of the blanket. To make a seamless join between the start and end of the surface crochet line, follow these steps:

Finish your surface crochet line when you’re about one stitch’s distance away from the start of your line. Fasten off the surface crochet, leaving a long end.

Take a blunt darning needle and insert it under both legs of the first surface crochet stitch, like so. Pull the yarn end through, so that it runs underneath both legs of that first stitch.

Insert your needle into the fabric, down through the centre of the last surface crochet stitch (i.e. between the the two legs).

Pull the yarn end through to the back of the fabric. You’ve now made a ‘faux’ surface crochet stitch, which joins your first and last stitches and gives your surface crochet line a continuous appearance. Darn in the end on the back of the fabric, and you’re done!

Crocheting into Surface Crochet

For part of this pattern, you will need to crochet into one of your surface crochet paths. This helps to add thickness and texture to the surface crochet vines, an effect that I’ve used in my pattern to differentiate between the thicker wisteria branches and the more delicate rose vines. Crocheting into surface crochet might sound a bit complicated, but it’s really not!

When crocheting into surface crochet, switch back to your regular hook size for your yarn weight (for this project, I’m using a 4mm hook). From now on, we’ll always be working from the front of the fabric, so you can hold the hook and the yarn on the same side of the fabric.

Insert your hook underneath both legs of one of the surface crochet stitches, like so.

Pull through a loop of yarn.

Make a chain, by pulling another loop of yarn through the loop on your hook.

Now you’ve attached the yarn, you can work into the surface crochet. Any time you work into a new surface crochet stitch, make sure to insert your hook under both legs of the stitch. Continue stitching with the working yarn as you work your way around, following the pattern. For this project, the pattern is a simple repeat: (Ch 1, ss) into every stitch.

Once you have worked around the entire line of surface crochet, you can cut and fasten off the yarn.

You can then follow the above instructions on ‘Seamlessly Joining a Surface Crochet Loop’ to join this round of crochet into a continuous loop as well. Instead of working into the surface crochet stitches though, just insert the needle under the round of stitches you have just worked.

Interweaving Surface Crochet Paths

For this project, you’ll also need to know how to interlace your surface crochet paths. In total, we’ll be making 3 rounds of surface crochet: 2 brown, ‘wisteria’ rounds and 1 green, ‘rose’ round.

For the wisteria rounds, because we’ll be crocheting into the surface crochet, this isn’t important. You can just work the second round of crochet over the top of the first round any time the two rounds intersect. For the rose round, you’ll need to do a few extra steps, so that you can give the vine the appearance of ‘weaving’ in and out of the wisteria branches!

To get this woven effect, I like to alternate between the vine going over and under the vine below.

Weaving the Vine Over

To make the vine go over the vine below, just work the surface crochet over the round below. Start by making one stitch that ends just before the vine below.

Make the next stitch by inserting the hook into the fabric on the other side of the vine.

The new stitch will sit over the top of the vine.

Weaving the Vine Under

To make the vine go underneath the wisteria branch, you’ll need to remove the hook. Once you’ve made the last stitch before the vine below, pull the loop to enlarge it a little (so that it doesn’t unravel!), then remove your hook.

Insert your hook underneath the vine below, from left to right (i.e. so that the hook is pointing towards the open loop). I like to switch to a finer hook for this step, just to make it easier to get the hook through the stitching, but this is optional.

Pick up the loop you left open and pull it through to the other side of the vine.

Switch back to your larger hook and continue surface crocheting as usual until you get to the next intersection, where you will be working over the vine.

Again, this is a technique that sounds much more complicated than it is- once you get into the swing of it, you’ll be flying around. The switching of hooks makes it a little bit finicky, but you only need to do that every second intersection.

Mapping Out the Curved Path

Unfortunately, with surface crochet, you can’t really give specific instructions as to where to insert your hook to make the perfect path. Ideally, for these vines, you just want to create organic, wavy lines that go all the way around the perimeter of the blanket.

When I made my blanket, I used the mortar lines as a general guide- I tried to keep my lines largely within the outer bricks to keep the border even (though I did occasionally go a little way past them, just to make it look natural). Try your best to make your curves as gradual as possible- you don’t want any sharp points or corners! Otherwise, I found it easiest to just be guided by the fabric and where you can insert your hook. The first round will be the trickiest, because for the second, you can just be guided by the first to create a rough mirror image.

Ultimately (and unfortunately), this stage of the blanket involves lots of unavoidable, mini decisions. If you’re worried about this, you can always make yourself a guide by using lengths of yarn to map out your surface crochet path beforehand. If you lay the yarn on top of the blanket, you’ll be able to get an idea of what your vines will look like and adjust the waves/position to your liking. You can then use lockable stitch markers/safety pins to mark the peaks and troughs of each wave, to guide you as you crochet.

Pattern

Because of the complexity and discretionary nature of surface crochet, this written pattern is not extensive or overly specific. It should be referred to in conjunction with all of the above information- together all of these elements form a complete tutorial for the surface crochet vines on the Bridgerton House Baby Blanket.

Materials & Tools

• Stylecraft Special DK in the shades Mocha (for the wisteria branches) and Khaki (for the rose vines). For a breakdown of approximate yarn quantities needed for this project as a whole, please see the ‘Master Material List’ on the original Bridgerton House Baby Blanket post.
• 5.5mm hook (for the surface crochet).
• 4mm hook (for working into the surface crochet).
• Darning needle.
• Scissors.

Surface Crochet Vines: Written Pattern

Round 1 (surface crochet): Using a 5.5mm hook, join Mocha yarn for surface crochet. Working in surface crochet, make a continuous wavy line around the perimeter of the blanket (see Pattern Note below).

Round 2 (surface crochet): Continue with Mocha yarn and a 5.5mm hook and work another continuous wavy line of surface crochet, creating a rough mirror image of the first line.

Round 3: Using Mocha yarn and a 4mm hook, work into the surface crochet from round 1. (Ch 1, ss) into each stitch around. When you come to the end of the round, cut the yarn and follow the above instructions on ‘Seamlessly Joining a Surface Crochet Loop’, working under Round 3, instead of the surface crochet, to join the round.

Round 4: Using Mocha yarn and a 4mm hook, work into the surface crochet from round 1. (Ch 1, ss) into each stitch around. Whenever you come to an intersection point between the two vines, continue working in pattern over the top of the round below. When you come to the end of the round, cut the yarn and follow the above instructions on ‘Seamlessly Joining a Surface Crochet Loop’, working under Round 4, instead of the surface crochet, to join the round.

Round 5 (surface crochet): Using a 5.5mm hook, join Khaki yarn for surface crochet. Work in surface crochet, making a continuous wavy line around the perimeter of the blanket, weaving the khaki vine over and under the wisteria branches (see instructions above). When you come to the end of the round, cut the yarn and follow the above instructions on ‘Seamlessly Joining a Surface Crochet Loop’.

Pattern Note

For rounds 1-2, you can either complete each round individually, joining a new thread of Mocha yarn and fastening it off after each round (using the above instructions on ‘Seamlessly Joining a Surface Crochet Loop’) OR you can work continuously. If you want to do this, please refer to the following instructions:

• When attaching the Mocha yarn for Round 1, join the yarn at an intersection point (about halfway between what will become a wave peak and trough). If you haven’t mapped out your path and are just freehanding it, I recommend joining the yarn at a centre point of a brick.

• When you come to the end of Round 1, insert your hook for your final surface crochet stitch into the first surface crochet stitch (i.e. between the legs of that first stitch).

• To start Round 2, insert your hook a stitch’s distance away, perpendicular to the path of the round before (to make the intersection point)Work all the way around, then follow the instructions for ‘Seamlessly Joining a Surface Crochet Loop’ to fasten off the yarn.

Final Thoughts

Once you’ve completed all 5 rounds of crochet, you’ll be left with a fully vine-d blanket, ready for all of your appliqué florals and leaves! Like I said, if you’ve never done it before, the surface crochet technique will seem quite counterintuitive and weird, but, once you get used to it, it’s a really useful skill to have under your belt!

As I mentioned in the last post, I’m not super experienced at writing crochet patterns, so please do let me know if you run into any problems with this and I will do my best to help you out! I’ll see you next week for Part 4!

Gemma

xxx

The brick blanket is predominantly worked in linen stitch– a squidgy, easy-to-work stitch that gives the blanket a lovely texture, feel and professional look. The blanket also utilises some colourwork (using yarn bobbins) to achieve a ‘bricks and mortar’ effect-. This post contains a full tutorial for all of the techniques and stitches used in the pattern, so please do not worry if you haven’t done some of the techniques before- it’ll just be a fun challenge!

Once you get the hang of it, the pattern itself is quite straightforward and nicely repetitive (even though the written pattern, I admit, might look a little daunting!). I have also included a photo tutorial to help demonstrate some of the techniques and to help you visualise the slightly trickier elements of the pattern, in the interest of making this pattern as beginner-friendly as possible!

Table of Contents

• Linen Stitch: The Basics
• Using Yarn Bobbins
• Materials & Tools
• Pattern Notes
• Abbreviations
• Written Pattern
• Photo Tutorial

Linen Stitch: The Basics

Linen Stitch, or Moss Stitch, is a simple crochet stitch made using a combination of two basic elements: double crochet and chains. Rows are worked in the following pattern: (Ch 1, skip the next stitch, dc in the next stitch), where, after the first ‘setup’ row, the dc stitches are worked into the ch spaces from the row below. The result is a fabric that is slightly denser than standard double crochet and has a fine, even texture.

I love linen stitch, but it can sometimes be a little bit tricky to maintain a consistent tension when working in it. Luckily, with this blanket, the vertical mortar lines (which are worked in plain double crochet, not linen stitch), act as ‘pillars’ which help to keep the linen stitch bricks even. If you’ve had trouble with linen stitch before, this would be a great project to give it another go!

Using Yarn Bobbins

Yarn bobbins are essentially flat ‘spools’, onto which small amounts of yarn can be wound, to make the colourwork process easier. For this blanket, there are times when you need 5 working threads of Walnut yarn at once, so yarn bobbins are a necessity (unless you fancy buying 5 balls of yarn, which I wouldn’t recommend because a) it would be expensive and probably wasteful, b) you’re much more likely to get into a tangle and c) your project will be super heavy and difficult to manoeuvre while you work on it!). There’s a slight learning curve when it comes to working with yarn bobbins, but once you’ve got the hang of it, it will make your life so much easier!

There’s a couple of things you need to keep in mind when you’re using the yarn bobbins for this pattern:

• Don’t overload the bobbins.

This is a general rule for yarn bobbins! It can be tempting to wind as much yarn as possible onto each bobbin, to minimise the number of ends you’ll have to sew in later. However, overloading yarn bobbins can lead to tangles and distorted fabric (because of the added weight). I found that winding about 3g of yarn onto each bobbin was perfect- it was enough that I wasn’t constantly having to refill them, but not so much that I ran into problems.

• Once you’ve worked with the yarn from the bobbin and re-joined the brick colour, always move the bobbin to the front of your work.

Keeping a consistent bobbin placement routine will make your work look super neat, and keeping the bobbins at the front of the work makes it easier to crochet the next row. Trust me!

Materials & Tools

I listed all of the materials and tools you need to make the complete Bridgerton House Baby Blanket in the previous post, but, if you would just like to make the brick blanket (sans floral embellishments), you’ll need the following equipment:

• 4 x 100g balls Stylecraft Highland Heathers DK in Marmalade.
• 1 x 100g ball Stylecraft Special DK in Walnut.
• 4.00 mm crochet hook.
• 3.50 mm crochet hook (for the starting chain only).
• 5 yarn bobbins.
• Darning needle.
• Scissors.

Pattern Notes

• This pattern uses UK crochet terminology.
• Gauge: Each full-sized, linen-stitch brick should measure approx. 13 x 6cm. Worked at the this gauge, the finished blanket will measure approximately 90 x 65cm.
• The blanket is worked back and forth, using a combination of linen stitch (for the bricks and horizontal mortar lines) and double crochet (for the vertical mortar lines). As a general rule of thumb, a dc should be worked before each vertical mortar line and a ch should be worked after each vertical mortar line. Use this rule as a handy checkpoint to keep yourself on track!
• Colourwork techniques are used to create the vertical mortar lines, for which yarn bobbins are used. You will need 5 bobbins, each wound with about 3g of Walnut yarn, for the mortar. Keep the main ball of Walnut to hand for rewinding the bobbins and crocheting the longer, horizontal mortar lines.
• A 3.5mm hook is used only for the initial starting chain, to ensure a neat edge. The rest of the blanket is worked using a 4mm hook.

Abbreviations

• MC = Main colour: Stylecraft Highland Heathers DK in Marmalade.
• CC = Contrast colour: Stylecraft Special DK in Walnut.
• ch = Chain: yarn over and pull through. 
• dc = UK double crochet: insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through. You will now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through both loops. 
• ss = Slip stitch: yarn over and pull through loop on hook.

Written Pattern

Using MC and 3.5mm hook, ch 178.

Row 1: Change to 4mm hook. Dc in 2nd chain from hook. (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in next stitch) 16 times. Join a CC yarn bobbin. Dc in next 2 chains using CC yarn, making sure to crochet over the MC yarn. Rejoin MC yarn. Bring CC yarn bobbin to the front of the work, then continue with MC yarn. (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in next stitch) 17 times with MC yarn. *Join new CC yarn bobbin, dc 2 with CC, working over MC yarn. Rejoin MC yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in next stitch) 17 times* to end.

Rows 2-16: Ch 1, turn and dc in next ch space. (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 16 times. *Rejoin CC yarn from row below, dc 2 with CC, working over MC yarn. Rejoin MC yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 17 times* to end.

Cut MC and all CC bobbins, leaving ends to darn in later. Attach main ball of CC.

Rows 17-18: *Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space* to end.

Cut CC, join MC.

**Rows 19-34: Ch 1, turn and dc in next ch space. (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 7 times, then *Join CC bobbin, dc 2 with CC, working over MC yarn. Rejoin MC yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 17 times* 4 times. Join CC bobbin, dc 2 with CC, working over MC yarn. Rejoin MC yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 8 times.

Cut MC and all CC bobbins, leaving ends to darn in later. Attach main ball of CC.

Rows 35-36: *Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space* to end.

Cut CC, join MC.

Rows 37-52: Ch 1, turn and dc in next ch space. (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 16 times. *Join CC bobbin, dc 2 with CC, working over MC yarn. Rejoin MC yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 17 times* to end.***

Repeat from ** to *** 5 more times, working the last 2 rows of the blanket as follows:

Rows 231-232: Ch 1, turn and dc in next ch space. (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 16 times. *Join CC bobbin, (ss in first stitch, dc in next) with CC, working over MC yarn. Join MC yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 17 times* to end.***

Cut all yarns and darn in all ends. Steam gently before adding surface crochet details and appliqué embellishments.

Photo Tutorial

This photo tutorial is designed to be used in conjunction with the written pattern above. Hopefully, it will help to illustrate some of the techniques and help you to visualise the brick pattern (which will make the pattern feel much more intuitive!).

First, you need to make the starting chain. Using a 3.5mm hook and the Marmalade yarn, ch 178. Using a slightly smaller hook for the starting chain will help to keep the bottom edge of the blanket neat and uniform (typically, I use a larger hook to form my starting chains, but, when working in linen stitch, I like to use a smaller hook).

Switch to a 4mm hook and work 1 dc into the 2nd chain from the hook. This counts as one (ch 1, dc) in the linen stitch pattern repeat.

*Ch 1, skip next stitch, dc into next stitch* 16 times. Alongside the initial (ch 1, dc), that gives a total of 17 times, which equals one brick. All of the full-sized bricks throughout this pattern are made up of 17 repeats (or 34 stitches), like this.

When you get to the final stitch in the first brick, pull through Walnut yarn (from a yarn bobbin), instead of Marmalade, to join the new colour. This makes for a neat colour change.

Using Walnut yarn, dc into the next 2 stitches, making sure to carry the Marmalade yarn. To do this, lie the Marmalade yarn along the top of the work and crochet over it with the Walnut yarn. This will conceal the Marmalade yarn, while ensuring it is in the right position to be picked back up for the next brick. Remember that the vertical mortar stripes are not worked in linen stitch- they are worked in standard dc.

Pull the Marmalade yarn through at the end of the 2nd dc, to rejoin the brick colour. Don’t forget to bring the Walnut yarn bobbin to the front of the work at this point- this will make the next row easier to crochet and doing this every time will make the blanket look super neat and consistent.

Set up another linen stitch brick. *Ch 1, skip next stitch, dc into next stitch* 17 times.

Make the vertical mortar line as before. Join another bobbin of Walnut yarn in the final dc of the previous brick and dc in the next 2 stitches, carrying the Marmalade yarn so that you can seamlessly rejoin it for the next brick.

Repeat the brick + mortar pattern to the end of the row. You should end up with 5 full-sized ‘bricks’, separated by 4 vertical mortar lines.

Continue in the 5-brick pattern for 15 more rows. Ch 1, turn and dc in next ch space. (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 16 times. *Rejoin Walnut yarn from row below, dc 2, working over Marmalade yarn. Rejoin Marmalade yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 17 times* to end.

Once the first brick row is finished, cut all the working yarns, leaving the ends to sew in later. That includes the Marmalade yarn and all 4 Walnut strands! You can either sew the ends in as you go along, or be like me and leave them all to sew in in one (hellish) sitting. The choice is yours.

Join the main ball of Walnut yarn and work in linen stitch for 2 rows. *Ch 1, skip next stitch, dc into next stitch* to the end of the row. Turn and repeat. This will act as the first horizontal mortar stripe.

Start setting up the first offset brick row. For the next row of bricks, you’ll be working in the following pattern: 1 half brick, 4 whole bricks, 1 half brick. To make the first brick, Ch 1, turn and dc in next ch space, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 7 times (this gives an 8-repeat brick, which is just under half as wide as the regular, 17-repeat brick).

Add the first vertical mortar line after the half brick. Do this in exactly the same way as you did in the regular brick row, joining one of the Walnut bobbins for the colour change.

Finish the offset brick row. Work 4 regular, 17-repeat bricks, with mortar in between, then finish off the row with another 8-repeat brick. You should have 2 half bricks, 4 whole bricks and 5 vertical mortar stripes.

Complete 15 more rows in the offset brick pattern. Ch 1, turn and dc in next ch space. (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 7 times, then *Join CC bobbin, dc 2 with CC, working over MC yarn. Rejoin MC yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 17 times* 4 times. Join CC bobbin, dc 2 with CC, working over MC yarn. Rejoin MC yarn, bring bobbin to front of work, then (Ch 1, skip one stitch, dc in ch space) 8 times.

Cut all the working yarns, join the main ball of Walnut yarn and work in linen stitch for 2 rows. *Ch 1, skip next stitch, dc into next stitch* to the end of the row. Turn and repeat. This will act as the second horizontal mortar stripe, made in exactly the same way as the first.

Work in pattern, alternating between the regular, 5-brick pattern and the offset brick pattern, until you have 13 rows of bricks in total. Each row of bricks is 16 rows of crochet deep. You should begin and end with a row of the regular, 5-brick pattern. Pause before completing the final 2 rows of the blanket.

Work the final 2 rows of the blanket. When crocheting the vertical mortar stripes on the final 2 rows, instead of working 2 dc as usual, ss into the first stitch, then dc into the second. Do this for each vertical mortar stripe, on both rows. This will give you a straighter edge along the top of your blanket.

Cut all working yarns and weave in any ends. Give the blanket a gentle steam to help it lie flat before attaching any embellishments/decorations. Because the yarn I’ve used is acrylic, it won’t ‘block’ the same way a natural fibre was, but it will loosen out ever so slightly with gentle steaming. Just be careful not to over-steam the blanket, or you might end up with a too-floppy blanket (which, unfortunately, there’s no way back from!).

Once you’ve done all that, you’ll be left with a lovely, brick-pattern blanket that you can decorate however you like- whether that’s in the same, Bridgerton style as mine, or something different entirely!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial- I’m not super experienced at writing crochet patterns, so please do let me know if you run into any problems with this and I will do my best to help you out! I’ll see you next time for Part 3!

Gemma

xxx

HAPPY BRIDGERTON SEASON 3 (PART 1) RELEASE DAY!!!!!!

Phew, now that’s out the way- it’s time to celebrate! Bridgerton Watch Party Week may be over, but, evidently, my thoughts of the show never end. This post is the first in another Bridgerton-inspired series, which will be coming out in weekly instalments (interspersed with other, non-Bridgerton posts, though- so please don’t be put off if Bridgerton isn’t really your thing!). Over the next 5 weeks, I’ll be sharing my new, original (and free!) crochet pattern, inspired by Bridgerton. This is my…

🌸🧱BRIDGERTON HOUSE BABY BLANKET🧱🌸

This pattern has been 2 whole years in the making (yep, you read that right. Can you tell I’m somewhat of a perfectionist?). One of the things I love most about Bridgerton is the aesthetic- the effort and thought that goes into the costuming, the settings and the symbolism just makes my heart so happy. This pattern is a direct consequence of that love- it’s me, letting myself be inspired by something that genuinely brings me joy and creating something I’m truly, truly proud of. I can’t wait to share it with you.

In this post, I’ll be introducing you to the blanket and giving you a little bit of backstory on the design process, as well as a roadmap for how the rollout of this pattern will look. I’ve decided to split the pattern up into several posts, to ensure that I can give all of the elements enough attention and consideration (without overwhelming everyone with an insanely long post). Once all of the parts are out, I’ll release the pattern on Ravelry, so that you can save it/link your own projects to it more easily!

Also: this blanket is actually a super versatile pattern- even if you’re not a die-hard Bridgerton fan like me, you can still use the basic brick blanket pattern as a basis for all manner of projects and baby blankets. The possibilities are endless!

Let’s get into it, shall we?

Table of Contents

• Inspiration
• The Design Process
• Trialling Techniques
  • The Brick Blanket
  • The Flowers
  • The Vines
• Putting It All Together
• Master Material List
• Pattern Release Roadmap

Inspiration

As I’m sure you can tell from the name, this blanket is inspired by Bridgerton House, one of the buildings in the show and, unsurprisingly, the home of the titular family. Its deep, red brick stands out among the other, more neutral, stone buildings of the ‘ton’, and purple wisteria runs along the facade. The front courtyard is surrounded by a wrought iron fence, which is decorated with rose bushes that add little splashes of pink, here and there. The building itself is actually Ranger’s House, in London- though, in real life (sadly), the wisteria and roses are nowhere to be seen.

For the blanket, I opted to include three of the most iconic elements of the house: the red bricks, the purple wisteria and the pink roses. One of the most interesting things about Bridgerton is how it blends the regency and modern eras, so I really wanted the blanket to reflect that dichotomy- to seem ornate and opulent, but also simple and elegant- almost minimal.

The Design Process

I first started dreaming about this blanket when I was struggling through some withdrawal symptoms after finishing Season 2. I have a little book where I jot down little notes or sketches of ideas I have for crochet projects and I drew this (super precise and accurate) sketch in the throes of my Bridgerton-induced fever:

I spent a bit of time muddling around with the general concept- trying out different arrangements, designs and elements that I could try to incorporate, until I had a clearer idea of what I really wanted to achieve with this blanket. I then created a slightly more detailed sketch on Procreate, which is an iPad drawing app:

I ended up with this design, which I think really encompassed everything I had hoped to achieve- the blanket itself is fairly simple and minimal, but the flowers and twisting branches add that sense of over-the-top, floral opulence.

Sketching my design like this also meant that I could easily try out different arrangements of the elements- I wanted the wisteria to be pointing downwards (because, you know, gravity), but I also wanted it to go right around the perimeter of the blanket. By fiddling around with my sketch on Procreate, I could try out different options super easily, until I finally came to this half-and-half design, where the top half of the blanket is always pointing downwards. I did end up deviating from the design ever so slightly, here and there, by adding wisteria leaves and positioning the roses in clusters, but, otherwise, I stayed pretty true to my original idea!

Trialling Techniques

Ah, finally. We come to the bit of this project that took me the longest (most of the 2 years, to be exact). Trialling the techniques to work out the pattern for this blanket- to turn my sketch into a reality!

The Brick Blanket

I decided pretty early on that I would create the brick blanket first, then crochet some wisteria and rose embellishments separately to appliqué onto that blanket. Truthfully, I expected the flowers to be the trickiest part of this, but, no, no- it was the bricks!

I started by deciding on what stitch to use for the bricks. I wanted something that had a little bit of texture (because bricks are not perfectly smooth), but also something that looked professional and neat. After a lot of sampling, I settled on using linen stitch (sometimes called moss stitch), which produces a lovely texture and feel- it’s soft, squishy and looks really neat. It’s also super easy to work up, so you can really get into a mindless, crochet rhythm (my favourite thing).

Initially, I had planned to make the bricks separately and crochet them together with a darker yarn (acting as the ‘mortar’) but, ultimately, I just wasn’t happy with the end result. I desperately wanted to leave the edges of the blanket as they were, without a border, for a more minimal, modern vibe, but the edges weren’t smooth enough for that. I tried so many things to get around this, but it just wasn’t working for me, so I had to go back to the drawing board. Eventually, I worked out a way, using colourwork techniques, to make the whole blanket in one piece, bricks and mortar together, which gave perfectly straight, neat sides. It was so perfect (and so much easier), I almost couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it in the first place! Not only does this method make for much neater edges, it also drastically reduces the amount of sewing required for this blanket (which is a huge win, by my standards!).

The Flowers

As I mentioned, I was pretty sure that developing the patterns for the flowers would be a tricky undertaking. Truthfully, it was a challenge, but, after the whole brick saga, it honestly felt pretty straightforward! After (quite a lot) of samples and lots of trialling different hook sizes and petal numbers and colour combinations, I ended up with two different sizes of both the wisteria fronds and the roses. Admittedly, the wisteria isn’t anywhere near anatomically correct (my apologies to all of the botanists and wisteria-worshippers out there), but I think it still gives a pretty good impression of it!

I did also want to include some greenery here and there, so I moved on to trying to create some leaves for each of my flowers. Again, this took a bit of trial and error- the rose leaves were pretty straight forward, but the wisteria leaves took a bit more work. In the end, I worked out a way to crochet the whole wisteria flower, leaves and all, as one piece, which makes sewing the blanket together that little bit easier (a big win)! The rose leaves, on the other hand, did have to be made separately, but I suppose you can’t win them all.

The Vines

Another thing I had to figure out was how to make the vines (is it accurate to call these vines? Or is that just for grapes? Gah- my plant knowledge is severely lacking)- I wanted to include both the woody, twisty, branches of the wisteria plants and the green stems of the roses weaving all around the perimeter of the blanket . After some research (and more testing), I opted to use a technique called surface crochet for this. This is a great technique that produces a similar result to the embroidery technique ‘chain stitch’, but you can use yarn straight from the ball, instead of having to cut a certain length (and recut, when you inevitably either run out or get into a major tangle).

To add even more dimension, I opted to crochet into the surface crochet for my wisteria branches. This allowed me to make the branches thicker, providing some differentiation between the two ‘vines’, and to add some texture to the branches, to make them a little bit more realistic (though I do, of course, use that term very loosely).

Putting It All Together

After months of testing, trialling and researching, I was finally ready to make my blanket. It came out… perfectly. As in, I was kind of amazed at how similar it looks to my design- I’m SO proud of it! Usually with crafting, you’ll have an idea in your head of how something will look and it will turn out completely different- not bad, just different. This blanket looks exactly like the design I had in my head and I’m still kind of baffled by that. Honestly though, for 2 years of work, it probably should, so I won’t complain.

All in all, the final blanket measures approximately 90cm x 65cm. I designed it as a baby blanket, but you could use it as a lap blanket, or perhaps even a wall hanging (if that’s your vibe), instead.

Master Material List

While I will include a list of everything you need to make each stage of the Bridgerton House Blanket in their individual posts, I wanted to include a master post of materials and notions here as well.

To make this blanket, you will need:

• 4x100g balls Stylecraft Highland Heathers DK in the shade Marmalade.
• 1x100g ball of Stylecraft Special DK in the shade Walnut.
• Small amounts of Stylecraft Special DK in the shades: Khaki, Mocha, Pale Rose, Parma Violet, Pistachio, Powder Pink, Raspberry and Wisteria.*
• Crochet hooks (2.0mm, 2.5mm, 3.0mm, 3.5mm, 4.0mm, 5.0mm).**
• 5x yarn bobbins.
• Darning needle.
• Scissors.

For this blanket, I’ve used Stylecraft yarn. Stylecraft is always my (acrylic) yarn of choice- it’s so soft and easy to work with, plus it comes in a great range of colours! You can use a different DK weight yarn, if you prefer, though, for all of the embellishments. I would recommend using the Stylecraft Highland Heathers (specifically in the shade Marmalade) for the main blanket though, because it is the perfect brick-red shade and quite a unique yarn!

* In the interest of being as informative as possible, I did actually work out exactly how much of each of each colour you’ll need for this project, so you can work out if any scraps you may have lying around are large enough. If you are a little under the listed quantities, I would recommend seeing how far you can get with what you have, before buying another ball. Because each element is so small, you don’t need to worry about dye lots/changing colours, so you can always buy more yarn later on, if needed!

** I can only apologise for the ridiculous number of different hook sizes- a number of the elements require multiple different sizes in order to come together properly, so it just kind of happened. I have this set of crochet hooks, which includes every hook size needed for this project. The hooks themselves are really good quality (and ergonomic!), so it’s a great option for this project (or just, you know, in general).

Pattern Release Roadmap

Finally, then, after 2 whole years, this pattern is ready to be shared! As I mentioned, I’ll be releasing it in weekly instalments. I’ll be coming back to this ‘master post’ as each instalments is released, to link in the new posts and make it super easy for you to find all of the sections). Without further ado, though, here’s the roadmap (along with some little sneak peaks of what each post will encompass), so that you can stay in the loop:

• Week 1: Making the Brick Blanket

Linen stitch, main blanket pattern & colourwork using yarn bobbins.

• Week 2: Using Surface Crochet to Add the Vines

Surface crochet, working into surface crochet & interlacing surface crochet paths.

• Week 3: Making the Rose Pieces

Making large and small roses, working with a fine hook & making rose leaves.

• Week 4: Making the Wisteria Pieces

Crocheting a spiral of petals around a central chain & making attached leaves.

• Week 5: Assembly

Positioning, sewing on the elements & child safety tips.

And that’s it! As I mentioned, once all 5 instalments have been released, I will be creating a pattern page for this project on Ravelry, so that you can save it for later, or link your own projects to it.

UPDATE: 

This pattern is now on Ravelry! You can find it here.

I hope you’re as excited as I am for the next 5 weeks- I’ll see you back here soon!

Gemma

xxx

Today’s post is a SUPER exciting one- it’s my first ever original crochet pattern here on the blog! I have been crocheting since I was very young and I have always loved creating patterns of my very own. I’ve never properly written any down before, though, and I’ve definitely never published any online, but Christmas is a time for being brave so, today, I bring you my…

✨🎄SANTA BABY BLANKET🎄✨

The Santa Baby Blanket is a red blanket with a fluffy white edging- a nod to Father Christmas’ iconic suit. The main blanket is worked in suzette stitch, which gives the (otherwise pretty simple) blanket a really lovely, interesting texture. I’ve used Stylecraft Special DK in the shade Claret for the blanket pictured, but you could use any DK weight yarn. The edging is worked around the blanket, using rows of double crochet and a fleece-style, cream-coloured yarn, which makes the blanket extra soft and special. I used Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in the shade Cream for this blanket, but I think it’s actually been discontinued now- I’m heartbroken! Any DK weight, fleece-style yarn will work fine here- you could, of course, use a non-fleece yarn (though I am partial to the fluffy effect the fleece yarn gives).

In terms of difficulty, this blanket is actually very straightforward to make- as long as you know some basic techniques (starting chain, double crochet, treble crochet), you’ll be fine! If you’re a beginner, do be aware that fluffy yarns like the Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake can be a little trickier to work with than plain yarns, because you cannot see the individual stitches and must rely largely on ‘feeling’ where the hook needs to go. It’s worth the learning curve though- I really do think that the fluffy yarn makes the blanket so much cuter.

To go to the Ravelry pattern page for this design, click here. 

As I mentioned, this is my first time writing a pattern, so please do let me know if there are any ambiguities/instructions that do not quite make sense! I’m always happy to answer any questions you might have.

Table of Contents

• Concept
• Materials and Tools
• Pattern Notes
• Abbreviations
• Pattern
  • For the blanket:
  • For the edging:
• Final Thoughts

Concept

I’d been dreaming of this blanket for a good while before I actually sat down and tried to find a pattern. There are a couple of similar ones out there, but I just wasn’t crazy about the stitch texture of them- I think I had a very specific picture in my mind, so I decided to just bite the bullet and work it out myself.

In the end, I opted to use suzette stitch. This is one of my favourite stitches- I love the appearance and texture of it, but I also really enjoy the process of working it up. Suzette stitch is just a combination of double and treble crochets- it’s such a straightforward, repetitive stitch that it really makes the whole project such a mindless and stress-free experience.

Materials and Tools

• 370g (1,093 m [1,191 yds]) Stylecraft Special DK in Claret (100g = 295 m [322 yds]).
• 40g (136 metres [147 yards]) Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in Cream (25g = 85 m [92 yds]).
• 4mm crochet hook
• Darning needle
• Scissors

Pattern Notes

• This pattern uses UK crochet terminology.
• Gauge: 19 sts x 17 rows = 10cm

Working at this gauge is not essential for this project- if your gauge is different, your blanket will just be a slightly different size. Do be aware, though, that you may need to purchase more wool if your gauge is significantly looser than mine.

• Worked at the above gauge, the finished blanket will measure approximately 68x90cm. If you wish to make a different size, you can change the number of stitches (to any multiple of 2), and/or the number of rows to achieve your desired size. Please be aware that you will need to purchase more wool if you increase the size of the blanket significantly.
• The main blanket is worked back and forth, in suzette stitch.
• The edging is worked in the round, using only double crochet.

Abbreviations

• MC = Main colour: Stylecraft Special DK in Claret.
• CC = Contrast colour: Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in Cream.
• ch = Chain: yarn over and pull through.
• dc = UK double crochet: insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through. You will now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through both loops.
• tr = UK treble crochet: Yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over again and pull through. You will now have three loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through two of the loops, then yarn over again and pull through the remaining two loops.

Pattern

For the blanket:

Using MC, ch 120.

Row 1: Dc in 2nd chain from hook, tr in same stitch. *Skip next ch, then (dc, tr) in next stitch* to last 2 stitches. Skip next stitch, then dc in last stitch.

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch) and turn work. *(dc, tr) into first stitch, then skip next stitch* until one stitch remains. Dc in last stitch.

Rows 3-143: Repeat Row 2.

Fasten off yarn and weave in all ends.

For the edging:

Using CC, join yarn about 10cm before a corner. Work in continuous rounds.

Round 1: Dc around the whole blanket (work 1 dc into the end of each row on the sides, and 1 dc into each ch/stitch on the top/bottom), working (dc, ch 1, dc) into each corner.

Rounds 2-6: Repeat Round 1.

Fasten off yarn and weave in all ends.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it- my Santa Baby Blanket! Honestly, I loved the process of making this blanket almost as much as I love the finished product- it is so comfortingly repetitive. As much as I love making intricate toys and super detailed things, I really don’t think you can beat a mindless crochet project like this one- especially this time of year, when life can be so hectic!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my first ever crochet pattern! As I mentioned earlier, you can also find this pattern on Ravelry. I’d love to hear if you give it a try- let me know in the comments below!

Gemma

xxx