Lightly Weighted Blanket

Have you ever found such a good deal on something that you just had to buy all of it off the shelves? Well that is how this blanket came to be. There is this store near my house called Ollie’s. If you have never been to an Ollie’s let me paint a picture of what you can expect. It is like if Big Lots decided to have a garage sale and get rid of all the stuff that even they didn’t want. I used to shop there a lot when I was in college, because you can find almost anything for almost no money, as long as you don’t care that it is in a brand you have never seen before.

Now, what this store does have going for it, is their super vast book department. It is the first thing you see when you come in, and on this particular day, it was the reason I had stopped in. I an a bit opposed to clutter, so in our house we rarely buy books. We are more public library people. However, because of the current state of the world, our library has been closed for months. At this point my son has read every book he owned, and is now permanently attached to his Xbox. I decided to try and pry him away from Minecraft by getting new book… probably about Minecraft.

I ended up getting a few books, but what really made the trip worth it was the GIANT box of light purple Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn priced for, wait for it, $2 each. Normally this yarn is around $5 each. So I did what any sane person would do, and I bought 20 of them. Now, did I NEED 20 skeins of Super Bluky yarn…No. But did I see that yarn and have a burst of inspiration knowing exactly what to make from it…Also no. No matter, the yarn was mine and I was happy.

Eventually, I did figure out want to wanted to make with my purchase. I wanted a big, chunky blanket that would cover both myself and my husband on the couch. It took some trial and error finding a stitch that was close enough together that the blanket was warm and cozy, but had enough space that the heavy yarn wouldn’t become too thick. The end result was a modified V Stitch with half double crochet boarder. when I started making the blanket, I didn’t expect it to end up weighing as much as it did. the finished blanked is a bit more than 7 lbs. It is not quite as heavy as a standard weighted blanket, but definitely heavier than your typical throw. I absolutely love how it turned out, and it has become quite the hit with everyone else.

The pattern for this blanket is below, but if you would like a printable, ad free version, head over to my Ravelry page and purchase the PDF from my shop. Link to the pattern is here,

Pattern

Materials Used

For the pictured blanket I used 20 skeins of Lion Brand Hometown USA in Joliet Iris. Link to the yarn is here. Any size 6, Super Bulky yarn will work for this pattern, though.

Stitch Abbreviations

FHDC: Foundation Half Double Crochet

HDC BLO: Half Double Crochet in the back loop onbly

DC: Double Crochet

V Stitch: 2 Double crochet in the space between the 2 double crochet in the row below

Set up:
FHDC 97 or any odd number. Alternatively, chain 98 (or any even number) and work HDC across.
Rows 1-3
Chain 1, Hdc blo in each stitch across
Row 4
Ch 2, DC in first stitch, skip next stitch, *2 DC in next stitch, skip stitch* repeat *…* to last stitch, DC in last St.
Rows 5-61
Ch 2, DC in first stitch, *V St in the space between the 2 DC in row below* repeat *…* across to last stitch, DC in last stitch
Rows 62-64
Ch 1, HDC blo in each stitch across
Cut yarn leaving a tail long enough to weave in. Finishing: Weave in all ends, and enjoy

This blanket works up super fast. I had the whole thing finished during a Sunday Snapped marathon. Please take pictures of your finished projects and tag @Mangoyarns on Instagram. I would LOVE to see your work!

Here is a photo of the blanket in its new spot in the living room. The ladder was made by my crazy talented husband.