It has been ages since I last made a blanket. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve started several, but finishing them has always been a bit of a challenge for me.
Like most of you, I have spent the last few months sequestered at home. That’s meant a lot of family time (good), snacking (not so good), and Netflixing. My daughter and I actually had a Marvel marathon and watched every movie in order. It was fun! Of course I needed a simple crochet project to work on during those many, many hours of movies.
I decided a granny square project fit the bill, and so the Trudie Afghan was born! This blanket is made up of two tone granny squares and triangles. They’re are assembled on the bias to create a fun visual effect. Each square is about 12” across, so you get a nice big blanket with less seaming, hooray!
For this project I decided to use Lion Brand Basic Stitch. This premium acrylic yarn is perfect for blankets. It’s worsted weight, machine washable (and dryable!) and available in 18 colors. Each skein is 219 yards. For the Trudie Afghan you will need 10 balls of you main color and 5 of your contrast color. I used Cream as the main and Tourmaline for my contrast.
Description: The Trudie Afghan is made for snuggling! Constructed with two tone solid granny squares and triangles, this cozy piece looks bold in any room and puts a modern spin on the traditional granny square afghan.
You can find the Trudie Afghan Kit from Lion Brand or get the PDF on Ravelry.
Materials:
Lion Brand Basic Stitch Premium, Cream (10 balls) and Tourmaline (5 balls).
5.5 mm (US I) crochet hook, or size needed to meet gauge
Darning needle
Gauge: 14 sts x 8 rows dc = 4” x 4”
Finished Dimensions: 48” x 66”
Abbreviations (US Terms):
st(s) stitch(es)
ch chain
slst slip stitch
sc single crochet
dc double crochet
MC main color
CC contrast color
sm stitch marker
rs right side
ws wrong side
Pattern Notes:
Ch 3 at the beginning of a round counts as a dc.
Ch 4 at the beginning of row counts as a dc plus ch 1.
Ch 5 at the beginning of a round counts as a dc plus ch 2.
When constructing your blanket, make sure all of your squares are facing the same way.
This blanket is made using two colors, the color used for each round/row is indicated at the start of each round/row as MC or CC.
In the sample, the MC is Cream, CC is Tourmaline.
Block squares before assembling for best results.
Pattern:
Square (Make 39):
MC Ch 4, join with slst to form a ring.
MC Round 1 (rs): Ch 5, *3dc in ring, ch 2* repeat from * to * 2 more times, 2dc in ring, join with slst to 3rd ch of ch 5, turn. <12 dc>
MC Round 2 (ws): Ch 5, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st* repeat from * to * 2 more times, dc in each st, dc in ch sp, join with slst to 3rd ch of ch 5, turn. <28 dc>
MC Round 3: Ch 5, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st* repeat from * to * 2 more times, dc in each st, dc in chsp, join with slst to 3rd ch of ch 5, turn. <44 dc>
MC Round 4: Ch 5, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st* repeat from * to * 2 more times, dc in each st, dc in chsp, join with slst to 3rd ch of ch 5, turn. <60 dc>
MC Round 5: Ch 5, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st* repeat from * to * 2 more times, dc in each st, dc in chsp, join with slst to 3rd ch of ch 5, turn. <76 dc>
CC Round 6: Ch 5, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st* repeat from * to * 2 more times, dc in each st, dc in chsp, join with slst to 3rd ch of ch 5, turn. <92 dc>
MC Round 7: Ch 3, dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, 2dc in ch sp, switch to CC, ch 2, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each dc, in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each dc, 2dc in ch sp, ch 2, join with slst to top of ch 3, fasten off. <108 dc>
Triangle B (Make 5):
MC Ch 4, join with slst to form a ring.
MC Row 1 (rs): Ch 4, 3dc in ring, ch 2, 3dc in ring, ch 1, dc in ring, turn. <8 dc>
MC Row 2 (ws): Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <16 dc>
MC Row 3: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <24 dc>
MC Row 4: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <32 dc>
MC Row 5: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <40 dc>
CC Row 6: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <48 dc>
MC Row 7: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, switch to CC, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, fasten off. <56 dc>
Triangle C (Make 3):
MC Ch 4, join with slst to form a ring.
MC Row 1 (rs): Ch 4, 3dc in ring, ch 2, 3dc in ring, ch 1, dc in ring, turn. <8 dc>
MC Row 2 (ws): Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <16 dc>
MC Row 3 – 5: Repeat row 2. <40 dc>
CC Row 6: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <48 dc>
MC Row 7: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <56 dc>
Triangle D (Make 5):
MC Ch 4, join with slst to form a ring.
MC Row 1 (rs): Ch 4, 3dc in ring, ch 2, 3dc in ring, ch 1, dc in ring, turn. <8 dc>
MC Row 2 (ws): Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <16 dc>
MC Row 3: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <24 dc>
MC Row 4: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <32 dc>
MC Row 5: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <40 dc>
CC Row 6: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <48 dc>
CC Row 7: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, switch to MC, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, fasten off. <56 dc>
Triangle E (Make 3):
MC Ch 4, join with slst to form a ring.
MC Row 1 (rs): Ch 4, 3dc in ring, ch 2, 3dc in ring, ch 1, dc in ring, turn. <8 dc>
MC Row 2 (ws): Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <16 dc>
MC Row 3 – 5: Repeat row 2. <40 dc>
CC Row 6: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <48 dc>
CC Row 7: Ch 4, 2dc in same ch sp, dc in each st, *in ch sp (2dc, ch 2, 2dc), dc in each st, (2dc, ch 1, dc) in ch sp, turn. <56 dc>
Assembly:
Using the schematic below, seam together your squares and triangles as indicated. Your squares should be placed so that the corner with double rows of cc are facing up. You may use your preferred seaming method; I used the mattress stitch.
Finishing:
MC, join yarn in any corner of your blanket and ch 1.
MC Round 1: Sc evenly around your blanket, join with slst to first st, fasten off. Weave in all ends. <564 sc>
Exact st count for border is not important and may vary depending on your seaming method. Each of the shorter sides should have approximately 112 sc, while each of the long side will have approximately 170. As a general rule, I try to put 2 sc into each dc edge.
