Meet the Patchwork Blanket, a colorful Tunisian crochet blanket made with leftover Lion Brand Mandala cakes, featuring a join-as-you-go construction and the Tunisian half-double crochet stitch.
This blanket is worked in six vertical panels that are joined as you go, eliminating the need to sew the panels together afterward. The self-striping yarn creates beautiful blocks of color, giving the blanket its patchwork appearance.
MATERIALS
Hook(s)
- 6 mm Tunisian crochet hook
- 6 mm regular crochet hook for border
You can browse some of my favorite Tunisian crochet sets in my Amazon store HERE.
Yarn for Blanket
Lion Brand Mandala – Weight 3 (Light)
Colors used in sample:
- Lochness
- Banshee
- Werewolf
Made with leftover, partially used Mandala cakes.
Approximate yardage: 2,850–3,000 yards
Purchase on LionBrand.com HERE or Amazon.com HERE
Yarn for Border
Lion Brand Pound of Love – Weight 4 (Medium)
Color used in sample: Sugar Cookie
Approximate yardage: 170 - 225 yards
Purchase on LionBrand.com HERE or Amazon.com HERE
Notions
- Scissors
- Tapestry needle
DIMENSIONS & GAUGE
Finished Size: 44" wide × 67.5" long, including border
Gauge (4" × 4"): 14 sts × 13 rows
Finished Blanket Weight: 825 grams, including border
PATTERN NOTES
- The blanket is worked in six vertical panels using the Tunisian half double crochet stitch (THDC).
- Each panel consists of 182 rows.
- The first panel begins with a chain of 25.
- Panels 2–6 begin with a chain of 24.
- Panels are joined as you go, so no sewing is required.
- The self-striping Mandala yarn creates the patchwork appearance without following a specific color chart.
- When joining leftover cakes, I used the magic knot method.
- The blanket is finished with four rounds of crochet: one round of single crochet, one round of double crochet, and two rounds of alternating front post and back post double crochet.
- Do not turn when crocheting the border. Keep the right side of the blanket facing you throughout.
- The blanket can be customized using different self-striping yarn colors.
ABBREVIATIONS
- bpdc – back post double crochet
- ch – chain
- dc – double crochet
- fpdc – front post double crochet
- FwP – forward pass
- lp(s) – loop(s)
- rep – repeat
- RetP – return pass
- RS – right side
- sc – single crochet
- sl st – slip stitch
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- THDC – Tunisian half double crochet
- Tslst – Tunisian slip stitch
- yo – yarn over
SPECIAL STITCHES
Tunisian Half Double Crochet (THDC)
This pattern uses Tunisian half double crochet throughout. Shown in video tutorial below.
Return Pass 1 – First Panel
Ch 1, *yo, pull through 3 loops; rep from * across.
Return Pass 2 – Remaining Panels
*Yo, pull through 3 loops; rep from * across.
Do not chain 1 at the beginning of this return pass.
THDC Bind Off
Insert hook under both vertical bars of the upside-down V, yo, pull up a loop, pull through loop on hook.
Work loosely to avoid tightening the edge.
Front Post Double Crochet (fpdc)
Yo, insert hook from front to back to front around the post of the indicated stitch, yo and pull up a loop.
Yo, pull through 2 loops, yo, pull through remaining 2 loops.
Back Post Double Crochet (bpdc)
Yo, insert hook from back to front to back around the post of the indicated stitch, yo and pull up a loop.
Yo, pull through 2 loops, yo, pull through remaining 2 loops.
BLANKET CONSTRUCTION
- 6 vertical panels total
- Each panel: 182 rows
- Stitch: Tunisian half double crochet (THDC)
- Join-as-you-go construction
- First panel: Ch 25
- Remaining panels: Ch 24
Video Tutorial: Join-as-You-Go Tunisian Crochet
Note: This video tutorial shows you how to do this in the Tunisian crochet simple stitch, but this blanket is made using the Tunisian half double crochet stitch. The concept is the same.
Video Tutorial: Tunisian Half Double Crochet
Note: Use this stitch for the blanket
JOINING SCRAP YARN
For this blanket, I used leftover Lion Brand Mandala cakes in Lochness, Banshee, and Werewolf.
Instead of following a specific color sequence, I let the self-striping yarn create the patchwork design.
When joining yarn from different cakes, I used the magic knot method to connect the ends.
This allowed me to continue crocheting without stopping to weave in ends every time I changed yarn.
Note: Make sure your knots are pulled securely before trimming the yarn ends. Magic knots can occasionally loosen, so you can also use your preferred yarn-joining method and weave in the ends for extra security.
BLANKET INSTRUCTIONS
Panel 1
With 6 mm Tunisian crochet hook and Mandala yarn, ch 25.
Row 1 – Forward Pass: (THDC stitch)
*Yo, insert hook in 2nd back bump from hook, pull up loop; rep from * across in each remaining back bump.
Return Pass 1: Ch 1, *yo, pull through 3 loops; rep from * across.
Rows 2–182:
THDC across. RetP 1.
Bind Off Row:
Work THDC bind off across.
Fasten off.
Panel 2
Join Mandala yarn with sl st to last ch of Panel 1's foundation row.
Ch 24.
Row 1 – Forward Pass: (THDC stitch)
*Yo, insert hook in 2nd back bump from hook, pull up loop; rep from * across in each remaining back bump, yo, insert hook under back bar and 3rd bar of adjacent panel's 1st row.
Return Pass 2: *yo, pull through 3 loops across, rep from * across
Rows 2–182:
THDC across, joining final st of each row to side of neighboring panel. RetP 2.
Bind Off Row:
Work THDC bind off across. Last sl st goes under both loops of previous panel's bind-off row.
Fasten off.
Panels 3–6
Repeat Panel 2 instructions, joining each new panel to the previous panel as you go.
Work 182 rows for each panel.
Fasten off and weave in any remaining ends.
BORDER INSTRUCTIONS
Yarn: Lion Brand Pound of Love in Sugar Cookie
Hook: 6 mm regular crochet hook
Important: Do not turn your work when crocheting the border. Keep the right side (RS) of the blanket facing you throughout all four rounds.
With RS facing, attach yarn in corner of blanket.
Round 1 – Single Crochet
Ch 1, 2 sc in same space, sc in each stitch down edge to corner, 2 sc in last stitch, 2 sc in first stitch.
Sc in each st across, 2 sc in last st, 2 sc in first stitch.
Sc in each stitch along edge, 2 sc in last stitch, 2 sc in first stitch.
Sc in each st across, 2 sc in last stitch.
Sl st to first sc.
Video tutorial: Double Crochet and Post Stitch Border Tutorial here
Round 2 – Double Crochet
Work dc in corner, work 3 more dc in same st, dc in next st, dc across to next corner.
*Work 7 dc in corner, dc in next st, dc across to next corner; rep from * around blanket until you get to the first dc worked.
Work 3 dc in same st as first dc (7 dc total in last corner).
Sl st to first dc, ch 2 (does not count as a stitch).
Round 3 – Front Post and Back Post Double Crochet
Fpdc in first st, *bpdc in next st, fpdc in next st*, rep from * to * around entire blanket, sl st to first st of row, ch 2 (does not count as a stitch).
Round 4 – Front Post and Back Post Double Crochet
Repeat Round 3, but end with:
Sl st to first st of row, fasten off, weave in all ends.
Your Tunisian Patchwork Blanket is complete!
