I am glad to finally crochet a mini-check gingham blanket. I made this one car-seat size, but you can adjust the base chain and make this any width you would like. 

I am especially excited to share with you something I personally discovered about adding the border so it is even. 

It’s one of those a-ha! moments. And it happened as I was figuring out how to make the checks even on all four sides.

It dawned on me that I was using 3 stitches for the width and two rows for the height, so I realized that on the side of the blanket, I would need 3 stitches, per 2 rows. 

So I’m hoping that in future blankets, I can figure out how many stitches equals 2 rows. And the reason why I like two rows is because working however many you need into the middle of those two rows makes the work so much neater looking. 

Materials

Caron Simply Soft (100% acrylic, 170 g/6 oz, 288 m/315 yds)

2 skeins Country Blue, 2 skeins Dark Country Blue, 1 skein Light Country Blue

Size I/5.5mm hook, scissors, tapestry needle

Size

Finished size 30 in x 30 in

Gauge 4 in = 16 st and 11 rows of HHDC 

Stitches

Single Crochet (SC): Insert your hook, yarn over (YO) and pull up a loop, YO and pull through two loops.

Slip Stitch (SL ST): Insert your hook, YO, pull up a loop and pull directly through loop on hook.

Herringbone Half Double Crochet (HHDC): YO, insert your hook, YO and pull up a loop and pull directly through first loop on hook. Then YO again, and pull through remaining two loops.

Double Crochet (DC): YO, insert your hook, pull up a loop, YO, pull through two loops, YO, pull through remaining two loops.

Front and Back Post Double Crochet (FPDC & BPDC): A front post DC means you insert your hook from front to back around the post of the next DC and work your DC. A back post DC means you insert your hook from the back to the front and work a DC.

Pattern

With Country Blue (medium shade) chain 113. (Pattern repeat is any odd number x 3 plus 2.)

Row 1: Beginning in the 3rd chain from the hook, work HHDC in each of the next 3 chains. Before finishing the third st, pull Dark Country Blue through to change color. Work 3 HHDC in each of the next 3 chains, crocheting over country blue and bringing it along the row. Before finishing the 3rd st, pull through with country blue. Repeat across the row alternating colors every 3 stitches and working over the color not in use. CH 2 and turn. 

Row 2: (Wrap Dark Country Blue around the end of the row.) Work the first 3 stitches in Country Blue, working over Dark Country Blue. Change colors every 3 stitches as row 1. In final stitch of the row, pull through with Light Country Blue. CH 2 and turn. 

Row 3: With Light Country Blue, work HHDC in each of the first 3 sts working over Country Blue. Pull through with Country Blue on the 3rd st. Alternate colors every 3 stitches as before. CH 2 and turn. 

Row 4: (Wrap Country Blue around the end of the row.) Work the first 3 stitches in Light Country Blue working over Country Blue. Change colors every 3 sts as before. In final stitch of the row, pull through with Country Blue. 

Tip: Before starting row 5 with Country Blue, bring Dark Country Blue up the side of the blanket and work the first 3 stitches carrying it along. 

For the rest of the blanket: Continue alternating colors every 2 rows. (For this size blanket I worked until the blanket was square about 74 rows. I ended on a set of alternating dark country blue and country blue to match the first row.)

Tie off and weave in all ends. 

Border

Round 1: With Dark Country Blue, pull up a loop in any corner. Ch 2. work 1 HHDC into the same space. Work 3 HHDC per 2 rows. (I liked to work the three stitches in the middle stitch or middle row of the same color.) Skip one row when you are working on the sides of the blanket, skip 2 stitches when you are working the top or bottom of the blanket and work the 3 HHDC into the next st.  Work 3 HHDC into each corner space. Work one final HHDC in the space where you began, join with a slip stitch, ch 2 and turn. 

Round 2: Work 1 DC into each stitch around, and work 3 DC into each corner st. Join with a slip stitch, chain 2 and turn. 

Round 3: *Work 1 FPDC around the next DC, BPDC around next DC. Repeat from * around on the sides. On each corner work alternating front and back post 3 times around the middle post. Join with a sl st at the end of the round, ch 2 and turn. 

Round 4 and (optional 5th): Repeat round 3. 

Final round: Work 1 SC into each stitch and 3 SC into each corner st. Join and tie off. 

Weave in all ends. 

Thank you for coming by! We can’t wait to see your version of this beautiful blanket! Come and show us in the Daisy Farm Crafter Group on Facebook! 

xo, Tiffany

Click here or on image below for printable pattern