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Merry-Go-Round Blanket (Free Crochet Pattern)


Hello fellow crafters,

I'm pretty thrilled to share with you the pattern for my Merry-Go-Round Blanket!  Merry-Go-Rounds go 'round and 'round, just like the rounds in this blanket!  It is made in a continuous spiral, with NO joining, which makes it a great pattern to show off the beautiful color changes of ombre yarns!

I used four balls of Lion Brand's Ice Cream® Yarn.  I loved seeing the lovely color changes as I worked in spiral on this repetitive and therapeutic pattern!  Here are three of the balls that I got a shot of.


What yuuuummmmy yarn!

I must say, I have a huge affinity for soft, squishy yarns, and I had a little too much fun petting these skeins before crocheting them into a blanket. :)

After I had used the pink, purple, and blue, with white in-between, I decided to add the mint color as well, to make the blanket a bit larger!  All of the colored skeins are Lion Brand's Ice Cream® Yarn, with the color names listed below each image.

Strawberry

Grape

Blueberry

Mint

For the white, I used Lion Brand's Jamie® Yarn, which is the same, light-weight (3) yarn as the Ice Cream yarns! 


Overall, I used four full balls of colored yarn, and most of the white yarn that I had.

The repetitive pattern is both fun and therapeutic to crochet, and after getting the hang of it in just a few rounds, you'll be able to put down and pick up this project to start whenever you want, without having to look back at the pattern instructions!  While I love the beauty of more complex projects, I'll have to say these are the types that work well for when I'm multi-tasking (listening to music, watching television, or chatting) because it doesn't require intense concentration!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/merry-go-round-blanket-3

Scroll down for the free, written crochet pattern, as well as the video tutorial!  If you'd like to download the beautifully-formatted, ad-free, and easy-to-read PDF version with large photo references (see preview below), click here to purchase it for a small fee in my shop.  Thank you for supporting Sweet Softies designs!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/merry-go-round-blanket-3




Copyright Notice -- © 2019 Sweet Softies (www.sweetsofties.com). You have permission to sell finished products made from this pattern, but you must credit Sweet Softies as the owner/creator of this pattern by linking to my website (www.sweetsofties.com) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SweetSofties). No wholesale. You may not copy, alter, or sell my patterns in part or in whole in any way. My patterns may not be used in teaching online classes. My patterns may be used in teaching in-person classes ONLY with written consent from me. You may link to this pattern but you may not copy any part of the pattern instructions on other websites.

Introduction:
The Merry-Go-Round blanket is a lovely design that is perfect to show off the beautiful color changes in ombre yarn, such as yarn cakes and self striping yarn. Like a Merry-Go-Round, this pattern’s rounds go around and around, worked in continuous spirals without joining. The repetitive pattern is both fun and therapeutic to crochet, and easy to get a hang of in just a few rounds. The size of the blanket can easily be adjusted to be however large or small as you'd like, depending on how much yarn you use.

Note: If you get stuck, check out the Merry-Go-Round Crochet Technique Video Tutorial on the Sweet Softies Youtube Channel. 

Finished Measurement: 
  • As large as you want to make it! More yarn = bigger blanket!  Thus, it can be made for a newborn, baby, toddler, child, teen, and adult.

Level: 
  • Beginner. Requires familiarity with stitches used (below).

Stitches/Terms Used (US Terminology):
  • MR: magic ring (a.k.a. magic circle, magic loop)
  • Ch: chain
  • Sc: single crochet

Materials:

 

 

~ VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS ~

Below is the video tutorial for this pattern's crochet technique.




~ WRITTEN PATTERN INSTRUCTIONS ~



Notes (Read Before Beginning!)

  • This pattern is worked in a continuous spiral! The only time you will "join" a round is at a corner of your very last round. 
  • The ch-2 spaces in this pattern make the corners of the blanket.

R1: In a magic ring (MR): Ch 1, (sc, ch 2) x 4. Pull the MR to tighten and close, but do not join.


R2: In the first ch-2 space: sc, ch 2, sc, ch 1. (In the next ch-2 space, sc, ch2, sc, ch 1) x 3. Do not join.

 

R3: In the first ch-2 space (ch-2 spaces are the corners): sc, ch 2, sc, ch 1. In the ch-1 space: sc, ch 1. (In the ch-2 corner space: sc, ch 2, sc, ch 1. In the ch-1 space: sc, ch 1.) x 3. Do not join.

 

R4: In the first ch-2 corner space: sc, ch 2, sc, ch 1. (Sc, ch 1) in each of the ch-1 spaces until you reach the next corner. In the next ch-2 corner space: sc, ch 2, sc, ch 1. Repeat around.

 

R5 and onwards: Continue working this pattern in rounds until it reaches the desired size.



If you are using ombre yarn, color changes will occur naturally as you crochet.  When I finished using the pink yarn, I crocheted a couple rounds of white, and then switched to the next color (purple).  After purple, several rounds of white again, then blue, several rounds of white, and finally mint, with several rounds of white to finish the border.

To avoid abrupt color changes, try to match the yarn colors up.  For example, with the pink, I ended with the white part of the skein, and then attached the white part of the purple skein for a seamless transition.  Using a filler color (in my case, I used white yarn) for several rounds in-between different colors also helps!

Once you are satisfied with the size of your blanket, you will fasten off in one of the corners. To do so, insert just ONE sc when you reach your last corner (it can be any of the four corners), and cut the yarn.


Fasten off and weave in the ends. 


 

That's it, you're done! 

Congratulations on finishing your Merry-Go-Round Blanket!




If you enjoyed this free project and would like to make a donation to support my work, please click here!  Any amount is greatly appreciated and will go towards the yarn and supplies I use to keep creating new designs!

Also, if you'd like to download the beautifully-formatted, ad-free, and easy-to-read PDF version with large photo references (see preview below), click here to purchase it for a small fee in my shop.  Thank you for supporting Sweet Softies designs!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/merry-go-round-blanket-3

Love the Merry-Go-Round crochet technique?

Check out the free Merry-Go-Round Rug Pattern!

If you made this project and would like to share photos, I'd absolutely love to see!  Here are links for sharing your finished creation:

As always, you are more than welcome to SHARE this post with any fellow crocheters who'd like to try this pattern!  Thank you for reading, and I wish you all a wonderful day! 


Best wishes,