Sweet Summer Ripple Doll Blanket

In September I crocheted my first "Sweet Summer Ripple Blanket" named for the soft summery colours selected for our sweet granddaughter. This week I finally got around to making a matching doll blanket from leftover yarn. I love how it looks so teeny tiny and cute.

If you look closely, you can see I used a ripple made of 10 stitches instead of the standard 14 stitch repeat. I also switched colours every row instead of every other row working all the rows in the same direction. There is clearly a right and a wrong side with this blanket.

With so many colour changes I made good use of my yarn needles, yarn threader and scissors. With DK weight yarn, I used a 4 mm crochet hook.

A small bowl full of yarn ends. I counted 34 stripes with a 3 row border for a total of 74 yarn ends so lots of weaving in for this little blanket.

I still have yarn left but will find a use for it. No yarn wasted here.

I had fun taking photos this morning. See how much smaller my Sweet Summer Ripple is beside my Cosmic Rays Ripple Doll Blanket. It's mostly due to the difference in yarn weight and hook size. My Cosmic Rays Ripple Blanket was made using worsted weight yarn and a 5 mm hook. 

 

Miss Violet enjoys laying on ripples dreaming of summer and picnics in the park. Bunny likes to snuggle under ripples for a much needed nap.

Miss Violet admires both ripple doll blankets folded and piled together. Any doll would be happy to have such cozy and colourful blankets.

In case you would like to make one too, I've included instructions on how to make this Sweet Summer Ripple Doll Blanket.

PDF Version

Stitches Used:
ch (chain)
dc (double crochet)
dc2tog (double crochet 2 together)
sc (single crochet)

Starting Chain 53 (5 x 10 + 3)

Row 1: dc in 4th ch from hook, *dc in next 2 ch, dc2tog 2 times, dc in next 2 ch, 2 dc in next 2 dc**, repeat * to ** across ending with 2 dc in top of last dc, finish off leaving a long tail to weave in

Same as crochet ripple pattern described here but reduce by 2 dc on either side of the 'valley' and the 'bump' to get a 10 stitch repeat instead of 14

Change colour every row, work right to left (for right-handed crocheters)

Border - 3 rounds (follow instructions found here by blogger Lucy at Attic24)

Finished size - 13.5" x 16.5"
34 stripes randomly selected colours
10 colours (left over from Sweet Summer Ripple Blanket)

Yarn Used (10 colours):

1. Bernat Softee Baby - Soft Peach
2. Bernat Softee Baby - White
3. Bernat Softee Baby - Antique White
4. Bernat Softee Baby - Flannel
5. Bernat Softee Baby - Aqua
6. Bernat Softee Baby - Pale Blue
7. Patons Beehive Baby Sport - Violet Mist
8. Patons Beehive Baby Sport - Spring Clover
9. Patons Beehive Baby Sport - Rose Bud
10. Baby Marble - Shade (blues, pinks, purples)

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Mini Ripple Blanket for Dolls

I made a Mini Ripple Blanket for Dolls using yarn left over from my Cosmic Rays Ripple. So what do you think? Doesn't it look amazing? 

I got my inspiration to make a doll blanket from blogger Lucy at Attic24 when I found photos of her doll blanket ripple here. Since Lucy didn't post a pattern, I followed her regular ripple blanket instructions but changed colour each row instead of every other row. I think the scale of one row colour stripes looks better on a doll sized blanket. 

It looks like Lucy made her ripples a little tighter using a 10 count repeat instead of 14. I might try that next time as I think it will look even better with mini ripples. 

Still I think it looks great and my current toys are pleased to pose upon it. If you're looking for a quick easy project, this one is perfect. I didn't time my efforts but I can tell you I started Friday and finished Sunday night. I estimate it took about 8 hours to finish. Although the rows are short, there are a lot of colour changes. 

I stopped to weave in the ends before finishing the final row. With 35 rows and a 3-round border, there are a LoT oF YaRn EnDs... 81 in total. 

With the ends out of the way, I worked the last row then turned and continued down the left side before finishing off which eliminated one join.  

Starting Chain - 59 (14x4+3)

Finished Size - 16" x 20.5"

1 row per stripe (all worked right to left for right-handed crocheters)

35 stripes

13 colours (left over from Cosmic Rays Ripple)

Time to Complete - Approximately 8 hrs

Hook size - 5 mm

I love this image showing my Mini Ripple Blanket cross ways on top of my Cosmic Rays Ripple. Lucy snapped a similar shot of her doll blanket and I thought it looked mesmerizingly perfect.

The colour stripes used for my Mini Ripple Blanket as shown in the image above from right to left are listed below. 

1. Fern
2. Lavendar
3. Beige
4. Teal
5. Crimson
6. Sage
7. Goldenrod
8. Medium Teal
9. Silk
10. Grey Mist Heather
11. Sandstone
12. Sapphire
13. Mai Tai
14. Medium Teal
15. Silk
16. Beige
17. Crimson
18. Goldenrod
19. Sage
20. Fern
21. Grey Mist Heather
22. Teal
23. Mai Tai
24. Crimson
25. Silk
26. Sandstone
27. Sapphire
28. Lavendar
29. Medium Teal
30. Silk
31. Grey Mist Heather
32. Sage
33. Goldenrod
34. Medium Teal
35. Fern

Border:

Round 1: Fern

Round 2: Mai Tai

Round 3: Teal

I am more than pleased with my Ripple Blanket for Dolls and plan to make another but first I want to try a new pattern. I was so excited to find this doll pattern by Tracey MacIntyre offered for free last week. It's called "Doll in Bear Hoodie" and can be found here. As you can see, I'm ready to start and will be sure to share photos once I finish. 

I should also mention, I finally started prepping for our bike tour. My husband and I did an intense one hour session on our trainers yesterday. It was challenging but felt good. I've been trying to come up with a way to fit in training without taking too much time away from crochet. I think I've come up with a great idea.

We like to watch a TV series in the evening for an hour and we're currently watching Reign. I suggested we ride our trainers while watching our series instead of sitting on the sofa and snacking. Let's hope he likes my idea. It's sure to be fun and oh so good for us.

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Cosmic Rays Ripple Blanket

I finished my Cosmic Rays Ripple Blanket last night. It is soft, colourful and perfect in our family room draped across the back of the sofa. I just love the look of it.

Yes this one is a keeper. I love it from every angle, from the side, from the front and from the back.

What do you think? Do you like the bright, bold ripply colours? Would you like to make one too? As mentioned in my last post, I followed this tutorial posted by blogger Lucy at Attic24. Her instructions are very clear and easy to follow.

As promised, here are the technical details for my Cosmic Rays Ripple Blanket for the crocheters out there who might like to make one too. 

Starting Chain - 213 (14x15+3)

Finished Size - 90" x 65" (229 cm x 165 cm)

2 rows per stripe 

71 stripes

15 colours (2-100 g balls of each colour)

Time to Complete - Approximately 42 hrs (30 mins per stripe + border)

Hook size - 5 mm

Yarn Used (15 colours):

• Bernat Satin (fern)
• Deborah Norville Everyday Soft Worsted (aubergine)
• Red Heart Soft Touch (beige)
• Bernat Satin (sapphire)
• Bernat Satin (mai tai)
• Bernat Satin (goldenrod)
• Bernat Satin (silk)
• Bernat Satin (sandstone)
• Bernat Satin (teal)
• Bernat Satin (sage)
• Bernat Satin (crimson)
• Patons Canadiana (pale grey mix)
• Bernat Satin (grey mist heather)
• Patons Canadiana (medium teal)
• Bernat Satin (lavendar)

As I list out the stripe colours for this blanket I can't help but think, "Wow, that is a lot". The pattern called for 84 stripes but I stopped at 71 because worsted weight yarn makes a much bigger blanket than finer DK yarn. This is a photo of the blanket stretched out showing the stripe colours listed 1 through 71 from top to bottom.

If you decide to make one, it is probably best to choose your favourite colours and order them any way you like. I think half the fun of crochet ripple blankets is watching them evolve but since I promised, here is my list starting from top to bottom (beginning to end). 

Wait there's more. Scroll through the list to the end to see what I'm working on next.

1. Fern
2. Aubergine
3. Beige
4. Sapphire
5. Mai Tai
6. Sage
7. Teal
8. Sandstone
9. Silk
10. Goldenrod
11. Crimson
12. Pale Grey Mix
13. Grey Mist Heather
14. Medium Teal
15. Lavendar
16. Sage
17. Mai Tai
18. Sapphire
19. Teal
20. Medium
21. Grey Mist Heather
22. Sandstone
23. Beige
24. Aubergine
25. Silk
26. Pale Grey Mix
27. Crimson
28. Goldenrod
29. Fern
30. Silk
31. Grey Mist Heather
32. Teal
33. Mai Tai
34. Lavendar
35. Sage
36. Medium Teal
37. Crimson
38. Silk
39. Teal
40. Aubergine
41. Sapphire
42. Grey Mist Heather
43. Pale Grey Mix
44. Grey Mist Heather
45. Sandstone
46. Silk
47. Beige
48. Fern
49. Mai Tai
50. Crimson
51. Teal
52. Sandstone
53. Medium Teal
54. Sandstone
55. Lavendar
56. Sapphire
57. Sandstone
58. Goldenrod
59. Grey Mist Heather
60. Mai Tai
61. Fern
62. Crimson
63. Sage
64. Medium Teal
65. Sage
66. Crimson
67. Grey Mist Heather
68. Sandstone
69. Lavendar
70. Sapphire
71. Fern

Border Colours:

Round 1: Fern

Round 2: Silk

Round 3: Teal

Phew, I can't believe I finished my Cosmic Rays Ripple Blanket in only 2 weeks. Our poodle approves and loves to get in on the action. I caught her sitting pretty on the blanket and looking oh so cute.

You might be wondering what next? Well, since I have leftover yarn from both my Cosmic Rays Ripple and my Sweet Summer Ripple AND I have a granddaughter, I think a few doll ripple blankets might be fun. You can see I've already started. 

Last night, my daughter requested toys for a friend who has three little girls. That's perfect, doll blankets and dolls. Fun winter projects to feed my creativity. 

Time to get moving, we're off to the market to stock up on food and order a whimsical fairy door to cover a hole in the wall in our basement. My excuse is our grandchildren but really I love the idea of adding fairy fun to our basement. I can't wait to see how it looks. 

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