One of the first things that I ever crocheted was a super chunky ribbed blanket using the Red Heart Gorgeous Crochet Throw pattern that I found online at Yarnspirations.com. The information about how I made my blanket can be found at the end of this post, and although the pattern calls for a jumbo weight yarn, I really wanted to make mine using Bernat Blanket™ yarn, which is only a super bulky weight. Once I felt the fluffiness of a ball of this yarn in the store, I instantly wanted to crochet a throw to wrap myself up in for a long couch nap. Bernat Blanket™ yarn was great to work with, but I found that weaving in the ends was hard to do seamlessly, and over time, they tend to poke out here and there and require re-tucking. All of that would be fine if the yarn stayed as fluffy and soft after washing as it was when it was new, but after washing in cold water and tumble drying on low the fabulous fuzzy ends on my blanket clumped and flattened. According to the manufacturer’s care instructions on the label, the yarn can be machine washed and dried, but I would recommend machine washing in cold water only and laying flat to dry. This closeup picture of a blanket that I made for my Mom using the Bernat Blanket™ yarn shows how it looked before washing and drying. Even though I loved the feel of the yarn, I was disappointed that my finished blanket didn’t show as much of the ribbing effect that I had hoped, so I started searching for another type of really thick yarn.
There are plenty of heavy weight yarns out there, but many are made with wool. Wool makes me itch, so those were a no go for me. I loved the satiny softness of Lion Brand’s Hometown® 100% acrylic super bulky yarn, but the biggest skeins were only 162 yards. On the other hand, Bernat Softee Chunky™ had no wool, felt soft, cost less, and came in 431 yard skeins. Saving money is great, but I have to admit that I was ultimately sold by the thought of fewer ends to weave in at the end of the project. That said, I would love to make this blanket using Hometown®’s slightly softer, thicker strands. The picture at the top of this post shows the blanket that I made using the same pattern with Bernat Softee Chunky™ yarn. I love how the yarn accentuates the ribbing pattern, but the blanket itself isn’t as heavy and warm as the one that I made with Bernat Blanket™ yarn. Even though both yarns are super bulky weight, Bernat Blanket™ is a half a gram heavier per yard, and you can feel the difference when you cuddle up with it.
Crochet is one of my favorite metaphors for life; you can’t have it all, but both are full of endless possibilities. Planning my next crochet project and thinking about all of the different and beautiful yarn color and texture choices gives me that wonderful little kid at Christmas feeling. I hope this post helps jump start your next project too. It’s a great pattern. What kind of yarn will you choose?
Instructions
Red Heart Gorgeous Crochet Throw pattern on Yarnspirations.com
This video on the Blossom Crochet YouTube channel gave me and over 6 million other viewers an extremely helpful tutorial on how to make a blanket using the same steps found in this pattern.
Cuddly Crochet Blanket made with Bernat Blanket™ Yarn
6, 220-yard skeins of Bernat Blanket™ Yarn in Vintage White
Clover N/P 10.0 mm crochet hook
Since the throw is worked lengthwise, I chained enough stitches so that my blanket would be 60 inches long, and I followed the pattern until the blanket was 50 inches wide.
Cuddly Crochet Blanket made with Bernat Softee Chunky™ Yarn
4, 431-yard skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky™ Yarn in Natural
Clover N/P 10.0 mm hook
I chained 150 for a finished length of approximately 68 inches and followed the pattern until the width was about 49 inches.
DaisyGardenCrochet 