Kizzy Blanket - FREE PATTERN

Evening! I thought I'd post the pattern for Kizzy tonight rather than waiting until the weekend. Why? Well....because tomorrow I'm heading down to Harrogate to meet up with my Tribe! Yup....tis that time of year again when all the Scheepjes bloggers meet up and then Yarndale! . Sadly, Christa won't be joining us this year....we'll miss you 😘....but I do get to finally meet Matt, Christina and Rachele! I cannot wait. Nothing has been packed....in fact some clothes are still drying!!! Think it's going to be a mad morning dash!
Ok down to business....

Let's get going and make a Kizzy Blanket!!!

There isn't a step by step tutorial for this blanket but there ain't anything too complicated so don't stress. If you get stuck with a stitch, go check out youtube! Esther (It's all in a Nutshell) has some fabulous stitch tutorials. You can find her channel HERE.

INGREDIENTS

Scheepjes River Washed Yarn (50g balls)

943 Mekong x 5 balls

962 Narmada x 2 balls

961 Mersey x 2 balls

944 Nile x 2 balls

956 Avon x 2 balls

955 Po x 2 balls

952 Rhine x 2 balls

954 Congo x 2 balls

957 Eisak x 2 balls

958 Tiber x 2 balls

946 Mississippi (does anyone else chant that rhyme when spelling this?!) x 2 balls 

3.5mm hook

4.5mm hook (for the main joining)

Scissors

Darning needle (to weave in those pesky ends!)

Blocking board/mat and pins

Plastic safety pins (optional)

Gin (oops!)

The finished blanket measures 115cm wide and 155cm long.  It weighs 1014g (how precise!!)
HOW TO....
Ok first think is to put the 5 balls of Mekong to one side. We will use that for the joining and border.  You are permitted to keep taking it out of the bag and admire the gorgeous colour....obviously! And maybe a little stroking and sniffing.....but NO DROOLING! It spoils the yarn!
First you will need to make lots and lots of granny squares. 124, 3-round squares (which will make 31 larger squares when joined together) and 32, 6-round squares. I have worked every round in a different colour, chosen at random. 
*Written in UK Terms*
Abbreviations
ch - chain dc - double crochet tr - treble crochet htr - half treble crochet trcl - treble cluster slst - slip stitch st - stitch rpt - repeat ch-sp - chain space sk - skip dtr - double treble

Basic Granny Square Pattern
 Using a 3.5mm hook, chain 4 and slip stitch into the last chain. Round 1 ch3 (counts as first treble), work 2tr into ch ring, ch2, *3tr into ch ring, ch2 rpt from *twice more. slst into 3rd chain. Fasten off.  Round 2 Using different colour yarn join in any corner and ch3, 2tr in ch-sp, ch1, *(3tr, ch2, 3tr) in next ch-sp, ch1. Rpt from * twice more. 3tr in last corner space, ch2 and slst into 3rd chain. Fasten off.   Round 3 Using different colour yarn join in any corner and ch3, 2tr in ch-sp, ch1, 3tr in next ch-sp, ch1, *(3tr, ch2, 3tr) in next ch-sp, ch1, 3tr in next ch-sp, ch1. Rpt from * twice more. 3tr in last corner space, ch2 and slst into 3rd chain. Fasten off.  
This is your small 3 round square finished. Weave in ends...do it now or you'll regret it later! Now make 123 more!!!

To make the 6 round squares just work another three round in this fashion. Working 3 trebles into the chain spaces along the sides and 3 trebles joined with a 2 chain in the corners. Don't forget to chain 1 between the trebles. It'll help you squares lie flat. You need to make 32 of these. 
Now you have all of your squares made you need to block them. 

Block the small squares to 3 inches and the big squares to 6 inches

(my homemade blocking board is covered in inch gingham so it makes it really easy to measure!)

Blocking really does make a difference!
Joining
Ok, we are going to use 2 different joining techniques.  For the small squares we are going to join them so the join is almost invisible. 
With right sides together, using a 3.5mm hook and yarn that matches one of the squares, join in one of the corner spaces. Double crochet, chain 3, double crochet in the next chain space, chain 3, double crochet in the next chain space, chain 3 and then double crochet in the corner. Fasten off.  Repeat this process with another 2 squares and then join them both together using the same method.

The back should look something like this...

And when you flip it over, it should look like this. Weave in ends. 
Once you have joined all of the little squares together you are ready to think about placement and joining. 

I made myself a chart to work out where I wanted my squares to go...

And then laid them out on the living room floor. I also took photos at this point (my cats take great pleasure in knocked over carefully made piles of squares!!!) and then piled them up in rows.
I've joined the squares using a zipper join. It's fiddly but gives a lovely neat appearance.  Dedri has a fab tutorial HERE for this method. 
Join all of the squares using Mekong yarn and a 4.5mm hook. It's important to move up hook size (or two) for this process otherwise your squares may not lie flat. 

Joining the first row is always tricky. The squares have a tendency to flap round! This is where those little plastic safety pins come in handy. Secure the corners together as above and that should keep everything in place. 

(If you are right handed you will start joining from the top left hand corner. Left handers will start from the bottom right hand corner!)

Ok now continue joining all the vertical rows and then the horizontal ones. 

Then, using a 3.5mm hook, work a row of double crochet around the edges working one double crochet into each stitch, one into the chain space and joins and one into each corner. Fasten off. 

It should be looking something like this....

Ready to make the fancy pants border???!!!

(Don't worry...it's not that tricky!)

Here's where I confess to forgetting to take photos after each border round.

*SORRY!*

Border Instructions

Round 1 Using Mekong and 3.5mm hook work a round of htr with (htr, ch2, htr) in the corner stitches. Fasten off.

Round 2 Join in first st of edge. ch1, dc in first st, *ch3, sk3 st, dc rpt from * along edge to corner (NB you will probably have to only sk2 at one point along the edges), work (dc, ch2, dc) into corner ch-sp. Continue around the blanket and join with a slst. Fasten off. 

Round 3 Join in first dc of an edge. ch3 (counts as first tr of cluster) and continue to work the trcl in dc, ch3, trcl in dc. Rpt to corner. (ch2, trcl in ch-sp, ch2) to make corner. Repeat around. Slst into top of first cluster. 

Round 4 ch1, dc in first st, ch3, dc in top of trcl, ch3. Repeat all the way around the blanket and join with a slst into first dc.

Round 5 ch1, dc in first stitch, in next dc work (tr, ch1, tr, ch1, tr, ch1, tr) dc in next dc. This makes a fan shape. Repeat along each edge until you get to the corners. the corners are as follows: (working into the corner trcl, tr, ch2, dtr, ch3, dtr, ch2, tr) dc in next dc. Continue around and slst into first dc. 

Round 6 ch 3 (counts as tr), into centre chain of fan from previous round work (tr, ch1, tr, ch1, tr, ch1, tr), tr in dc of previous round. Repeat along edge. Into corner ch-sp work (ch1, tr, ch1, tr, ch1, tr, ch1, tr, ch1, tr, ch1. Continue around blanket and finish with slst into 3rd chain.

Round 7 ch3 (counts as tr) ch1, *tr in next st, ch1. Rpt from * all around blanket and join with slst.

Round 8 ch1, dc in first st. dc in every dc and ch-sp around blanket. At the centre chain space of the fan work a chain instead of a dc to give a nice peak. slst in first stitch and fasten off. 

Weave in ends.

Now you are ready to block the blanket to make that border truly sing!

I've very firmly pinned my blanket out on the play mats I use for blocking larger projects....

Making sure that the corners are nicely defined. 

Ok so that's it! Now you should now have a lovely Kizzy blanket of your own.

Hopefully next time I'll have some pics and gossip from Yarndale!

Do drop by the Scheepjes stand (B16) and say hello if you're attending!

Til next time x