Mood Blanket 2017 Tutorial

Progress as of mid-February.

Hello! Welcome to the WhimsyHen blog. I wanted to start this as a way to share more about some of the things I'm making and sharing on Instagram. I'll be sharing some tutorials and patterns for my fellow crocheters so please do come back and check in. I'll let you know on Instagram when I've got a new post available for you all. If you do create something using one of my patterns, hashtag it #whimsyhenmakes on Instagram, I would love to see what you have made.

A project I'm currently working on is my 2017 Mood Blanket. I posted a photo of it on my Instagram account and was blown away by the response to it so I've created a free tutorial below so that you can make your own blanket. The idea is that I crochet one row a day using the colour that best reflects my overall mood for the day. I made a colour chart, and assigned various moods to each colour. Over the year it will grow into a beautiful cheery rainbow blanket! It's a lovely relaxing project, I crochet my daily row in the evening after dinner.

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My chosen colour palette and the (many!) moods I wanted to include.

​​For this project, I am using a simple linen stitch which consists of half double crochets (US terms) and chain stitches. I am using 4 Seasons Marvel 8ply acrylic yarn, which is my go-to yarn for most projects, I find it to be durable, soft, non-itchy, machine washable and also budget friendly. You can buy it at Spotlight stores in Australia. The band calls for a 4 mm crochet hook, however I am using a 5.5 mm hook as I want the blanket to have more of a drape. Linen stitch gives a really lovely drape, but using a slightly bigger hook will add to it and make it feel very snuggly!

The basics details here:
Hook Size: 5.5 mm (I hook)
Yarn: I used​ ​4 Seasons Marvel 8ply in 13 shades, one ball in each colour (feel free to choose your own colours and corresponding moods)
Stitch Name: Crochet Linen Stitch
Stitches You Will Use: HDC (half double crochet) and Ch (chains) - (US terminology)
Tension: I haven't bothered worrying about tension. Just don't crochet too tightly and you will be fine.
Finished Size: I am aiming to create a cot/crib sized blanket, which is also a nice size for snuggling on the lounge. My blanket measures approximately 96 cm wide and I will keep crocheting until it's approximately 130 cm long. If you would like to make your blanket larger or smaller, simply make your starting chain an even number and always make your first HDC into the 4th chain from the hook.
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Tutorial:
Row 1: Chain 164 (keep your chains loose or the end of your blanket will look tight). A tip is to use a slightly larger sized crochet hook to make the starting chain, then switch back to your recommended hook size.

Row 2: HDC into the 4th chain from hook. *Ch 1, skip a chain, HDC into next chain*. Repeat from * to * until you get to the end of your beginning chain. The last stitch should be a HDC. Fasten off. Attach next colour. Remember, don't crochet too tightly! We want a deliciously drapey blanket.

​Row 3: Ch 2, then HDC into first chain space of previous row. *Ch 1, skip HDC of previous row, HDC into next Ch space*. Repeat until you reach the end of the row. Fasten off, attach next colour.

Row 4 and beyond: Simply repeat Row 3 until your blanket is as long as you would like. Fasten off.

Finishing off: I plan on leaving my ends as they are, with a bit of trimming to make them roughly the same length, to give the illusion of tassels. If you like a more streamlined look you can weave in your ends (but please do it as you go! Weaving them all in at the end is a total snore-fest.)


I hope this has inspired you to create your very own linen stitch blanket. It's a simple stitch but by mixing up the colours you can create something truly amazing. Once you get into the rhythm of the stitch, it works up very quickly. Have fun with it and make it your own by choosing your favourite colours.

I am also making a blanket for my Dad using this stitch, but using a different colour palette, pictured below. The colours were inspired by hours spent on rock platforms at the beach with my dad when I was a little girl. I used various shades of blue and green mixed in with pale grey and two shades of beige. I think linen stitch really makes the colours pop!
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Love and light,
​Kaisha

A similar project I am working on as a gift for my dad.