Often times opposing forces combine to make the most captivating stories and the most beautiful acts in nature;  love and war, roses and thorns, storms and rainbows. In the world of crochet we can use classic combinations to weave passionate tales of our own, such as slash stitches and lace stitches, and then use the finished tome to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and story that was written with words to delight every one of our senses at once. Be careful not to get overwhelmed, lest you start phrasing everything you say with a little too much dramatization, like me…

I used 2 Strands of Red Heart Super Saver Yarn held together and a size N (9.00MM) hook.

Note: Chunky yarn can be really expensive, but I luvz the instant gratification and the cozy warmth that comes with chunky projects, so I often times use 2 strands of Red Heart Super Saver Yarn. This blanket took me about 2 skeins per 2 strips…so about a skein per strip. It was difficult to tell at first since I use two skeins at the same time. Another reason I worked in strips instead of working straight up the blanket is because I hate it when I’m off on my prediction of how much yarn I’m going to need, and then I finish 1/2 or 3/4 a project and then the store suddenly doesn’t carry that color anymore. This way I can sew the strips together later, so if I wind up picking a complimentary color instead of working right through, I only wind up remaking one or two strips if any at all. I also join the strips later because I love the textured effect of using the back loops only when I join them.

V-stitch: (Dc, ch 1, dc) into space indicated.

Pattern for One Strip (I make 7 or 8 strips for a lap throw)

Rw 1: Ch 100. Dc in 4th ch from hook and across stopping before the last chain. Chain 3 and jn with a sl st in that last chain. The ch-3 will take space of your last dc. (98 dc.)

Rw 2: Now pivot your work so that you’re working back up the original chain. I do this to disguise the chain row because they tend to look a little tighter than the rest of a project, so I want to make it easier to join and keep it from having a skewed appearance. Ch 3, (works as the first dc) sk first dc, dc in next ch, sk next 2 chs, v-st in next dc. *Sk next 2 ch, v-st in next ch. Repeat from * to last 4 chs. Skip next ch, dc in next dc, dc in the top of ch-3. (Might be dc to the last 4 st, sk next 2 ch, dc in next dc, dc in the top of ch-3. See which you do the next time or two.)

Rws 3-4: Ch 3, turn. Skip first dc, dc in next dc, sk next dc, v-st in next ch-1 space. *Sk next 2dc, v-st in next ch-1 space. *Repeat from * to last 3 sts. Sk next dc, dc in next dc, dc in top of ch-3.

Rw 5: Ch 3, turn. Sk first dc, dc in next 2 dc. *Dc in next ch-1 space, dc in next 2 dc. Repeat from * to last st. Dc in top of ch-3.

Rw 6 ( Center Slash Row): Ch 2, turn. Dc in next 2 st. (Ch 3, sk next 3 st, dc in next 4 st) across to last three stitches, sk next dc, dc in next st and dc in the top of the ch-3.

*Note: If you’ve lost count with so many stitches, don’t fret as long as it’s not grossly off count. Just add a couple dc or decrease here and there in the double crochet rows as you go along. When I work this project I sometimes have 2 or 3 stitches left after my last 4 double crochet in row 6, and sometimes I have 4 stitches. I don’t make a big deal out of it and I just dc in what I have left and move on to row 7. If you’re not sure, your work should not be growing or shrinking, which means you should have about 98 sts in every row. You can adjust easily as you go along without having to unravel the whole thing as long as you catch it sooner than later. This is another of Starling’s lazy tips, and no one ever sits there counting out the 98 stitches per row on my blankets like, “Man…I have this strange feeling that you might be off a stitch…I think there are 97 in this one row…and maybe 99 in that one…”

Rw 7: Ch 2, turn. Dc across working 3 dc in each ch-3 space.

Rw 8-11: Repeat Rws 2-5. Fasten off after Row 11.

Border:

Rnd 1: Jn with a sl st somewhere along the top. (Ch 4, dc) in same st. (Skip next 2 stitches, V-stitch) around. In each corner, work (V-st, ch 1, V-st). Along the sides where the stitch placement is not clear, you can use your best judgement. I count each row as the equivilant of 2 stitches, and this gives me about 7 V-stitches per each strip along the sides.

Rnd 2: In each ch-1 of the V-stitches, (sc, sc, ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc). Jn with a sl st in first sc.

Joining:

I like joining the strips by putting the wrong sides against one another and joining them with a yarn needle using the back loops only. This is how I get the pleasant textured look between the strips. Make sure you pick one side to be the front of your blanket so that you remember to position the strips the same so that you have the textured areas all on the same side that is facing up.