When I was trying to come up with a baby shower gift that wouldn’t take forever to make, I thought of my Lexington Blanket pattern first. It’s made with Bulky (5) weight yarn so it works up fairly quick and has a really soothing, relaxing stitch repeat. It’s an easy project to walk away from and pick back up without having to do any counting once you get the stitch pattern memorized. Great for crocheters with a busy life and road-trip approved!

I wanted to switch it up a bit and was thinking of a way to incorporate a second color without just doing solid blocks of color. I thought it would be fun to try a bit of a faux fade technique. I think it turned out great and I’m happy to gift it to a friend and her baby girl on the way. This could also be a good market make since it works up pretty fast.

If you don’t have time to start right now, you can Pin the image below for later.

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For yarn, I chose two colors of Hue + Me that I had on hand. I made my original Lexington Blanket out of the light pink (Rosewater) so I had a few of those skeins leftover and added the Spicy color from a cowl design that never worked out :) You can find Hue + Me at Joann or here at LionBrand.com. It’s a machine washable/dryable acrylic/wool blend and it’s super soft! With the easy-care, I feel comfortable making baby and kid items. I love it, so squishy!

Supplies:

• Pattern in my shop (or on Etsy or Ravelry)

• L hook (this is my favorite ergo set)

• 565-580 yards (5 skeins) of Hue + Me or other Bulky (5) weight yarn (If you want yours to look just like mine, get 3 skeins of Color A, 2 skeins of Color B)

• Scissors

• Large tapestry needle

• Measuring tape

• Blocking kit

This pattern is great for a confident beginner, so if you have basic skills such as single crochet mastered you can tackle this blanket. It is written in US terms and measurements. The finished size will be about 32” x 32”.

Here are the specifics for the color transition technique I used:

COLOR A: Spicy/COLOR B: Rosewater

Rows 1-39: Color A

Row 40: Color B

Rows 41-42: Color A

Rows 43-44: Color B

Row 45: Color A

Rows 46-61: Color B

Border: Color A

If you haven’t had experience changing colors, I recommend my favorite method: When finishing the stitch before the color change, use the next color to finish the stitch, leaving a 6” tail on both current and new pieces. Whatever the last step is (where you pull through any remaining loops on the hook), drop the first color from your hook, and add the second color to pull through. Weave in the ends later.

If you want a neat square or rectangle shape, and non-wavy sides - you really should block your project. I have a basic tutorial on this post, but here are some photos showing the edges on the blocking mat. Two of the edges had been pinned and the other two had not yet. Yes, even crochet designers have wavy edges! For some reason, the pink color seemed like it worked up fluffier than the brick color, so the pink section was wider. Same hook used, same brand, same line, but the yarn may be manufactured in two different places, or something else is different. It happens! See how magic blocking is? When I was done blocking you couldn’t even tell. This is why I especially like to block gifts for others.

Please tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you make this project (@ICrochetSoHard), and let me know how it went!  I’d love to see your finished product and what colors you chose.  

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If you love this stitch pattern, try my Joanna Spa Collection patterns! You’ve already mastered the stitch, so you are ready.

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