I turned the stripes of my favorite thrifted house coat into a colorful mile-a-minute crochet blanket, using wide strips and narrower colored joins to echo the robe. Getting the color placement right took some rearranging, and getting the edges right took plenty of frogging.
This was the big project in Crochet Podcast episode 206, with Chewy keeping an eye on the blanket as it grew. It all started with pulling yarn colors to match a robe I already loved.
Key Takeaways
- The blanket's colors and stripe widths were based on a favorite robe, with wide crochet strips and narrower colored joins.
- Laying out the strips and marking each one with its joining yarn helped keep the color arrangement in order.
- Reworking the final strip placement and adding stitches along the ends helped create the finish the blanket needed.
- A foundation row combines the chain and first row. Foundation single, half double, and double crochet are options that match the stitch height in the pattern.
Turning the Robe's Stripes into a Yarn Palette
I found my house coat at a thrift shop, and I love its colors. After looking it up online, I discovered that you can still buy it new, although the price was much more than I'd want to spend.
The stripes made me want a matching blanket. A mile-a-minute design felt right because I could make separate strips, arrange them, and then join them together.
What mattered was the mix of widths. Some colors appear in broad stripes on the robe, while others are much thinner. I wanted the main crochet strips to create those wider bands, with the joining colors adding the skinny stripes between them.
Working around the missing navy
Most of the colors came straight out of my yarnscape. Navy was the one shade I didn't have, which surprised me considering how much yarn was sitting around me.
Instead, I chose a very dark charcoal or black. Another blue would have added yet another shade to a blanket that already had several blues, and it wasn't giving me the look I wanted.
That substitution let me keep working with what I had while staying close to the robe's overall palette.
Laying Out the Strips Before Joining
I used a photo of the robe on my phone to arrange the crochet strips. Starting with the dark stripe, I worked across the layout and compared the colors with the picture.
A purple strip still needed finishing, but I could already see how the blanket was coming together. Laying everything out also gave me a chance to plan the joining colors before committing to them.
I wanted a mix of colorful joins rather than one neutral color running between every strip. Those joins were part of the design, so choosing them mattered as much as choosing the main panels.
Marking the colors and direction
Once I had an arrangement I liked, I attached a scrap of the intended joining yarn to the bottom of each strip. That gave me a reference as I worked, instead of having to make the color decision again each time.
I also lined up each strip with the bottom of the stitch facing toward me. On my first mile-a-minute blanket, I'd connected a strip upside down, so I knew to pay attention to that.
The scrap of joining yarn marked both the color to use and the end where I intended to begin.
I planned to photograph the arrangement, too. Then I stacked the strips in order so I could pick them up one at a time.
Fixing a Strip That Went in Too Early
Even with the layout planned, I managed to grab the wrong strip.
I picked up gray when I should have picked up purple. The gray belonged farther along, after the purple, orange, and pink strips.
I could have left it, but I liked the arrangement I'd already chosen. So I pulled out the joining row and put the intended strip in its place.
For the joining process, I kept returning to the marked starting end and checking that the strips matched before continuing. Having the color scraps attached helped, but I still needed to pay attention to which panel I was lifting from the stack.
The long-strip construction is also the approach behind my Easy Breezy mile-a-minute blanket crochet pattern. I like being able to make the individual sections first and bring the blanket together afterward.
Choosing the Final Joining Color
The last few strips needed more thought than I'd expected.
When I reached the end, two remaining strips had the same colors in opposite positions. Putting them together would have created a repeated arrangement at one edge that looked too stripey to me.
I undid the last joining row and moved a strip to the other side of the blanket. That solved one problem, but I still had a final panel to place.
Why the orange had to go
I'd been trying to repeat the main border colors across the blanket. There were paired turquoise, hot pink, and green borders, but orange had appeared only once.
That made another orange border seem reasonable until I joined it. Against that particular blue panel, it reminded me of college basketball colors. Every other strip looked cute, and that combination stood out for the wrong reason.
So the orange came off.
Gray was the original plan for that panel, but I felt there was already plenty of gray. Black was too close to the neighboring strip, and dark purple would have made the edge heavier than I wanted.
Light purple and hot pink were the strongest options. I chose hot pink because it brightened the edge, and pink was a more prominent color in the robe. After all that comparing, it felt like the right way to keep the blanket fun.
Reworking the Border for an Even Finish
I reached the point where I thought the blanket was done, then noticed that the stitches across the ends were spaced farther apart than the stitches along the sides.
That wasn't the finish I wanted.
I folded the blanket so I could compare the edges, counted the clusters, and worked out where the spacing needed correcting. Then I pulled the border back so I could redo it with more stitches along the ends.
As a general tip, consistent tension helps create a neat edge. Tight tension can affect the fabric's stretch, but I don't know that it caused this spacing issue.
If you're new to the word, frogging means undoing crochet by pulling out the stitches. There was plenty of that in this project.
Caking the yarn while undoing the border
To keep the unraveled yarn under control, I folded the blanket and set it on a chair with the edges accessible. Then I used my yarn winder to collect the yarn into a cake as I pulled out the border.
Afterward, I worked from the outside of that cake. It isn't my favorite way to crochet, but it was much better than having a loose pile of yarn around Chewy.
The correction also meant I'd need to add yarn to finish the border. I'd been pleased with how closely I'd judged the yarn before, but the edge needed those extra stitches.
I also needed to film that part again. Some earlier footage showed the original spacing, so the corrected instructions were the ones I wanted you to follow in the finished tutorial.
The Finished Robe Blanket and Its Tutorial
Once I corrected the border, I was happy with the blanket. The colors worked together, and the edges were straight on both sides.
I kept the outside finish simple because there was already so much happening inside the blanket. I didn't want a busy border competing with all those stripes.
When I held it up, the crochet was complete, but the yarn tails still needed sewing in. Chewy was interested in the finished blanket, too, although I had to ask her to move her foot while I showed it.
Planning the tutorial around the finished design
The blanket tutorial was still on the way when I filmed this episode. I wanted it to include the corrections I'd worked through, rather than leave you to repeat my mistakes.
I'd chosen the strip length by eye for my own sofa blanket. For the tutorial, I planned to explain how to adjust that length around the yarn you're using so you can make better use of each ball.
The crochet tutorial will also explain the starting edge. A traditional chain start uses a starting chain followed by the first row, while a foundation row combines the chain and first row. This chainless foundation crochet method, also called foundation crochet, uses a foundation stitch. Check the chain count against the pattern before you begin.
Foundation single crochet, foundation half double crochet, and foundation double crochet are options that match the pattern's stitch height. For a V stitch, check whether chain two counts as a stitch, and identify both loops and the loops on hook when demonstrating stitch placement.
Making the strips and joining them is fast and easy. My extra work came from changing the color arrangement and correcting the finish until I liked it.
Rebuilding the Website After the Patterns Disappeared
Alongside the blanket, I had an unexpected website project.
A friend sent me a WhatsApp message saying she couldn't access the site because of a certificate error. It looked fine when I checked, so I didn't immediately realize how much was wrong.
Then a lovely viewer emailed to say she couldn't browse my patterns. When I opened the pattern page, there was the heading and the footer, with a blank space where the patterns should have been.
Shopify support tested the store in another theme, and the patterns appeared. The store content was still there, but my existing theme wasn't displaying it.
Building a replacement with Sidekick
Support suggested contacting the developer who had worked on the site. While that was being sorted out, I wanted a working storefront.
I started putting together a replacement and found the Sidekick sidebar. With its help, I could ask for changes, adjust colors, make things bigger or smaller, and move things around.
I worked on the layout in Shopify's theme editor, and I was so pleased with how it came together. I'd wanted the store working again, but I ended up with a website I was proud to show you.
Making the Pattern Pages Easier to Browse
Navigation was one of the things I cared about most in the rebuild. When I'm shopping, I want to see where I am and get back to a broader collection without starting over.
That's why I was excited about the breadcrumbs. A path such as Home, Collections, and New Patterns makes the page's place in the site visible.
The homepage brought together patterns, videos, and the Speak Easy, followed by new designs, collections, reviews, the blog, and the newsletter. I also showed the buy-three offer for 25% off, including bundles.
Collections, sorting, and pattern details
The pattern page opened with new designs, and the sorting options included bestselling, alphabetical, price, and oldest or newest. Bundles had their own page as well.
I was also adding information cards to individual pattern pages. On the Drunken Granny page, I showed a card with yarn and hook information, along with the skill level.
Those cards weren't on every pattern yet because I needed to add the details individually. I also wanted a choice for how many patterns to display per page and an easier search option.
The printable patterns remained written in plain English. Reviews appeared near the bottom of the product pages, with more reviews on older patterns that had been available longer.
Finding Blog Posts, Videos, and the Speak Easy
The blog was another part of the rebuild that took some work.
I showed its search function and a topic browser with 78 topics. That gave you ways to find posts about home decor, crochet inspiration, simple repeats, Christmas gifts, free patterns, and beginner basics.
The blog includes written versions of my tutorials, along with tips and tricks. There are ads on those pages, and I appreciate the support they bring to my family.
Videos and community access
The video page included my latest videos and a left-handed video section, although I still needed to update parts of it.
For the Speak Easy, I showed the member login and the membership choices. I like being able to save access on a phone so it opens from an icon, rather than having to find the page and log in every time.
Some membership explanations still needed restoring after the rebuild. I wanted to show what was working while being clear about the pieces I was still improving.
The footer held social links and the newsletter signup. I also pointed out that Apple Pay and Google Pay appeared later in checkout, even if the first cart view showed Shop Pay and PayPal.
Rice-Paper Recipe Plans Between Crochet Sessions
While working on the blanket, I also spent time exploring rice-paper recipes on Instagram. I kept finding rolls filled with something delicious, dipped, and cooked in an air fryer.
That sent me looking for Vietnamese rice-paper wrappers. I found them at a fancy butcher, although they cost more than I wanted to pay. In the end, I ordered a couple of packs because I wanted to try the recipes.
I had ingredients coming for a chicken-taco-style filling and a tofu version for my husband. He doesn't eat eggs, so his version would need something other than the egg dip I'd seen.
I was also interested in wrapping chicken strips to make something nugget-like. At that point, these were food plans inspired by late-night scrolling, so I still had to try them and see how they turned out.
A Soft Basket for Hair Ties
The other crochet project was a basket for my husband's hair ties.
He reminded me that he'd asked for a basket and some coasters. I'd already bought yarn for the coasters, but when I asked which he wanted first, he chose the basket.
So I went upstairs before bed to make it.
Velvet yarn with a second strand
I chose soft velvet yarn to hold together with another strand. While looking through colors, I considered yellow, green, blue, beige, and a sensible gray-on-gray combination.
The plan was a narrow, tall basket, although I made it a little wider and taller so he could put more inside. I also cinched the top slightly to help it hold its shape.
Oliver came in while I was getting started, and I explained that his daddy urgently needed a basket. Then I pulled up the pattern from Google Drive and got on with it.
The finished hair-tie basket was soft and cute. Once it was ready, I could deliver it and go to bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chainless foundation crochet?
Chainless foundation crochet, also called foundation crochet, uses a foundation stitch. A foundation row combines the chain and first row.
Which foundation stitch should I use?
Choose foundation single crochet, foundation half double crochet, or foundation double crochet to match the stitch height called for in the pattern.
Should I check the chain count before starting?
Yes. Check the chain count against the pattern before you begin.
What should I check when using foundation crochet for a V stitch?
Check whether chain two counts as a stitch. Identify both loops and the loops on the hook when demonstrating stitch placement.
A Favorite Color Palette, Made into a Blanket
The robe gave me a combination of colors I wouldn't have put together on my own. Matching its broad and narrow stripes pushed me to think about the joining colors as part of the blanket.
That was the color challenge I enjoyed most. A favorite shirt, scarf, rug, curtain, or pillow can give you a palette you already know you love.
I had to rearrange strips and pull out stitches to get there, but the finished blanket belongs with my favorite robe. It's my robe blanket, and I'm so happy with it.