Seashell Stripe

I created this pretty stripe pattern especially for my Dune blanket as the colours are inspired by coastal sand dunes and the pleasure of walking the breezy shoreline collecting shells. This interlocking shell pattern seemed especially appropriate for a blanket inspired by the beach, and the finished blanket has a gorgeous texture and feel to it.

If you are an experienced crocheter please could you read the beginning info which explains starting chains, pattern repeats, and the working of a gauge sample (oh, yes, you know you will want to do this!), then you can jump to the end where I've written out a conventional pattern which you can copy/paste/print in a word document if you wish. 

For those who are fairly new to crochet, I've created a photo-heavy step-by-step tutorial to help you learn the seashell pattern and determine your crochet tension and required hook size. 

MATERIALS

For my blankets I use Stylecraft Special DK which is a 100% premium acrylic yarn. It's lovely to work with, comes in generous 100g balls and the finished blankets are warm, soft and machine washable. 

As is usual for my blankets, I've chose fifteen shades of Stylecraft Special DK for my Dune blanket.

This is enough to make a single/twin size blanket measuring approximately 120cm x 180cm.

If you wish to make a double/king blanket, you will need to buy two yarn packs.

Top row, left to right...

♥ Mocha ♥ Pale Rose ♥ Parma Violet ♥ Storm Blue ♥ Sage ♥

Middle row, left to right...

♥ Camel ♥ Mushroom ♥ Silver ♥ Cloud Blue ♥ Spearmint ♥

Bottom row, left to right...

♥ Stone ♥ Powder Pink ♥ Parchment ♥ Duck Egg ♥ Lincoln ♥

You can find the Dune yarn pack in my shop at Wool Warehouse, click on the link below...

DUNE YARN PACK

HOOK SIZE  and TENSION

The standard hook size for Stylecraft Special DK yarn is 4mm. However, it's a good idea to be familiar with your own personal tension and experiment with moving to a larger or smaller hook to achieve a neat result. If you crochet loosely, you will need to make sure that your starting chain and first two rows measure roughly 120cm otherwise you will need more than 15 x 100g balls. You can reduce your hook size, or reduce your starting chain to achieve the correct size. Just remember to make your starting chain a multiple of 4, plus 2.

This pattern tends to make a slightly tighter crochet fabric than usual, so as an approximate guide you should use a hook size half a millimetre larger than you would normally use for this yarn. For example, if you normally use a 4mm hook, switch up to a 4.5mm.

To prevent the bottom edge from coming out too tightly and bowing, the starting chain and first row are best worked on a larger hook size than the stripes of the blanket (eg. 5.5mm).

I would strongly advise you to make a small tension sample. Please take the time to do this, especially if you are using a yarn pack to make a blanket. It'll help you make your blanket the right size and drape, and will make sure you don't run out of yarn. Making this small sample before you begin on your blanket will also help you to feel familiar with the pattern and decide which hook size will work best for you.

PATTERN REPEATS AND STARTING CHAINS

The Dune Blanket starting chain should always be a multiple of 4, plus an extra 2

One yarn pack is enough to make a single bed size blanket 120cm x 180cm.

Single/twin blanket (120cm / 48" width) : Chain 178 (44 shells)

Alternative blanket widths :

Baby blanket (70cm / 28" width) : Chain 102 (25 shells)

Lap throw (90cm / 36" width) : Chain 134 (33 shells)

Double bed blanket* (180cm / 72" width) : Chain 266 (66 shells) *requires two yarn packs

King bed blanket* (210cm / 84" width) : Chain 310 (77 shells)  *requires two yarn packs

SEASHELL PATTERN

I'm writing my pattern using UK crochet terms as follows :

dc [double crochet] :: insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (two loops on hook), yarn over and pull through both loops on hook (note :: this is equivalent to the US sc stitch)

htr [half treble]:: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook (note :: this is equivalent to the US hdc stitch)

tr [treble] :: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (two loops left on hook), yarn over and pull through remaining two loops (note :: this is equivalent to the US dc stitch)

v-st [v-stitch] :: (1 tr; chain 1; 1 tr) worked into the same stitch

v-sp [v-space] :: the chain-1 space between 2 tr of the v-stitch

 

For the foundation chain and first row, use a larger hook size - I suggest using a 5.5mm.

To Begin : use Spearmint yarn. Chain 26 (6 x 4, plus 2)

Row 1 : Starting in 2nd chain from hook, work 1 dc in each chain. Turn.

For Row 2 and all rows after this, switch down to a smaller hook size - I suggest using a 4.5mm.

Row 2 : Chain 1 (this doesn't count as a stitch); work 1 dc into the first stitch (shown by my needle above)

Skip 1 stitch; in next stitch (show by my needle above) work a v-stitch which is (1 tr; chain 1; 1 tr) all worked into the same stitch.....

Skip 1 stitch; 

Work 1 dc in next stitch; skip 1 stitch; work a v-stitch in next st (remember a v-stitch is (1 tr; ch-1; 1 tr))

skip 1 stitch; 1 dc in next stitch;

*skip 1 stitch; v-stitch in next stitch; skip 1 stitch; 1 dc in next stitch;

Repeat from * to end - your row should end with a dc in the very last stitch (where my needle is above).

Do not fasten off; turn.

The photo above shows you what your complete row 2 should look like. The row starts and ends with a dc, and is made up of v-stitches.

R0w 3 : Chain 1 (this doesn't count as a stitch); work 1 dc into the first stitch (shown by my needle above)

The next group of stitches is going to be made in the v-space, see where my needle is pointing in the photo above? It's the ch-1 space in the middle of your v-stitch, this is where you insert your hook, right into that space.

Work 5 tr into the v-space; skip 1 stitch, then work 1 dc into the next stitch (which is the dc from the previous row, where my needle is in the above photo)

*sk 1 st; 5 tr into v-sp; sk 1 st; 1 dc into next st;

Repeat from * to end.

Your row should end with a dc in the very last stitch (where my needle is above, this is the first dc from the previous row).

Fasten off. Turn.

The photo above shows you what your complete row 3 should look like. The row starts and ends with a dc, and is made up of shells. Cute eh?

Row 4 : Use Storm Blue yarn. Insert hook into first stitch (the dc from previous row) and pull through a loop of the new colour.

Chain 3 (counts as 1 tr, plus a v-space); 1 tr in same stitch; skip 2 stitches; 1 dc in next st (this is the 3rd/middle stitch of the 5-tr shell, shown by my needle above);

Skip 2 stitches; in the next stitch work (1 tr; ch 1; 1 tr) - yes that's a v-stitch that you're going to put in the valley there, squished in between two shells....

....see how well the v-stitch nestles in there?!

Lets carry on...

*skip 2 stitches; 1 dc in next stitch; skip 2 stitches; v-stitch in next stitch;

Repeat from * to end - your row should end with a v-stitch which is worked into the very last little dc at the end (shown by my needle in the above photo).

Do not fasten off; turn.

The photo above shows you what your complete row 4 should look like. The row starts and ends with a v-stitch, and is made up of v-stitches and dc's.

Onto row 5.....

Row 5 : Chain 2; work 2 tr into the v-space. This is effectively creating a "half-shell" to start the row and keep the edges straight.

Skip 1 stitch; work 1 dc in next stitch (where my needle is above)

*skip 1 stitch; 5 tr into v-space; skip 1 stitch; 1 dc into next st;

Repeat from * until one V-stitch remains....

Work 2 tr into v-space (shown by my needle above)

Work 1 tr into 2^nd chain of beginning chain-3 from previous row (where my needle is in above photo); fasten off; turn.

Your row should end with 3 tr (a "half-shell") and your edge should be looking fairly straight.

The photo above shows you what your complete row 5 should look like. The row starts and ends with 3 trebles (half shells), and is made up of shells.

Row 6 : Use Silver yarn. Insert hook into first stitch (the last tr from previous row) and pull through a loop of the new colour.

Chain 1 (this doesn't count as a stitch); work 1 dc into the first stitch; skip 2 stitches;

Work a v-stitch into the next stitch; skip 2 stitches; 1 dc in next stitch;

*skip 2 stitches; v-stitch in next stitch; skip 2 stitches; 1 dc in next stitch;

Repeat from * to end.....

Note that the last dc goes into the 2^nd chain of the beginning ch-2 from previous row.

Do not fasten off; turn.

The photo above shows you what your complete row 6 should look like. The row starts and ends with a dc, and is made up of v-stitches.

Shall we make more shells now? Onto row 7.........

Row 7 : Chain 1 (this doesn't count as a stitch); work 1 dc into the first stitch;

Work 5 tr into the v-space (shown by my needle above);

Skip 1 stitch, then work 1 dc into the next stitch;

*sk 1 st; 5 tr into v-sp; sk 1 st; 1 dc into next st;

Repeat from * to end.

Your row should end with a dc in the very last stitch (where my needle is above, this is the first dc from the previous row).

Fasten off. Turn.

The photo above shows you what your complete row 7 should look like. The row starts and ends with a dc, and is made up of shells. 

So how do have you got on, are you getting a good feel for the pattern? Isn't it rather lovely to create those interlocking sea shells? 

From now on, you will be repeating the pattern from previous rows.

Rows 4 - 7 (the Storm Blue and Silver stripes) form the pattern repeat for the Dune blanket.

Row 8 : [use Powder Pink yarn] Join yarn in last dc of previous row and repeat Row 4.

Row 9 : Repeat Row 5

Row 10 : [use Duck Egg yarn] Join yarn in last tr of previous row; repeat Row 6

Row 11 : Repeat Row 7

Etc etc etc........I hope this 4-row pattern repeat makes good sense to you now and you feel confident to make a start on your blanket.....it's exciting isn't it?!

I created the photo above to help you learn the starting stitches in each row, and how the pattern forms with a row of V-stitches and a row of shells making up each stripe.

Rows which begin/end with a dc start and end with full shells.

Rows which begin/end with a tr start and end with half-shells.

This pattern needs a little concentration in the beginning to make sure you are starting and ending each row correctly, but it very quickly becomes memorable.......please don't get disheartened if you can't memorise it straight away. It does get easier and after the first 5 or 6 stripes I'm confident you will very quickly be addicted!

Now before we go any further, lets have a quick look at the sizing/tension......

TENSION / SIZE

You can see in the above photo I worked some additional rows (not sure why I did, I just got a bit carried away!).

However, your sample should measure approx 17cm across.

If it's way too big, try using a smaller hook.

If it feels tight and small, try using a bigger hook.

For guidance, I'm quite a tight crocheter, so I used a 5.5mm for my foundation chain and first row, then switched to a 5mm hook for the shell rows. Have a little experiment and see what feels right for you. If you've made any of my other blankets, I can tell you that the tension for the Dune blanket is very similar to Moorland and Woodland, and if you've made the Sweet Pea blanket then the Dune needs a slightly bigger hook (just a half milimetre bigger) than Sweet Pea.

DARNING IN ENDS

Ah yes, no getting away form it, we do indeed need to go there with this blanket. Those ends must be darned in neatly and securely and I would urge you to do this as you go along.

My basic method is to darn one end at a time, passing the needle in the direction of the blanket centre and taking it neatly through as many stitches as you can. Then darn back the other way towards the outside so that the needle pops out at the outside edge. This fastens the tail end very securely and means that no little ends will poke up amongst your stripes. If the ends do wriggle loose or poke out a little as the blanket is used, they will be at the edge of the blanket and should be pretty much hidden by the border.

There is no right or wrong way to darn in ends and with this pattern, each row needs the needle to go in a slightly different direction. I've put a couple of photos above to illustrate how I passed my needle back and forth into the stitches, but you don't have to follow this exact way - do what feels right for you.

One important thing to mention - when we come to work the border, we will be inserting our hook around the post of the stitches at the end of each row, so be mindful of this when you are darning. Make sure you leave these end stitch posts free and un-darned.

NUMBER OF STRIPES

For my Dune blanket I created a length of 180cm / 72" which is 100 stripes, and a chart listing the suggested stripe colour order is given towards the end of this tutorial.

Single/twin blanket (180cm / 72" length) : 100 stripes

Alternative blanket lengths :

Baby blanket (90cm length / 36") : 50 stripes

Lap throw (120cm length / 48") : 68 stripes

Double bed blanket* (180cm / 72" length) : 100 stripes

King bed blanket* (210cm length / 84" length) : 118 stripes

*remember for double and king size, you will need two yarn packs.

Note : it's absolutely OK to finish your blanket stripes once you reach the required length, the above numbers are for guidance only. However, you should always finish on an even numbered stripe.

STRAIGHT TOP EDGE

Whatever size of blanket you are making, before you create a lovely border you will need to straighten out the shells along the top edge. When you crochet the final stripe of your blanket, make sure it's an even number stripe - the final row should begin with 3 tr (a half-shell). If you are following the colour order of my Dune blanket, this final stripe will be in Mocha yarn. Crochet this stripe as per the pattern, but don't fasten off - you'll be working a third row to finish off, as follows :

Straight top edge : continue with Mocha yarn.

Chain 1; 1 dc in first stitch; 1 dc in next stitch; 1 htr in next stitch;

skip the dc stitch (just ignore it!); 

1 htr in next stitch (where my needle pointing in the above photo)

1 dc in each of the next 3 stitches;  1 htr in the next stitch;

*skip the next dc stitch; 1 htr in next stitch; 1 dc in each of the next 3 stitches; 1 htr in next stitch; 

Repeat from * until 2 stitches remain;

1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches (note that the last dc goes into the 2nd chain of the beginning ch-2 from previous row) ; fasten off and darn in all ends.

And that's the body of the blanket done and dusted! You have probably noticed that this blanket is in fact double sided - this seashell stitch creates a beautiful but different texture on each side, so it is entirely up to you which side you call the front.....

.....this side? ↑↑↑

....or this side? ↑↑↑

It doesn't really matter too much as you will probably be seeing both sides when you use the blanket. But you will need to decide which side will face you when you create your border.

DUNE BORDER

I chose 4 colours for my border : Mushroom; Cloud; Pale Rose: Duck egg.

You will need approximately 18g of each colour for the border, so please do see if you can weigh your yarn on digital kitchen scales to make sure you have enough before you start.

I decided to use my "Spot On Edging" and have written a full photo tutorial for this - find it by clicking the following link :

DUNE BLANKET EDGING

This neat border gives a lovely finish - I deliberately chose Pale Rose to form the "spots" of colour, as a nod to the pale pink shells that are found on the sandy beach that inspired the Dune colour palette.

DUNE STRIPE ORDER

The seashell pattern can be used with any of my yarn packs, but if you are making the Dune blanket, here is a suggested colour stripe order :

**EDIT :: There is now a colourwash colour order for the Dune blanket if you would like to try it. I wrote a blog post which includes a colour chart for you to download - click on the link below >>

♥ DUNE BLANKET COLOURWASH

xx

SUGGESTED BLANKET LENGTHS

Single/twin blanket (180cm / 72" length) : 100 stripes

Baby blanket (90cm length / 36") : 50 stripes

Lap throw (120cm length / 48") : 68 stripes

Double bed blanket (180cm / 72" length) : 100 stripes

King bed blanket (210cm length / 84" length) : 118 stripes

If you are making a King size blanket (118 stripes), crochet the 100 stripes as given above.....you can then work an additional set of rows by repeating stripes 1-18 if you wish to add an extra 30cm / 12" to the length.

And finally..........here is a condensed copy of the Dune blanket pattern which you can copy/paste/print if you wish :

DUNE BLANKET

Note: Use a bigger hook size for the foundation chain and row 1 (eg 5.5 mm or hook size appropriate for your own tension)

TO BEGIN [use Spearmint yarn] Chain 178 (the starting chain should always be a multiple of 4, plus an extra 2).

Alternative starting chains are given towards the beginning of the tutorial above.

Row 1 : Begin in 2nd ch from hook, work 1 dc into each st along; turn [177 sts].

Note: switch to a 4.5mm hook size (or hook size appropriate for your own tension) for all subsequent rows.

Row 2 : Ch 1; 1 dc in first st; sk 1 st; v-st in next st; sk 1 st; 1 dc in next st;

*sk 1 st; v-st in next st; sk 1 st; 1 dc in next st;

Repeat from * to end; turn [row ends with a dc].

Row 3 : ch 1; 1 dc in first st; sk 1 st; 5 tr into v-sp; sk 1 st; 1 dc into next st;

*sk 1 st; 5 tr into v-sp; sk 1 st; 1 dc into next st;

Repeat from * to end; fasten off; turn [row ends with a dc; 44 shells].

Row 4 : [use Storm Blue yarn] Join yarn in last dc of previous row.

Ch 3 (counts as 1 tr plus v-sp); 1 tr in same st; sk 2 sts; 1 dc in next st; sk 2 sts; v-st in next st;

*sk 2 sts; 1 dc in next st; sk 2 sts; v-st in next st;

Repeat from * to end; [row ends with a v-st]; turn.

Row 5 : Ch 2; 2 tr in v-sp; sk 1 st; 1 dc in next st;

*sk 1 st; 5 tr into v-sp; sk 1 st; 1 dc into next st;

Repeat from * until one v-st remains. Work 2 tr into v-sp; 1 tr into 2^nd ch of beginning ch-3 from previous row; fasten off; [row ends with 3 tr] turn.

Row 6 : [use Silver yarn] Join yarn in last tr of previous row.

Ch 1; 1 dc in first st; sk 2 sts; v-st in next st; sk 2 sts; 1 dc in next st;

*sk 2 sts; v-st in next st; sk 2 sts; 1 dc in next st;

Repeat from * to end [note that the last dc goes into the 2^nd chain of the beginning ch-2 from previous row] ; turn.

Row 7 : Ch 1; 1 dc in first st; sk 1 st; 5 tr into v-sp; sk 1 st; 1 dc into next st;

*sk 1 st; 5 tr into v-sp; sk 1 st; 1 dc into next st;

Repeat from * to end; fasten off; [row ends with a dc]; turn.

Note : Rows 4-7 form the pattern repeat, as follows:

Row 8 : [use Powder Pink yarn] Join yarn in last dc of previous row; repeat Row 4

Row 9 : Repeat Row 5

Row 10 : [use Duck Egg yarn] Join yarn in last tr of previous row; repeat Row 6

Row 11 : Repeat row 7

Rows 12-197 : Carry on repeating rows 4-7. Follow the suggested colour sequence given above, changing colours every alternate row until you have completed 99 stripes in total (stripe 99 will be crocheted in Stone yarn). Remember you can stop at any time if you’ve achieved the required blanket length, but make sure you finish on an an even number stripe.

Stripe 100 : [Use Mocha yarn] Repeat Rows 4 & 5; do not fasten off; turn.

Note : this next final row will form a straight top edge to your blanket.

Final Row : Ch 1; 1 dc in first st; 1 dc in next st; 1 htr in next st; skip the next dc st; 1 htr in next st; 1 dc in each of the next 3 sts; 1 htr in next st;

*skip the next dc st; 1 htr in next st; 1 dc in each of the next 3 sts; 1 htr in next st;

Repeat from * until 2 sts remain; 1 dc into each of the next 2 sts (note that the last dc goes into the 2nd chain of the beginning ch-2 from previous row) ; fasten off and darn in all ends.

Note : when darning in ends, make sure to leave the first and last stitches of each row intact and unstitched. This will allow you to work around the post of these stitches when crocheting the first border row.

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Here are some links you might need :

♥ DUNE YARN PACK - 15 x 100g yarn and a full colour 10-page printed pattern

♥ DUNE BLANKET : INTRODUCTION - lots of photos and chat about the inspiration behind the blanket

♥ DUNE BLANKET : EDGING PATTERN - step-by-step tutorial for the Dune border

♥ DUNE BLANKET : TA-DAH! - lots of photos and blankety banter!

**EDIT :: There is now a colourwash colour order for the Dune blanket if you would like to try it. I wrote a blog post which includes a colour chart for you to download - click on the link below >>

♥ DUNE BLANKET COLOURWASH

x

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Barbara]

Thank you very much, I love your pattern and you describe and demonstrate with great pictures and very detailed, thank you again. I love to Crochet and I haven’t seen any pattern as detailed as yours.

Barbara

[Andrea Timmons]

I have been crocheting for years but, have always done things that were very easy to do, like scarves and such.

I am a lefty for crocheting and a righty for knitting.

It is hard for me to figure out all the stitches correctly.

I'm going to keep on trying.

[Lesley Ward]

Is it possible make this colour way with your other patterns for other blankets will there be enough yarn

[Jenny Wilson]

Hi - I'd like to crochet this (I'm a newbie). I would like to support my local yarn shop by buying the supplies from them - but I'd also like to support you by buying your pattern rather than copying it off the website. Do you have the 10 page patterns available without the yarn packs? Jenny

[Amanda Thom]

Hi there Lucy
Loving the shell pattern, very relaxing rhythm. I have had great joy learning and making Cosy Stripe, Hydrangea and Granny Stripe . I have learnt so much with the step by step photo tutorials, great for me as a visual learner, even better I am linking these with the patterns and improving my pattern reading ability too, it's a win win for me. Thank you so much, it’s great being able to buy you a coffee when I use a new pattern and tutorial, enjoying your blog too
All the best to you and yours
Amanda

[savannagal]

Can anyone clarify for me how to weave in my ends on this pattern? I did not understand the info in the instructions. I don't know what the post is or where to find it. Should I just weave it in anywhere in the color I'm using? Thank you.

[Susan Streatfield]

I’ve now made two of these lovely blankets but I’m really not sure what I’m doing wrong when I straighten the top edge.
In the baby blanket I made the starting chain is 102 chains. When I straighten the top edge it’s 25 shells x 5 stitches per shell making 125 stitches. Many more than the opposite edge.
Please, what am I doing wrong?
Sue x

[Michelle Caulkett]

Hello
I have been trying to find the pattern for the little shells that illustrate the colours... is it in the blog some where and I'm just blind or can I be directed to it please....
Thank you
M <3

[Deirdre Flanagan]

When you say ‘fasten off’- what exactly do you mean- pull the thread through. If you could just explain this .

I really enjoy all your work and your pictures and instructions are so so helpful to make a beautiful blanket

[Grandma Sue]

Lucy, You have made so many beautiful blankets now, have you considered writing/making a book of all your blanket designs? I, for one, would have it on pre-order like a shot!

[beth staite]

Hi I ordered the dune blanket pack and i was told there would be the pattern inside, there isn't. Do you have a PDF version that you can send??