This was an attempt at writing my own pattern, and it had its successes and its failures. I started by going for a basic rectangle wrap, with Lion Brand Heartland in the soft grey shade, until I had the desired length.
I did some rows in double crochet and half double crochet, before switching to the linen stitch for the rainbow section. For that I used mainly Caron Simply Soft, which while also a worsted weight, is a pinch thinner than the Heartland. The difference in yarn thickness, coupled with the tighter linen stitch, resulted in the wrap losing some of its length.
For the cloud border, I used Buttercream Luxe Craft, which is a smaller ‘bulky’ size. This added to effect of widening the grey outer edges, while the rainbow continued to pull in a bit. I was able to block it to nearly rectangular, with blocking boards and an iron set to a low heat.
While I’m not entirely happy with the results, I am glad that I learned a few things, and know what I’d do differently next time. And I’m hoping that the friend it is going to will enjoy it anyways, as she cuddles up in it to read.
Basic Pattern
Row 1: Chain 202. Hdc in 3rd ch from hook. Hdc across (201 hdc).
Row 2: Ch 4, turn (counts as dc, ch 1). Sk st, dc in front loop only of next two stitches, ch 1 . Repeat from * to * until you have 1 space left. Dc in front loop only of last st.
Row 3: Ch 2, turn. Hdc in back loop only of each stitch across. (201 hdc)
Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc in first st, ch 1, sk next st, sc in next. Repeat across. (101 sc, 100 ch 1) This is the Linen Stitch.
Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Sc in first st, sc in next, ch 1, sk next st, sc in next. Repeat across to second to last st, sc in last. (There will be a sc in the first two and last two stitches of this row.) (103 sc, 98 ch 1) This is the Linen Stitch.
Row 6: Repeat Row 4. (101 sc, 100 ch 1)
Row 7: Repeat Row 5. (103 sc, 98 ch 1)
Row 8: Repeat Row 4. (101 sc, 100 ch 1)
Row 9: Ch 2, turn. Hdc in next st. Hdc in each ch sp and sc across. (201 hdc)
Row 10: Ch 4, turn (counts as dc, ch 1). Sk st, dc in front loop only of next two stitches, ch 1 . Repeat from * to * until you have 1 space left. Dc in front loop only of last st. (134 dc, 67 ch 1 sp)
Row 11: Ch 2, turn. Hdc in back loop only of next st. Hdc in blo of each stitch across. (201 hdc).
Note: Begin Rainbow portion, starting with red-violet. Each row of the rainbow portion is done in the Linen Stitch (the same as done in Rows 4 & 5 above), and works 1 row of each color through the spectrum, to violet. For violet you will do 3 rows of linen stitch in this color total, before going back down through the spectrum towards red-violet.
Row 12: Red Violet (Red Heart Soft: Berry)
Row 13: Burgundy (Bernat Satin Solids: Bordeaux)
Row 14: Red (Caron Simply Soft: Harvest Red
Row 15: Dark Brick Red (Caron Simply Soft: Garnet)
Row 16: Pumpkin Orange (Caron Simply Soft: Pumpkin)
Row 17: Mustard (Lion Brand Heartland: Bryce Canyon)
Row 18: Bright Yellow (Caron Simply Soft: Gold)
Row 19: Light Yellow (Caron Simply Soft: Autumn Maize)
Row 20: Light Green (Caron Simply Soft: Pistachio)
Row 21: Green (Premier Yarns Everyday: Pine Green)
Row 22: Dark Green (Caron Simply Soft: Dark Sage)
Row 23: Teal (Lion Brand Heartland: Cuyahoga Valley)
Row 24: Turquoise (Lion Brand Heartland: Pinnacles)
Row 25: Medium Blue-Green (Caron Simply Soft: Ocean)
Row 26: Navy (Caron Simply Soft: Dark Country Blue)
Row 27: Light Blue (Caron Simply Soft: Berry Blue)
Row 28: Light Plum (Caron Simply Soft: Plum Wine)
Row 29-31: Violet
Row 32: Light Plum (Caron Simply Soft: Plum Wine)
Row 33: Light Blue (Caron Simply Soft: Berry Blue)
Row 34: Navy (Caron Simply Soft: Dark Country Blue)
Row 35: Medium Blue-Green (Caron Simply Soft: Ocean)
Row 36: Turquoise (Lion Brand Heartland: Pinnacles)
Row 37: Teal (Lion Brand Heartland: Cuyahoga Valley)
Row 38: Dark Green (Caron Simply Soft: Dark Sage)
Row 39: Green (Premier Yarns Everyday: Pine Green)
Row 40: Light Green (Caron Simply Soft: Pistachio)
Row 41: Light Yellow (Caron Simply Soft: Autumn Maize)
Row 42: Bright Yellow (Caron Simply Soft: Gold)
Row 43: Mustard (Lion Brand Heartland: Bryce Canyon)
Row 44: Pumpkin Orange (Caron Simply Soft: Pumpkin)
Row 45: Dark Brick Red (Caron Simply Soft: Garnet)
Row 46: Red (Caron Simply Soft: Harvest Red)
Row 47: Burgundy (Bernat Satin Solids: Bordeaux)
Row 48: Red Violet (Red Heart Soft: Berry)
Note: Rows 49-59 will repeat the same stitches as the first band of grey in the reverse order, however I cannot remember if I had to reverse any of the ‘in back loop only’ or ‘in front loop only’ to create the ridges on the same side or not. You do want the ridges to all be on the same side.
Row 49: Change to grey. Hdc in each st across.
Row 50: Ch 4, turn (counts as dc, ch 1). Sk st, dc in front loop only of next two stitches, ch 1 . Repeat from * to * until you have 1 space left. Dc in front loop only of last st.
Row 51: Ch 2, turn. Hdc in back loop only of each stitch across. (201 hdc)
Row 52: Ch 1, turn. Sc in first st, ch 1, sk next st, sc in next. Repeat across. (101 sc, 100 ch 1)
Row 53: Ch 1, turn. Sc in first st, sc in next, ch 1, sk next st, sc in next. Repeat across to second to last st, sc in last. (There will be a sc in the first two and last two stitches of this row.) (103 sc, 98 ch 1)
Row 54: Repeat Row 52. (101 sc, 100 ch 1)
Row 55: Repeat Row 53. (103 sc, 98 ch 1)
Row 56: Repeat Row 52. (101 sc, 100 ch 1)
Row 57: Ch 2, turn. Hdc in next st. Hdc in each ch sp and sc across. (201 hdc)
Row 58: Ch 4, turn (counts as dc, ch 1). Sk st, dc in front loop only of next two stitches, ch 1 . Repeat from * to * until you have 1 space left. Dc in front loop only of last st. (134 dc, 67 ch 1 sp)
Row 59: Ch 2, turn. Hdc in back loop only of next st. Hdc in blo of each stitch across. (201 hdc).
CLOUD BORDER
Switch to yarn you’ve chosen for clouds, and follow the first (light pink) border pattern, omitting the picots at the top of each shell:
Note: In sc rows, initial chain does NOT count as 1st sc. In hdc & dc rows, initial ch 2 or ch 3 DOES count as 1st hdc or dc.
