Easy Thick Crochet Blanket {with free pattern}

Today’s crochet blanket uses the alpine stitch to create an easy thick crochet blanket. The stitch is essentially a 2-row repeat, using stitches you likely already know.

I was preparing for a couple days’ worth of road time driving to Florida for a vacation opportunity we scored in February. I’ve learned that while being the passenger I can crochet the time away and the day doesn’t drag on mile after mile. In fact, it usually feels like, ‘oh, we’re done driving for today already?’.

Preparing for this road trip meant deciding on a new stitch along with the yarn to go with it. Road trip blankets I’ve learned need to be repetitive….between the music playing to satisfy the driver, regular chatting with said driver, and a confined space in the front seat — I don’t do well with reading a pattern for instructions.

A Good Road Trip Stitch

The constant stopping and starting, re-reading the same row directions, and thus miscounting because I start jamming too hard to the music, or we start with a really intriguing conversation, or we just stop for a potty break, and I’m fumbling for the instructions and trying to remember my place within the 89 rows of instruction.

I love new patterns, and I sometimes love the challenge of a more involved pattern.  But a road trip is not one of those times. So I knew this new pattern needed to be able to be picked up, put down, talked over, sung over, and maybe even car-jammed with it.

“Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.” — Emma Bates

Digging through my Pinterest boards for crochet blankets and crochet stitches, trims and blocks, I came across the Alpine Stitch. This stitch produces a heavy-duty thicker blanket, reminding me a lot of the actual Blanket Stitch, mostly due to the front post double crochets.  This blanket also has a very different front versus back.  The front has a ridged texture to it, while the back has an almost smooth texture to it.

Simple Stitches

The stitch is pretty simple but has such an impact on the thickness of the blanket. Essentially, the 2-row repeat is a row of single crochets (easy enough!) and then a row of double crochets where every other stitch reaches down and OVER the row of singles to the row of doubles below it. These reach-down double crochets are then worked as a front-post-double-crochet (FPDC). These FPDC stitches are the primary contributor to the blanket thickness That’s it!  So let’s jump to it.

Supplies

• J Crochet Hook
• Yarn, I used:
  • 7 skeins of Yarn Bee (a Hobby Lobby brand) Snowflake Wool Blend 3-weight yarn, 4oz skeins, 247 yards each, color: Creamsickle, 2 strands at a time
  • 2 balls of Baby Bee (a Hobby Lobby brand) Sweet Delight Baby 3-weight yarn, 4oz skeins, 377 yards each, color: Bananas, 2 strands at a time
  • 2 balls of Baby Bee (a Hobby Lobby brand) Sweet Delight Baby 3-weight yarn, 4oz skeins, 377 yards each, color: Cheeky, 2 strands at a time
• Scissors
• Yarn needle

Instructions for an easy thick crochet blanket using the alpine stitch

Stitches used: Chain, single crochet, double crochet, front post double crochet (FPDC)

Finished Dimensions: 37″ long x 39″ wide (this blanket is wider than it is long)

Striping: I only counted the rows with the FPDC, so when I say I worked 10 rows, that’s counting 10 rows with the FPDC. So it’s roughly double that since there is a 2-row repeat that includes a row of single crochets. But because the row of single crochets gets easily lost and can be hard to count, I only counted those rows where the FPDC was worked.

Also, if I had enough yarn to work the next row of single crochets after meeting these FPDC row counts, then I did. No worries about whether you work the single crochet row in the current color, or the next color. I totally wasn’t consistent with it and usually based it on whether I was at the end of my skeins.

• Cheeky: 10 FPDC rows AFTER the the beginning chain, Row 1, Row 2, and Row 3.
• Creamsickle: 9 FPDC rows
• Bananas: 7 FPDC rows
• Creamsickle: 10 FPDC rows
• Cheeky: 5 FPDC rows
• Creamsickle: 10 FPDC rows
• Bananas: 9 FPDC rows
• Creamsickle: 4 FPDC rows, plus 2 finishing rows.

Chain 123 + 1 for a total of 124 chains – or an odd number of chains, plus 1

Row 1: Single crochet in the 3^rd chain. SC in each chain across. Turn

Row 2: Chain 3. (This is important. I’m usually a chain 2 when I double crochet, but I’m telling you up front, do the Chain 3.)

Skip the stitch that the chain stitch comes up from (Again, this is different than the way I usually do it, but stick with me). Double crochet in the next stitch, and in each stitch across. Turn.

Row 3: Chain 1. Single crochet in each stitch across (For all of the single crochet rows, I do single crochet in the very first stitch, meaning the one where the chain 1 is coming out of. Old habits are hard to break.) Turn.

Row 4: Chain 3 (Again, important!) *FPDC around the stitch in Row 2 stepping OVER the single crochets in Row 3. Skip one stitch in the row of single crochets (the one behind the FPDC) and do just a regular DC in the next single crochet stitch (from Row 3). Repeat to end of row. Turn.

Row 5: Chain 1, sc in each stitch across. Turn.

Row 6: Chain 3 (important!), DC in the first stitch (skipping the stitch that the chain 3 is coming out of), FPDC around the stitch 2 rows down stepping OVER the single crochets in Row 5. Skip one stitch (the one behind the FPDC) and do just a regular DC in the next stitch (from Row 5). Repeat to end of row. At the end of this row, you will do 2 DCs. Turn.

Continue to repeat rows 3, 4, 5, and 6 until you reach your desired length. Keep in mind, you’re basically doing one row of singles, and then the row of alternating doubles and FPDCs, with only the beginning and end of those rows differing: one performs a FPDC at the immediate beginning, while the other one performs a simple DC first. And then at the ends, one ends with a simple DC, while the other one ends with two simple DCs.

For the last two rows I worked 1 row of straight up double crochets, and then one row of single crochets.

Now you’re ready for your next road trip. You’re welcome. 🙂

“You might be a crocheter if sitting in the passenger seat with your crochet on a long car trip is your idea of relaxation.” — www.happilyhooked.com

Related Posts

If you liked this article, you might like some of my other crochet projects:

• Lemon peel stitch
• 12 month sampler
• Glitter Yarn crochet bracelet

Concluding Thoughts on making an easy thick crochet blanket

I will say this blanket is probably not one to work on in the height of summer heat. But if you’re sitting around a campfire on a chilly night, or tend to run cold (especially when the very much appreciated driver of your roadtrip vacation likes to have the air conditioning on) this is a great blanket to work on and produces an easy thick crochet blanket.

What are your go-to stitches while being a crochet passenger? Drop me a note in the comments!