How to Crochet an Easy Weighted Rainbow Blanket

Hi guys! Welcome to my first blog post about this easy weighted crochet blanket. Isn’t she beautiful? In this post, we are going to talk about the process of making your own crochet weighted blanket using scrap yarn. You can find the free tutorial below.

Handmade blankets often get a bad rep for being repetitive, boring, lengthy, and yarn guzzlers; especially crocheted blankets. There are times when I agree with every one of these statements. Some blankets take a long time to finish, especially when you have to sew 1000 granny squares together. Blankets can also be boring and repetitive when you are working one or two stitches, 16,000 times. Blankets are no joke; they require a lot of time, and yarn, which can be draining on both our bank accounts and our souls! I understand the negativity towards blankets, but I hope this blanket will change your mind.

About this Weighted Blanket:

As fiber artists, or yarnies, we have probably accumulated a lot of yarn over time. And chances are, that while we have been trying our best to work away at this stash, we can’t use it up as quickly as we would like. I started this blanket in the hopes of using up more than half of my yarn supply. Did it happen? No. Why? I have TOO much yarn hahaha. So, I realized that I am going to have make a couple more of these blankets, before I reach my goal. That is okay by me.

The best part of this weighted blanket, and the part that will keep you excited and motivated to finish it, is creating your own colour combinations! In order to use as much yarn as possible, I crocheted with 3 Strands of yarn.

Before we dive into the tutorial, let’s gather our supplies.

Pin this Project for Later – Here!

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*Continue scrolling down for the free version on the blog with ads.*

You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE Ad-free Printable PDF of this pattern on Etsy HERE or Ravelry HERE. This 9 page PDF includes the complete blanket making process, pattern, and photo tutorials, so you can follow along on paper, highlight and make notes.

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What you will need for this project:

• Lots of yarn! (This project will help you use up some of your yarn stash)
• 7.0, 8.0, 9.0 OR 10.0 mm crochet hook
• 1 – 5 yarn needles (depending on how many you misplace during this project – I always lose mine!)
• Scissors
• Patience, motivation, and a bit of creativity!

Yarn Choice for this Crochet Weighted Blanket

For this blanket, I used every medium 4 worsted weight yarn that I had in my stash! I was determined to use what I had, and use as much of it as I could. At the time, my yarn stash consisted of a few skeins of Bernat Premium, Red Heart Super Saver, Red Heart Soft, and I Love This Yarn Solids and I Love This Yarn Prints. I also had random bits of yarn from my nana’s collection, as well as from thrift stores.

You can mix different fibers, like acrylic and wool, as long as they are in the same weight category. Just make sure to check the washing instructions on your wool blend because it might be more delicate than an acrylic yarn; wash your blanket according these instructions.

Colour Combinations

Before you start crocheting, get organized! Pull out your yarn bins, and lay out the skeins you want to use for the project. This will make it easier to create colour combinations and transitions because you can see what you are working with. When making colour combinations, it’s important to have fun and let yourself be creative! 

Each colour combination will consist of 3 strands of yarn (or 4) to add weight to your blanket.

Here are two colour combo options to get you thinking: 

• Choose two similar colours, and use a 3rd colour to make the combo pop. This helps to create contrast between the colours, without being overwhelming! 

Example: The picture to the left shows burgundy and burnt orange, two similar colours, and light blue for a pop of colour.

• Create colour combinations using 3 shades of the same colour. I did this a lot in the green, blue, and purple sections of my blanket because I had a lot of different shades of the same colour!

Blending Colours as you Crochet

This weighted blanket is really colourful; and that can seem overwhelming to the eye.

To make the colour transition more fluid as you switch between each 3-stranded colour combination, try to blend your colours.

To blend colours in your blanket, use 1 or 2 colours from the previous combination, and then slip in a different 3rd colour. 

Example: The picture to the left, shows the colour burgundy, red, and yellow. I chose these colours because the last combination was burgundy, burnt orange, and blue. So, the colour burgundy is seen in both combinations; red is a similar colour to burnt orange, so it blends better; and yellow is the new 3rd colour.

Making a Rainbow with Yarn

To make this a true rainbow blanket, work each section in the ROYGBIV order. Each section should have different shades of the dominant colour, but you can throw in some “highlight” colours to add some contrast. These highlight colours can be the 3rd strand of yarn that you mix with the other two shades.

Here is a list of the highlight colours I used in each section of my blanket: 

• Red Section Highlight Colours: Purple, Pink, Orange, Blue and Brown.

• Orange Section Highlight Colours: Yellow, Blue, Brown, and Red.

• Yellow Section Highlight Colours: Orange, Light Purple, and White.

• Green Section Highlight Colours: Yellow and Blue.

• Blue Section Highlight Colours: Green, Purple and Gray.

*This weighted crochet blanket is all about having fun and experimenting with colour. So if you don’t like how a certain colour combination is turning out, you can always unravel your stitches and try a different combination!

Changing Colour Technique

Here is a photo tutorial to show you how to change colours throughout the blanket. 

• Picture A: Make the last half double crochet in your current colour combo, but before you complete the stitch, drop your yarn (you should have 3 loops on your hook).

• Picture B, C & D: Pick up your new colour combo, and pull it through the remaining 3 loops on your hook to complete the stitch.

• Picture E: Begin crocheting with your new colour!

How to Roll Your Own 3-Stranded Balls of Yarn Tutorial

You can skip this step all together if you prefer to crochet straight from your skeins! It’s actually more time consuming to roll your colour combos into balls, but it does help you visualize the order of your colours. I used this method for my blanket, but gave up halfway through and crocheted straight from the skeins. 

To roll your own 3-stranded yarn balls, take a strand of yarn from each colour, and lay it on your hand (Picture A). Wrap the yarn around your hand, about 10 times (Picture B), and slip it off, while holding the center (Picture C) – this protects the yarn from getting tangled. To secure the ball, continue wrapping the yarn in different directions (Picture D), until you run out of yarn OR you are satisfied with the size of your ball.

Weight of the Blanket & Choosing your Crochet Hook

One last note before we get to the pattern. This blanket is crocheted with 3-strands of yarn, which means that it is considered a super-bulky weight blanket.

One last note before we get to the pattern. This blanket is crocheted with 3-strands of yarn, which means that it is considered a super-bulky weight blanket.

The best crochet hooks to use for super bulky weight yarn to create tight stitches vary between 7.0mm, 8.0mm, 9.0mm or 10.0mm. If you work with a 7.0mm crochet hook, your stitches are tighter and more compact than if you use a 10.0mm. The tighter and more compact your stitches are, the more rigid and inflexible your blanket becomes. This means that your blanket will weigh more than a blanket with looser and more flexible stitches.

Before you begin to crochet this blanket, you have to choose a crochet hook. I worked my blanket with an 8.0mm crochet hook, and the stitches were very tight. My finished blanket weighs about 5 -7 pounds, and it’s the perfect weight to throw on top of your duvet or comforter while you sleep. The extra bit of weight that this blanket offers, keeps me calm and grounded during the night; so I don’t have a restless sleep. If you decide to crochet with a larger hook, your blanket will be looser, and may not weigh as much. Choosing a larger crochet hook is much easier on your hands though!

Weighted Crochet Blanket Measurements:

This blanket measures 60″ wide by 76″ long.

Customizing the Size of Your Blanket:

This blanket is worked lengthwise, so your starting chain determines the length of your blanket. When you crochet more rows, your blanket becomes wider.

• Changing the Length: To make your blanket shorter, chain less; to make your blanket longer, chain more.

• Changing the Width: To make your blanket less wide, work fewer rows; to make your blanket wider, work more rows.

Abbreviations:

• Ch – chain
• St – stitch
• Hdc – hdc

Pattern:

Notes:

• The beginning chain 2 does not count as a stitch
• To get straight edges along your blanket, make your last hdc in the ch-2 of the previous row, instead of in the last hdc of the previous row.

Ch 172

Row 1: Make a half double crochet (hdc) in the 3rd chain (ch) from the hook. Then make a hdc in each ch across to the end of the row. Turn your work. (170 hdc)

• Row 2: Ch 2, make a hdc in the 1st stitch (st) of the row, and in each st across to the end of the row. Turn your work. (170 hdc)

• Row 3 – 105: Repeat Row 2.

Fasten off, and weave in your ends with a yarn needle!

And You’re Done!

You have finished your first rainbow weighted crochet blanket. Congratulations! I hope you made a nice dent in your yarn stash, and had fun playing with colour. I can’t wait to see all of your creations. Comment below to tell me about your blanket making experience, or tag me on Instagram @ThisPixieCreates, so I can see your beautiful blankets.

Check out some more fun and budget-friendly crochet patterns on this blog.

Disclaimer: You are welcome to sell items that you’ve made from this pattern; however, you are not allowed to use my pictures or sell my pattern as your own (Copyright @ ThisPixieCreates).

Love, Dayna