This Daydream Blanket is a striped Tunisian Crochet blanket that has easier color changes than its cousin, the Sunset Stripes Blanket, making it a great beginner project for anyone venturing into Tunisian crochet for the first time.
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This project is made in collaboration with Lion Brand Yarn, and includes affiliate links.
My husband and I honeymooned in Maine, near Acadia National Park, and drove home along Route 1, enjoying the little fishing towns along the Maine coast, eating lobster every day, stopping to do some antique shopping, and taking in the sea breezes everywhere we could. It was a beautiful, peaceful trip, sort of the slow, spontaneous living that I miss now that we’ve got two little kids running around at home. The Daydream Tunisian crochet blanket is my way of remembering that trip and the feeling of looking out over the harbor and beyond to the sea.
Like my previous pattern, the Sunset Stripes Blanket, this blanket is also worked up in Tunisian crochet using Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick. But unlike the random streaks of a sunset, this blanket is inspired by the Hudson Bay colorway and the bold stripes in its namesake wool blanket. For me, the grey yarn is the rocks and concrete of a harbor town; the Hudson Bay, with its bright primary colors, represents the colorful sailboats and houses along the shore, and the blue is obviously the rolling blue sea. Having simple stripes of color means it’s a lot easier to change colors and there’s a lot less ends to weave in!
The blanket uses the Tunisian Simple Stitch throughout. I find this stitch is one of the looser of the Tunisian crochet stitches, but you still need to go up a few sizes in your hook than what is normally recommended for the yarn to make sure the stitches don’t come out too tight. You want the blanket to still drape while having that squishy, cozy feel.
The video below gives you a quick tutorial on how to crochet the Tunisian Simple Stitch. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll see how easy and fast it is, especially with this chunky yarn. Having such structured stripes makes this blanket even easier, there’s really no need to count at all, other than to check the number of stitches every few rows. I consider this a prime “crochet-while-you-binge-watch-your-favorite-show” project!
I also have a video to show you how to change colors in Tunisian crochet. As I mentioned before, the color changes in this blanket are not nearly as complex as in the Sunset blanket. All you need to know is how to pick up a new color at the beginning of a row. When you get to the last 2 loops of the previous row, pull the new yarn through those last 2 loops and voila, you’re ready to start the new row with a new color. It’s as simple as that!
Get the downloadable pattern PDF on Etsy
To make it even easier for you to step into Tunisian crochet waters, you can find this pattern as a kit from Lion Brand Yarn. You’ll get all the yarn listed below, and a printed copy of the pattern including the color chart.
Supplies
- 2 balls of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick Bonus Bundle in Fisherman (80% Acrylic, 20% Wool, 340g/12oz, 212yds/194m)
- 1 ball of each of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Fisherman, Glacier, Slate (80% Acrylic, 20% Wool, 170g/6oz, 106yds/97m)
- 1 ball of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick Hudson Bay (80% Acrylic, 20% Wool, 140g/5oz, 87yds/80m)
- P/16 (11.5mm) Tunisian crochet hook, approx. 30-36 inches long
- tapestry needle
- scissors
Abbreviations
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sl st – slip st
- ch – chain stitch
- yo – yarn over
- TSS – Tunisian Simple Stitch: (forward pass) insert hook behind the front vertical bar, yarn over and bring up a loop, leaving the loop on the hook.
- MC – main color – Fisherman
- C1 – Slate
- C2 – Hudson Bay
- C3 – Glacier
Notes
- Skill level: Easy
- Sizes: One size – 40in wide x 58in long
- Gauge: 6 sts and 5.5 rows per 4 inches of Tunisian Simple Stitch.
- At the beginning of the TSS row, you already have a loop on your hook, so you’ll work the first TSS stitch by inserting your hook into the 2nd front vertical bar.
- When switching colors, use the new color to complete the last stitch of the reverse pass: YO with the new color yarn and pull through the last 2 loops. This ensures the first loop of the next forward pass is in the right color.
- Once you get past Row 54, you can make the blanket as long or as short as you want. Extra yarn can be used to add tassels or fringe.
- Yarn is carried from one row to the next unless the pattern specifies to cut the yarn as indicated.
Color Chart
(made with Stitch Fiddle)
Sunset Stripes Blanket Tunisian Crochet Pattern Instructions
Ch. 60.
Row 1 (Foundation row, forward): [MC] Starting from the 2nd ch from hook, *insert hook into the back bump, YO, pull up a loop, leaving the loop on the hook.* Repeat from * to complete the first forward pass. Do not turn at end of row.
Row 1 (Foundation row, reverse): [MC] YO, pull yarn through 1 loop. *YO, pull yarn through 2 loops.* Repeat from * to complete first reverse pass. Counts as first row in color chart. (60 sts)
Rows 2-6: [MC] (forward pass) TSS across row. (reverse pass) YO, pull yarn through 1 loop. *YO, pull yarn through 2 loops.* Repeat from * to complete reverse pass.
**Color change: At the end of Row 6, YO with C1 to pull through last 2 loops.
Row 7: Work TSS forward/reverse passes in C1, using MC to YO and pull through last 2 loops.
Row 8: Work TSS forward/reverse passes in MC, using C1 to YO and pull through last 2 loops.
Row 9-10: Repeat Rows 7-8. Cut MC after Row 10, leaving a 6in tail.
Rows 11-16: Work TSS forward/reverse passes in C1, using MC to YO and pull through last 2 loops of Row 16.
Row 17: Work TSS forward/reverse passes in MC, using C1 to YO and pull through last 2 loops.
Row 18: Work TSS forward/reverse passes in C1, using MC to YO and pull through last 2 loops.
Rows 19-20: Repeat Rows 17-18. Cut C1 after Row 20, leaving a 6in tail.
Rows 21-23: Work TSS forward/reverse passes in MC, using C2 to YO and pull through last 2 loops of Row 23.
Rows 24-27: Repeat Rows 7-10, replacing C1 with C2. Cut MC after Row 27, leaving a 6in tail.
Rows 28-32: Work TSS forward/reverse passes in C2, using MC to YO and pull through last 2 loops of Row 32.
Rows 33-39: Repeat Rows 17-23, replacing C1 with C2. Cut C2 after Row 36, leaving a 6in tail.
Rows 40-53: Repeat Rows 7-20, replacing C1 with C3. Cut MC after Row 43, and cut C3 after Row 53, leaving 6in tails.
Rows 54-80: Work TSS forward/reverse passes in MC.
Row 81 (Bind off): [MC] *Insert your hook under the next vertical bar, YO and pull through both the vertical bar and the loop on the hook, similar to a slip stitch.* Repeat from * to the end of the row. You should end up with 1 loop left on your hook. Cut the yarn, and pull the end through the loop to fasten off.
Finishing: Weave in all remaining ends. Pin the blanket to a flat surface and steam or wet block the edges to relax the yarn and prevent the ends from curling.
I wasn’t able to find out how many chains to start with. Could you advise?
It says ch 60
Love this stitch , simple buts looks amazing
What a gorgeous stitches! Thank you for sharing the post! I can’t wait to make this beautiful blanket!
https://gmailemail-login.com/
I just LOVE LOVE LOVE This blanket, instead of the baby blue I used a mustard yellow. However I was wondering, what size was your final result? Mine came out smaller than I was hoping.
Difficult to find afghan Tunisian hooks above 6.5mm here in Ontario Canada..love the blanket ..
Where can I find the 30-36″ long crochet hook? Thanks for your help!
I have a interchangeable hook so I connect 2 long cords to make it 30-36in.
I don’t know how you get that size of gauge. Even I bump up my hook to 19mm instead of 11.5mm, I still get 9” per 4in. I know I crochet tighter so I’m sure that’s the reason so I’m gonna increase the number of foundation stitches!
Your video demonstrating the Simple Tunisian Stitch is excellent. Well done.
Striped scarf is very nice and simple. I really like the scarves you hook. Thanks for dividing up the tutorial in detail.
This is a great thing, I think everyone feels this information is very valuable, thank you
I bought this kit on the Lionbrand site and discovered it was a Tunisian pattern, oh no! Is there a regular crochet stitch that I can convert this pattern to? I love the colors of this pattern.
thanks so much.
Lori
I can’t wait to begin this,my next project!
the colors are beautiful,the tutorials are excellent and the directions very easy to learn,follow.
My question is,do you need to block when done?
TX so much for a really great site.
Jen
I guess you can always make it in single crochet 🙂
thank you
Can I ask where you got the tunisian hook with the cable on it? I am on Vancouver Island and it is hard to get tunisian hooks anyway. look forward to hearing back
Probably a stupid question, but this will be my first Tunisian Blanket. Do I need a 60″ cable attachment for my crochet hook if I want to make a larger blanket? I don’t understand how to make blanket wider than 36″ if it calls for a 36″ hook/cable.
Thank you for sharing, could you please share where you got the needle that you used? I am having a hard time finding it. Also do you have an instructional video on how to make the The Floppy Ear Bunny. I am thinking about making it for my daughter for Easter. Thank you
I haven’t gotten up the nerve to try Tunsian yet. However, this pattern and stunning blanket might be the motivation I need to take the leap. Especially with all this extra at-home time we have on our hands nowdays! 😀
Thanks for the great pattern.
Amber Johnson
http://www.craftaboo.com
The information you have posted is really good and very helpful, I will often visit your site. shell shockers
It bunches up on the cable.
I absolutely love this pattern! Thank you for sharing. I have made 3 blankets so far. Two in the original color scheme, which is beautiful, and one with brown tones. The pattern is so easy to follow. The bulky yarn works up fast. And my finished project is soft and beautiful! Thank you again!
Did you add more to the begining chain? I completed mine with the 60 as said but my blanket is so small
Hello,I have question,no matter how loose I try to crochet this stitch,my piece comes out tight,even going up hook size….should I loosen hold on yarn passing thru?I want it to be soft,drapey,and squishy,not firm like a rug or a bathmat…please help….i love this Afghan very much and want to have it come out correctly.
I’m wondering about this too. I just started my blanket and it is fairly narrow. Since its my first trying this crochet style, I suppose a smaller size is ok for practice. I haven’t found the finished size indicated anywhere.
You can definitely go up a hook size or 2 or even 3. When you yarn over and pull up a loop, make sure that loop is nice and loose on your hook. Tunisian crochet always tends to be tighter than regular crochet, so it does take some practice to get the tension right!
Hello,ok I followed all your advice to the letter,went up a hook size,ordered the exact (beautiful )yarn,and guess what,it is coming out beautiful…the color changes are flowing one to another,the tension is perfect and it is just the way you described,soft,squishy and gorgeous.
Thank you so very much for all your help,advice and excellently written directions and video,if followed correctly,the Afghan comes out beautiful.
What is the mixed yarn name
The multi-colored yarn is called Hudson Bay in Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick!
How could this pattern be made for say a cal king size bed?.
I need advise on how many chains do I need to make this blanket larger.
I would like to make it 52 x 70 inches. Can you please advise. I really like
your tutorial. Thanks
If you would like to make it larger, you can use the gauge listed in the Notes section to calculate how many stitches you need for your desired width. For 52″ wide you would need to chain 78 at the beginning. Note you will need considerably more yarn for a larger blanket.
You would need to determine how wide you would like to make your blanket, then you can use the gauge listed in the Notes section to calculate how many sts to chain to start off.
Do I have to get 3 balls of yarn in fisher man or just 2?
How do I keep the blanket from curling up?
You can steam block the blanket to help with the curl, but there will always be a bit of residual curl due to the stitch itself.
The instructions say to get 2 balls of the Bonus Bundle and 1 regular ball. That is equal to 5 regular balls in Fisherman.
I did it!!; cal king for my 91 year old mother for her mothers day gift! Thank you so much for taking time to help😁
Hello,
I’ve just found your pattern for this Tunisian blanket.. Beautiful.. I really like Tunisian. Could you please give me some idea of stitch count for a cot size blanket. Thank you so much.
Hi Christine, you can use the gauge to calculate the number of stitches and rows you’ll need to make the size you want.
Hello
I’ve just completed your daydream blanket which is my first Tunisian crochet project and third crochet project ( 2 beanies for my wife and son)
I love how easy this was to make with your video and pattern
Thanks so much – I think it looks great
Hi! This blanket looks beautiful and I can’t wait to make it! I’ve got my yarn but am having trouble finding the right hook. For “P” size I keep finding hooks that are a larger mm than the 11.5 you mentioned and I’m confused! Can you help? Where did you get yours? -Kimberly
Hi Kimberly! The “P” is a US classification, but the mm is the important part. I recommend Clover or Denise Interchangeable. Hope that helps!
Such beautiful work, as usual!! Thank you so much on behalf of us visual learners. LoL
I’m using the recommended yarn and a 12 mm hook instead of 11.5. After a few rows of 60 stitches, my width is just 33 inches, high seems like a pretty big difference. Is it just I am crocheting WAY too tightly? Thanks!
Did you gauge swatch? We all stitch with different tensions, so if you want the exact dimensions, you may need to go down a hook size or two to meet gauge. Hope that helps!