PATTERN: Ribbon Afghan

This afghan was something I came up with because I wanted a very quick and very easy pattern that could be done by touch - it's repetitive and simple, the perfect afghan to work on in front of the TV. And it's an excellent scrapbuster! It starts with a smidgen of maths, I'm afraid. It also involves a bit of gauge. (I know, I know, but bear with me: it'll be over soon.)

This pattern is in American English terms [British English terms are in brackets]

GAUGE
Important! Don't skip this bit, no matter how tempting!
Take your chosen hook and chosen yarn, chain 12 stitches. Crochet 1 dc [tr] in the fourth chain from the hook (counts as first dc [tr]), then 1 dc [tr] in the next nine chain stitches. You now have 10 dc [tr]. Take a ruler or measuring tape and measure the length of these 10 stitches.


If I wanted to make a full-length blanket, say 2 metres long, my starting chain would be 290 chain + 2 chain to form my first "dc [tr]".
10 dc [tr] = 7 cm
290 dc [tr] = 203 cm
Chain 290 + 2 chain to form my first "dc [tr]"

I want to make a baby afghan and I'd like it to be approximately 80cm long, including a border.
10 dc [tr] = 7 cm
110 dc [tr] = 77 cm
So I need a starting chain of 110 chain (+ 2 chain to form my first "dc [tr]".)

So for my baby blanket, I chain 112
ROW 1
Crochet 1 dc [tr] in the fourth chain from the hook (counts as first dc [tr]), then 1 dc [tr] in the next nine chain stitches. *Chain 1. Then crochet 1 sc [dc] in the next ten chain stitches (don't skip a stitch). Chain 1. Crochet 1 dc [tr] in the next ten chain stitches. Repeat from * to end of chain (depending on how long your chain is, you may finish with either 10 dc [tr] or 10 sc [dc], it doesn't matter.)
Cut yarn for colour change, weave in your tail, turn your work and start with a new colour.




If you finish the row with dc [tr], you'll start the next with sc [dc]. If you finish with sc [dc], you'll start with dc [tr]. As you can see, I've finished the row with dc [tr] so when I turn my work, I'll start with sc [dc].

ROW 2
You do one row in Colour 1 to start your blanket. After that, you will do TWO rows of each colour. So join a new colour here!

*** Please note: you only crochet into the dc [tr] or sc [dc], you DON'T crochet into the chain between each group of ten stitches. The chain is only there to compensate for the difference between the height of the stitches. If it weren't there, your work would curl! ***

Crochet 2 chain to start the row (this functions as a 'fake' first sc [dc],) then 1 sc [dc] in the next 9 dc [tr] of the previous row. * Chain 1. Crochet 1 dc [tr] in each 10 sc [dc] of the previous row. Chain 1. Crochet 1 sc [dc] in each 10 dc [tr] of the previous row. Repeat from * to end of row.



ROW 3
You do 10 of the same stitches in the stitches of the previous row: in other words, 1 dc [tr] in each of the ten dc [tr] in the previous row - or 1 sc [dc] in each of the ten sc [dc] in the previous row. But don't forget to do your chain stitch between each group of ten stitches - this allows for the difference in height between the stitches. If you don't do it, your work will curl.


And so you continue: after a single row in the starting colour, two rows in each new colour. Here you can see I'm starting my fourth row in white, doing 1 dc [tr] in each of the 10 sc [dc] of the previous row.


And on it goes, up and down the blanket, till it has reached the desired width. You finish by doing just one row in your finishing colour, this gives it an even edge. You can then do a single row of dc [tr] or sc [dc] around the afghan to make it neat.

After a few rows, the pattern clearly emerges:


You may not reproduce this pattern in print or claim it as your work. You may not sell the pattern. Do not copy and paste pattern to another website, please use a link.

Update: see this post for some pictures of other people's Ribbon Afghans!