Maybe it was the very few days of cold weather that we got here in Florida around mid-December or maybe it was the shorter days of winter, but I got an itch to work on a cozy blanket. I wanted to use a stitch that I had never used before and, after doing some research, I landed on the shell stitch! 

This is the second blanket I have ever made (my first one can be found here). The first one took me about 5 years to complete because I lost inspiration along the way or got side-tracked with other projects. With a lot of determination to prioritize finishing this project, I managed to complete it in a fair amount of time.

Since this was the first blanket I ever designed, I learned a few valuable lessons that required me to frog and rework rows *several* times! The biggest lesson was the trim and border...I had to re do this part of the project twice because I did not crochet enough stitches so the edges were majorly curling. One of the times, I had actually completely finished the final border row! Now I know better! 

Stitches in US Terms (abbreviations):

sk- skip

ch(s)- chain(s)

sc(s)- single crochet(s)

st(s)- stitch(es)

* - repeat portion of pattern 

Yarn:

Blue: Red Heart Super Saver in Light Blue 

Red: Big Twist in Varsity Red 

Green: Red Heart Super Saver in Honeydew

Pink: Basic Stitch in Opal

White: Big Twist in White

Crochet Hook and other tools:

- Clover J 6mm

- Darning Needle (to weave in ends)

- Stitch marker

- Scissors (for color changes)

Pattern:

Some notes to keep in mind as you are working on the pattern-

- My philosophy about blankets is that they should be whatever size makes you happy and fulfills the purpose for which you are making it. I wanted this blanket to be a lap blanket that I could use while watching TV on the couch. Gauge isn't so important for this particular project. Having said that, my final product measured 40.5in x 72in.

- I worked 3 rows in the same color before switching to a new color.

Start by chaining 133.

Row 1: 2 dc in 4th ch from hook, *sk 2 sts, 1 sc in the next st, sk 2 sts, 5 dc in next st*. Repeat * until there are 3 sts left, sk 2 sts, sc in last st. Turn.

Row 2: Ch 3, 2 dc in first st, *sk 2 sts, sc in next st, sk 2 sts, 5 dc in next st*. Repeat * across row, sc in the ch3 from previous row. Turn.

Row 3-123: Repeat Row 2 with the color sequence below. Remember each color below equals 3 rows.

   

Before starting on the border, keep these notes in mind--

- Hold your blanket facing down (right side facing down, wrong side facing up)

- The starting point for each row will always be the same: bottom of the blanket, towards the last (green) shell stitch row (same as the trim)

- The border will be worked in the same five colors used for the blanket: white, blue, red, green, pink, and white. 

- Every row requires a color change. 

- The first row is worked in hdc and rows 2-5 are worked in sc.

- Each edge in rows 1-5 should contain 3 sts (3 hdc when working the white row and 3 sc when working the other 4 colors)

- When fastening off, use the invisible join method. 

Row 1: Starting at the bottom of the blanket (towards the last [green] shell stitch row) join (white) yarn with a sl st in and work a 3 hdc in the same st, continue working an hdc in each sc of the trim remembering to work 3 hdc in each of the 4 edges of the blanket, join in beginning with a sl st in the first hdc from this row. Fasten off.

Row 2 (in blue): Starting at the bottom of the blanket (towards the last [green] shell stitch row) join yarn with a sl st in the st located right on the edge from previous row and work 3 sc in the same st and continue working a sc across blanket remembering to work 3 scs in each of the 4 edges of the blanket, join in the beginning with a sl st in the first sc from this row. Fasten off

Row 3 (in red): Repeat row 2

Row 4 (in green): Repeat row 2

Row 5 (in pink): Repeat row 2 

Row 6 (in white): Join yarn with a sl st at the same starting point from previous rows and work *1 sc, 1 dc, 1 sc in same st, sk next st*, repeat * around entire blanket and sl st into first sc from this row.  Fasten off

And this is the final product! I absolutely love how well the colors go together and how the splashes of white really accent the entire piece. 

It turned out absolutely perfect and cozy! I hope you enjoy making it as much as I did!

And the reason behind the name? Every single time I pulled out this project to work on it, my cat, Petunia, would always sit by me. She doesn't usually do this when I work on other crochet projects, so it seemed fitting to name this one after her since she seems to have liked it so much.