Clustered Cactus Corner 2 Corner Crochet Blanket Pattern – Guest Blogger: Modern Maker Momma

Hey Friends! I was so honored when Claire chose to share a little piece of my maker journey in her big world of beautiful yarny things! My name is Ashley Brown the maker mama, photographer, and crochet designer behind Modern Maker Mama. I have been designing crochet patterns almost 2 years now but didn’t start my maker journey till about 5 months ago and it has been nothing short of incredible! I started out designing beanies for the winter season but thanks to the encouragement of the amazing people I have met, including Claire, I have branched out into garments and blankets! Today I will be sharing my Crochet Cactus C2C Crochet Blanket Pattern.

The inspiration for my crochet designs and flat lay photos come from so many different places such as Pinterest, home décor, or walking through a store. My favorite kind is the “accidental” creativity, which is how the Clustered Crochet Cactus Corner to Corner Crochet Blanket came about. I had been making lots of baby boy blankets for friends and I was dying to make something in pinks or purples. My husbands co-worker was due with a baby girl within the month so I had him ask what their theme was. Cactus and a pink and gray color palette he said. Cactus, pink, and gray? I was honestly at a loss in the design department but I was up for the challenge! I searched my favorite platform Pinterest for crochet cactus things, pictures of real cacti, and baby nursery cactus themes. I tried about 3 different style of blankets till I finally decided on the Crochet Cactus Corner to Corner Crochet Blanket idea. I had only used this method once before and never actually finished that project (long story) but I was determined to make it work. I started with making the graph then on to the yarn shopping. I couldn’t have ever imagined how great it turned out and between you and me it might just be my most favorite design. Let’s get started on the blanket!

Like this pattern? Share it to your favorite Pinterest board!

Supplies:

• Size I hook (5.5 mm)

              (or size to obtain gauge)

• Yarn needle
• Bobbins (optional) such as clamps, clothes pins, or winding yarn in a ball
• Medium weight yarn (4)

1. Approximately 1500 yards of Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek in Light Gray COLOR A.
2. Approximately 200 yards of Yarn Bee Comfy Classic in Ocean Water COLOR B.
3. Approximately 180 yards of I Love This Yarn in Light Green COLOR C.
4. Approximately 150 yards of I Love This Yarn in Forest Green COLOR D.
5. Approximately 250 yards of Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek in Dark Gray for the border.

• If you’d like to make pom poms to add onto finished blanket you’ll need:
  • Small pom pom maker
  • Sharp scissors
  • Approx. 250 yards of medium weight yarn

Crochet Abbreviations:

• Stitches Used in the main pattern is the C2C method which consists of a chain 3 and 3 Double Crochet. The border stitches used include:
• Sk – Skip
• Sc – Single Crochet
• Hdc – Half Double Crochet
• Ch – Chain

Pattern Notes:

• Blanket is worked using the C2C method.
• Special stitch pictures below give step-by-step instructions on how to work the C2C tiles. (You can also see Meghan Makes Do’s blog post on how to C2C by following the link)
• This pattern has written instructions and 2 graphs.
• You will increase or decrease at the beginning of each row.
• The pattern and graphs are worked from the bottom right corner to the top left corner.
• You will begin the decrease on row 51.
• Border is optional. (The one I did is written below)
• Bobbins are helpful with all the color changes. Wind the approximate yardage for each color on your bobbins. The main color will be separated on 2 bobbins until you get to row 43.
• Color change begins in row 13 and ends in row 42.
• This pattern has multiple color changes. (See Meghan Makes Do’s blog post on how to color change by following the link )

Begin Increase

Row 1 – 12: Use COLOR A increasing at the beginning of each row.

Row 13: 5A, 2B,6A

Row 14: 6A, 3B, 5A

Row 15: 5A, 4B, 6A

Row 16: 6A, 5B, 5A

Row 17: 5A, 5B, 7A

Row 18: 7A, 5B, 6A

Row 19: 6A, 5B,1C, 7A

Row 20: 7A, 2C, 4B, 7A

Row 21: 8A, 3B, 3C, 7A

Row 22: 7A, 4C, 2B, 9A

Row 23: 6A, 2C, 3A, 4C, 2B, 6A

Row 24: 6A, 3B, 4C,1A, 4C, 6A

Row 25: 6A, 9C, 4B, 6A

Row 26: 6A, 5B, 9C, 6A

Row 27: 7A, 1C, 2A, 5C, 1D, 4B, 7A

Row 28: 7A, 5B, 5C, 11A

Row 29: 11A, 6C, 4B, 8A,

Row 30: 9A, 3B, 1D, 6C, 11A

Row 31: 11A, 4C, 1D, 2C, 1D, 2B, 10A

Row 32: 11A, 1B, 1A, 1D, 2C, 1D, 4C, 11A

Row 33: 11A, 4C, 2D, 2C, 1A, 2B, 11A

Row 34: 11A, 3B, 1A, 2C, 2D, 3C, 12A

Row 35: 12A, 3C, 2D, 2C, 1A, 4B, 11A

Row 36: 12A, 4B, 1A, 1C, 3D, 2C, 13A

Row 37: 15A, 3D, 2B, 1A, 4B, 12A

Row 38: 13A, 7B, 3D, 15A

Row 39: 15A, 3D, 7B, 14A

Row 40: 15A, 6B, 3D, 16A

Row 41: 16A, 3D, 4B, 18A

Row 42: 19A, 3B, 1A, 2D, 17A

Row 43 – 50: Use COLOR A increasing at the beginning of each row.

Begin Decrease

Rows 51 – 99: Use COLOR A decreasing at the beginning of each row.

Finish off and weave in all the ends with your yarn needle.

Border (Optional)

I did my border on the top and bottom edges, but this border will look great all the way around the blanket as well.

Begin working on the wrong side of the blanket.

Row 1: 1 hdc in first st, 1 hdc in each space across, ch 1 and turn

Row 2: ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from the hook, ch 1, sk next st, sl st to the next st* repeat to the last st

Finish off and weave in the ends.

Attaching Pom Poms

I made 20 pom poms total, spacing them about 9 stitches between each one on the border. 10 pom poms on each end. Once they’re attached, then you’re all done!

I hope you enjoy making your Clustered Cactus C2C blanket! I love seeing your work so be sure to tag me using the #clusteredcactusc2c or tag me on Instagram @modernmakermama or if you would like to save it for later you can pin it here! You can also find a pdf version with the graphs and additional photos you can purchase it on my Etsy shop by following the link for a small fee! Thank you Claire for having me on your blog!

Pin it for Later!