Alternating SC and HDC: A Straight-Edged Blanket Practice Pattern

Alternate one single crochet with one half double crochet across an even-width row, then use the same sequence after turning. This written practice blanket has 100 working stitches and 80 rows, with plain first and last rows. The turning chain stays outside the count, making the two edges easier to track.

Scope, yarn and sample

This is a complete unbordered written version, not a physically tested reproduction of the photograph. No 36-by-48-inch size, making time or baby-sleep suitability is claimed. Actual dimensions depend on yarn, hook and tension. Choose yarn and a hook that give a fabric you like, plus scissors, a yarn needle and two edge markers.

US terms: ch = chain; sc = single crochet; hdc = half double crochet. For hdc, yarn over, insert the hook, draw up a loop, then yarn over and pull through all three loops. All turning ch 1 below do not count as stitches; work the first stitch into the first actual stitch and do not crochet into the turning chain at the far end.

Make a small swatch with the same repeat

For a practice swatch, ch 21 and work row 1 as described below for 20 sc. Repeat the alternating row several times, then add a plain sc row. Treat it according to the yarn label and measure the stitch width and row height in the central fabric.

Use the measured alternating fabric when planning a different blanket width or length. An even number of working stitches is required for complete hdc/sc pairs; the foundation has one extra chain. As a hypothetical example, 100 working stitches measuring four stitches per inch would span 25 inches. This is a calculation, not the dimensions of a made sample.

Foundation and first row

Ch 101. Row 1: sc in the second chain from the hook and in each remaining chain. There are 100 sc. Mark the first and last sc, ch 1 and turn.

The skipped first chain does not become a working stitch. If you count 101 sc, check whether the foundation or its starting point was counted incorrectly before continuing.

Rows 2–79: fifty pairs each row

In the first actual stitch work hdc, then sc in the next stitch. Repeat [hdc in next stitch, sc in next stitch] forty-nine more times. Each row has 50 hdc and 50 sc, making 100 working stitches. The first stitch is hdc and the last is sc.

After each row, ch 1 and turn. Move the edge markers to the newly made first and last stitches. Work this sequence through row 79, counting the plain foundation row as row 1. There are 78 alternating rows between the two plain ends.

Row 80 and finishing

Row 80: sc in every actual stitch across. There are 100 sc. Finish the yarn and secure the tail through firm stitches. This version ends here without an additional border.

Inspect both sides for missed first stitches or extra stitches in turning chains. Secure the beginning tail and any joins without pulling the edge inward. Settle the fabric using the yarn’s permitted care method and record its actual width and length.

Troubleshoot the edges while the work is small

• If the width narrows, count both edge stitches first; a hidden last sc can be missed.
• If an edge grows outward, check whether the turning chain was worked as an extra stitch.
• If the foundation is much tighter than the later fabric, compare its tension with the swatch before making the whole blanket.
• If a row has 99 or 101 stitches, resolve it there rather than adding or dropping an arbitrary stitch in the next row.

An optional border would need its own corner and row-end allocation. It is not included in these instructions, and blocking is not a substitute for correcting the repeat or count. Keep yarn, hook, measured gauge and the final row total with your sample for a reproducible second version.