Coffee & Crochet Goals

I love fishies because they are so delishie!

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I love goldfish crackers.  Tell me it’s not just me? The bite size, salty, smiley goodness is just too much to pass up!  So when I saw a quilted version of these fun orange treats I thought it would make the perfect crochet baby boy blanket!

I used to love making quilts, but they can be so expensive and traveling with a sewing machine is no way to live your life.  After finding my trusty crochet hook and how easy this craft was on the go, I knew I had found my drug…I mean craft… of choice.  BUT there are so many wonderful quilts out in the world that I haven’t gotten to play with yet, so I am on a mission to recreate some of these beauties in my own way.  With that said: This Goldfish Cracker design is not mine.  I had found a fun orange and teal Gold Fish Cracker Block from the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild years ago that I wanted to make.  Their finished fish looks a little different than mine, and they recommend using many more blocks to create their quilt, BUT the idea was too cute not to have a yarn version.  So I did create a crochet pattern to share with all of my yarn addicts.  Using granny squares, half square triangles and developing a solid offset square I think I have made something we too can be excited to create.

This is a free pattern, but please do not share this pattern as your own.  You may make items to sell with this pattern.  In exchange, please link back to this post.  Do not use my photos as your own sales photos.  Please feel free to tag CoffeeandCrochetGoals to share your projects.

SIZE: Finished this baby blanket is 38in x 38in.

SUPPLIES:

• Red Heart Super Savor Yarn Jade (3 skeins)
• Red Heart Super Savor Yarn Pumpkin Orange (1 skein)
• Size J (6mm) crochet hook
• Tapestry Needle

ABBREVIATIONS:

• CH – chain
• SC – single crochet
• DC – double crochet
• SL ST – slip stitch
• SK – skip stitch

SOLID WATER BLOCK

We will be making four water blocks.  These are simple granny squares made with 9 rounds.  If you need a refresher, here is a granny square tutorial just for you.  NOTE: I did turn my work after every row.  This gave these simple granny squares a ribbed look, which will be a better match to the texture of our goldfish blocks.

GOLD FISH BLOCK

We will be making five goldfish blocks.  These blocks have a lot of components and I haven’t seen any one use a solid double crochet stitch for an off set square, but sometimes you just have to try something new!  So lets give it a go!

To begin you will make one solid orange granny square with only 3 rounds.  Three half square triangles with three rounds make up the rest of the base to this block.  To make a half square triangle:

I chose to use an invisible seam, here’s a tutorial from Mikey.  I started with sewing two and two together and then using the orange yarn I stitched the two halves together forming one big square.  Can you see our little goldfish already!?  Now lets get him swimming in the right direction.

Attach the jade yarn.  We will DC all around the square to clean up our block and make all the sides even.  To do so, START in the corner and make 2DC in the corner space. *1DC in the next 11 stitches.  1DC in corner of the smaller block (right where your seem will be), 1DC in the seam between the two tiny granny squares, and 1 DC in the next corner space of the next smaller block.  1DC in the next 11 stitches. 2DC, CH2, 2DC in the corner space.  Repeat from * around the square but you will end with 2DC and CH2 because you started in this corner with the 2DC.  SL ST together.  This will give each side of the square 29 stitches.

OFF SET SQUARE

These fish blocks are fun just they way they are, but we don’t strive for mediocre here – we are here to inspire some major #crochetgoals!  Lets do something no one has done before and add a solid off set square to really bring them to life!

ROW 1: You should be in the first stitch along a side.  SL ST in the next 11 stitches.  SK 2 stitches and 2DC in the third stitch, (which is also the middle stitch along the side) CH2, 2DC in the same stitch.  SK2 stitches and SL ST into the third stitch.

ROW 2: CH2.  SK2, SL ST in the third stitch.   TURN your work (the CH does not count) SK2 and 1DC in the space between the side of the granny square and the first DC in the triangle we are forming.  1DC in the next two stitches.  2DC, CH2, 2DC in the CH2 space from the previous round.  1DC in the next two stitches. 1DC in the space between the last DC and the side of the granny square.  SK2 stitches and SL ST into the third stitch.  There will be 5 stitches on each side of the point/triangle we are creating.

ROW 3: CH2.  SK2, SL ST in the third stitch.  TURN your work (CH does not count) SK2 and 1DC in the space between the side of the granny square and the first DC in our point we are creating.  1DC in the next five stitches.  2DC, CH2, 2DC in the CH2 space from the previous round.  1DC in the next five stitches. 1DC in the space between the last DC and the side of the granny square.  SK2 stitches and SL ST into the third stitch.  There will be 8 stitches on each side of the point/triangle we are creating.

ROW 4: CH2.  SK2, SL ST in the third stitch.  TURN your work (CH does not count) SK2 and 1DC in the space between the side of the granny square and the first DC in our point we are creating.  1DC in the next eight stitches.  2DC, CH2, 2DC in the CH2 space from the previous round.  1DC in the next 8 stitches.  1DC in the space between the last DC and the side of the granny square.  Sk2 stitches and SL ST into the third stitch.  There will be 11 stitches on each side of the point/triangle we are creating.

ROW 5: CH2. SK2, SL ST in the third stitch.  TURN your work (CH does not count) SK2 and 1 DC in the space between the side of the granny square and the first DC in our point we are creating.  1DC in the next eleven stitches.  2DC, CH2, 2DC in the CH2 space from the previous round.  1DC in the next eleven stitches.  1DC in the space between the last DC and the side of the granny square.  SK2 stitches and SL ST into the third stitch (this should be in the edge of the round of the previous DC).

SL ST into the corner.  SL ST one more time in the corner to move a little further towards the next side.  SL ST in the next 12 stitches.  Repeat along the other three sides.  WHEW!   Did you get all that?  I would love some feed back from anyone that attempts this solid off set square – maybe I should add a video tutorial … hmmm.

Still with your jade yarn CH1 and SC all around the square, again to clean up and make everything even.  Each side of your finished square should have 40 stitches. (This single crochet round is a good time to fudge an extra stitch if you need, but if you have 40 stitches on each side, it’ll make sewing them together a breeze!)

NICE WORK!  Now four more blocks and you got this blanket in the … water.  Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!

Now that we have four solid granny squares and five fish squares it’s time to piece them together.  You can play around with the placement, but I like having them in little schools like shown below.

With the teal yarn use the insisible seem and stitch two blocks together and then the third in a line/row. Make two more rows and then complete the blanket by sewing the three rows together.  Tie in all loose ends.

FINISHING

For this border I was looking for something triangular and ….well… special to match all our hard work with these blocks.  There are lots of tutorials online if you need help making a triangle border.  I think it adds almost a shark fin like quality to this already, boyish blanket.

To complete the border attach your orange yarn and SC. SK2 stitches and place 2DC into the next stitch. 1TC into the same stitch. CH3 and SL ST into the third CH from the hook. 1TC into the same stitch.  2 more DC into the same stitch.  SK two stitches and 1SC into the next stitch.  Continue all around the blanket.  SL ST to the beginning SC and tie in your loose ends.

This blanket was something new for me, but I always love a challenge!  I hope this blanket inspires you to look at all types of crafts for your next #crochetgoal. Until next time, I’ll be over here snacking on some delicious goldfish crackers and hooking up some new pattern for you to love.

Do you like the quilt inspired crochet blankets? Comment below a pattern you’d like to see take yarn form!