Hey everyone! Since you all loved my blanket update, I'm back with even more details on my current favorite – the Riverbed Blanket! I've been asked a few times about the pattern and how I'm doing it, so I wanted to share everything I've learned to help you create your own. First off, this truly is a FREE CROCHET PATTERN, and I found it on the CJ DESIGNS BLOG. What drew me to it was how beautiful the texture looked, yet it promised to be pretty simple. And let me tell you, it lives up to that promise! Even though I've only been crocheting for a little over a year and a half, I can genuinely say I'm still a beginner at this point, so if I can do it, you definitely can too. It’s incredibly beginner friendly. The core of the Riverbed Blanket pattern starts with simple double crochets all the way across. This is your foundation and builds quickly. After that, you introduce a row of single crochet, chain two, single crochet, chain two. This creates the spaces where the magic happens! The next row is where the distinctive ‘riverbed’ texture comes in with what are essentially granny stitches – just clusters of three double crochets worked into those chain-2 spaces. You repeat this sequence, then another row of double crochets, and so on. It’s a rhythmic pattern that becomes intuitive very quickly. For yarn, I’ve been experimenting with different types, but for this blanket, I chose something soft and versatile. The OCR mentioned the possibility to ‘change colour every row’, which is a fantastic way to customize your blanket. You can either pick a yarn that is already dyed with color changes, or you can manually change colors for each row to create stripes or a gradient effect. If you’re changing colors, make sure to join your new yarn neatly at the end of the previous row to keep your edges tidy. Speaking of edges, I'm planning to add the border next weekend. It’s a great way to hide any ‘hideousness’ that might be on my edges from the main body of the blanket and give it a polished finish. One tip I found helpful for this pattern is maintaining consistent tension, especially with the granny stitches. It helps to make sure your clusters look even and the texture pops beautifully. Don't be afraid to unravel a section if it doesn't look quite right – it’s all part of the learning process! The beauty of this Riverbed Blanket is that it’s forgiving, and the repetitive nature of the stitches makes it a relaxing project once you get into the flow. I’m doing this as a lap blanket, but you could easily adapt it for a larger throw or baby blanket by adjusting your starting chain. Happy crocheting!