Create nostalgic vibes with the Retro Mood Afghan, a beginner friendly crochet chevron blanket! Featuring easy stitches and unique construction, this bold and beautiful blanket will be a classic statement piece in your home that will never go out of style.
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Blanket Season!
At my grandmother’s house in Virginia, there was always at least one crocheted afghan draped over a piece of furniture, in every room of the house. Those blankets were generally a riot of colors and textures and almost always featured a chevron or ripple of some sort. My husband and I both have been the recipient of many of such handmade crochet chevron blankets.
I never fully appreciated those afghans when I was growing up, but now that I am a crocheter, I understand the love and work that goes into creating something from your hands and then gifting it or displaying it with pride. I am so happy to add The Retro Mood Afghan to my pattern library!
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Design and Inspiration
For my version of a crochet chevron blanket, I wanted to evoke nostalgia but with a modern twist. The Retro Mood Afghan features a classic chevron stitch but instead of working the blanket from the bottom up, the blanket is crocheted in long strips of alternating self-striping yarn. These long strips are then seamed together vertically to create a modern yet classic chevron blanket. The bright and colorful sections play off the monochrome stripes to create this moody blanket. At least one of those blankets from my childhood had tassels or fringe, so my blanket is finished with fun tassels to perfectly complete the retro vibe!
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Yarn Talk
This chevron blanket is made with Landscapes Renewed by Lion Brand, a worsted weight yarn partially made from recycled polyester. I found these high contrast colorways in a big craft store and thought they would be so perfect together in the same project. Landscapes Renewed is a heavy worsted yarn, so the size of your finished project will definitely be different if you are using more traditional worsted weight yarn. The shorter turned rows of the chevron strips allow the color changes to really shine, so I recommend using a self-striping or ombre yarn to create the same effect. I did do a bit of color matching to make sure the color transitions matched in each strip, and this led to some yarn waste. However, I was able to use that yarn for the tassels!
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Scroll down for The Retro Mood Afghan free crochet pattern and click HERE to PIN this for later!
The Retro Mood Afghan – Crochet Chevron Blanket
The Retro Mood Afghan uses easy basic stitches for a relaxing and satisfying project. The color possibilities are endless for making your personalized and nostalgic version! I thought of my Granny Ruth the entire time I was making this chevron blanket, and I think she would be proud of me and my crochet business. This blanket represents the story of my childhood and the beginnings of my crafting journey. I hope it evokes the same feelings for you!
Check out these other great blanket patterns: The Summer Crush Blanket – Rustic Squares Blanket – The Fairytale Blanket
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Scroll down for The Retro Mood Afghan free crochet pattern and click HERE to PIN this for later!
The Retro Mood Afghan – Free Crochet Chevron Blanket Pattern
SKILL LEVEL: Advanced Beginner
MATERIALS:
US Size J/10 6.00 mm crochet hook
Lion Brand Landscapes Renewed (Weight: #4/Worsted 75% Polyester, 25% Recycled Polyester – 232 yards/212 meters, 5.3 ounces/150 grams)
- Color A: Fiesta – 7 skeins (1,634 yards)
- Color B: Marble – 6 skeins (1,392 yards)
GAUGE (not crucial for this project):
14 dc sts X 7 rows = 4 inches
Each color strip is 8 inches wide. The finished blanket is approximately 56in x 63in.
ABBREVIATIONS:
ch(s) – chain(s)
st(s) – stitch(es)
dc –double crochet
dc2tog – double crochet two together
ch2-sp – chain two space
sk – skip
tch – turning chain
YO – yarn over
Special Stitches
Double Crochet Two Together (dc2tog): YO, insert hook into intended stitch, YO and pull up a loop (three loops on the hook). YO and pull through two loops (two loops on the hook), YO and insert the hook into the next stitch, YO and pull up a loop (four loops on the hook). YO and pull through two loops, YO and pull through the remaining three loops.
PATTERN NOTES:
- The blanket is reversible and there is no right or wrong side. However, to create a continuous look to the chevron pattern, you may wish to place your finished color strips with the same side facing up prior to seaming.
- Ch 2 does NOT count as a stitch.
- The striping effect is created in long strips that make up the long side of the blanket. Crochet each strip following the chevron pattern in turned rows. Seam the strips together along the long side of each strip to create the width of the blanket.
- The blanket is made of four strips in Color A (Fiesta colorway) and three strips in Color B (Mable colorway) for a total of seven chevron strips.
- Leave a long yarn tail at the end of each chevron strip to be used for seaming. I seamed my strips together using the mattress stitch for a smooth invisible join, and I joined them together after completing each strip.
- Due to the nature of self-striping yarn, I did split some skeins apart in order to match colors and create the continuous ombre look of this blanket. This is not required and is to preference for how you want your finished blanket to look, and it did create a bit of yarn waste at the end of the project.
- Finish the chevron blanket with tassels placed at the chevron peaks.
THE PATTERN:
Beginning with Color A, ch 31.
Row 1: Dc in 3rd ch (tch does not count as a st) from hook. *Dc in next 5 chs, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next ch.* Dc in next 6 chs, sk two chs, dc in next ch. Repeat from * to * once more until 7 chs remain. Dc in next 5 chs, dc2tog in last 2 chs. Turn. (28 dc sts)
Row 2: Ch 2, dc in first st. *Dc in next 5 sts, (dc, ch 2, dc) in ch2-sp from previous row.* Dc in next 6 sts, sk two sts, dc in next st. Repeat from * to * once more until 7 sts remain. Dc in next 5 sts, dc2tog in last 2 sts. Turn. (28 dc sts)
Rows 3 – 107: Repeat Row 2. Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail at least twice the length of the chevron strip for seaming.
Using the above instructions, make three more chevron strips in Color A and three chevron strips in Color B.
Reference Photos – Chevron Stitch Pattern
To begin Row 1, chain 31 and double crochet into the 3rd chain from the hook. 
After dc into the 3rd chain, 5 double crochets are worked. 
Work (dc, ch 2, dc) into the next chain. 
6 double crochets are worked. 
Double crochet stitch is worked after skipping two chains. 
Dc2tog are worked into the last two chains, and Row 1 is complete. 
(dc, ch 2, dc) are worked into the chain space from the row below. 
As in Row 1, skip two stitches and double crochet into the next stitch. 
Row 2 is completed.
Seaming Details
To create a continuous look to the chevron pattern, you may wish to place your finished chevron strips with the same side facing up prior to seaming.
To do this, make sure your strips are laid out with the yarn tail created from the foundation row on the same side and bottom corner of each strip. This will ensure your strips are all laid out with the same side facing up.
Once the strips are laid out, line up the rows and pin together using stitch markers.
Using the long yarn tail and the yarn needle, seam the strips together using the mattress stitch. Seam your strips together as you finish them or wait until all the strips are completed to seam them together at the end.
Fasten off your seaming yarn and weave in all your ends.
Reference Photos – Seaming
Adding Tassels to your Retro Mood Chevron Blanket
Using whichever colorway you prefer, or using both colorways, cut several strands of yarn into pieces approximately 15 inches long. Wrap the yarn several times around a book or tablet and cut the yarn at one end.
If desired, separate the yarn strands into sections by color. The number of total strands in each tassel will depend on your preference for size and thickness of your tassel. For my finished tassels, I used 14 strands for each tassel.
Use your cut yarn to tie your tassels to the chevron peaks. Tie a knot in the middle of your yarn bunch to secure the strands.
To make the round top part of the tassel, cut another longer piece of yarn and tie around the upper third of your yarn bunch. Leave a yarn tail a bit longer than your tassel when you tie your knot, so that you have a short yarn tail and a long yarn tail.
Being careful to hold the short yarn tail away from the tassel, wrap the longer yarn tail around the yarn bunch until you have the desired thickness. Use your short yarn tail to tie a knot with the longer yarn tail to secure this band. If desired, use your yarn needle to work those yarn ends into the middle of the tassel.
Attach the finished tassels to the chevron points to your preference. Using your yarn needle, hide the ends inside the tassel. Trim your tassels as preferred and you are done!
Reference Photos – Adding Tassels
After cutting your yarn into strands, separate into color sections if desired. 
Tie a strand of yarn in the middle of the bunch to secure. You will use this yarn to attach the tassel to the blanket. 
Tie a strand of yarn around the top of the tassel. 
Wrap the yarn around the top and tie to secure. 
Attach the tassels to the chevron points on each side of the blanket. 
After securing the tassel to the blanket, hide the yarn tail inside the tassel using the yarn needle.
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