The Wildflowers Lapghan is made with a simple and fun-to-work shell stitch that provides gorgeous texture, featuring a lightweight cotton blend yarn and fun tassels. This crochet lap throw uses an easy four-row repeat that works up fast and is perfect for beginner to intermediate crocheters looking to expand their skills.
Scroll down for the free crochet lap throw pattern for The Wildflowers Lapghan and click here to PIN this for later!
A new month brings a fresh new pattern.
And this spring is all about the flowers! My latest pattern, The Peony Wrap, was inspired by the promise of fresh beginnings and the saturated colors of spring flowers. The weather is getting warmer, spring is blooming all over the place, and my creative process is turning to lighter weight projects and cotton, cotton, cotton! This crochet lap throw is the perfect example of all that I love about spring (minus the allergies), featuring a lightweight cotton blend yarn and gorgeous pinks and purples and blues.
This crochet lap throw is the perfect size to pack in a tote bag for an early Saturday morning soccer game or to keep in the car for a road trip. It’s not bulky or heavy and you can throw it across your lap while you are working in the office when the AC is inevitably cranked up.
Purchase the ad-free PDF digital download version of the Wildflowers Lapghan from my Etsy shop here!
LET’S TALK YARN . . .
I truly adore cotton yarn. It’s so easy to work with and versatile for any type of project, from blankets to sweaters and scarves to home décor items like pillows or table runners. And there are so many great cotton blend yarns out there! Cotton with other natural fibers like bamboo or alpaca and cotton blends with acrylic or polyester or nylon. And 100% cotton is always a great choice. For this crochet lap throw, I chose Lion Brand’s Comfy Cotton Blend in Whipped Cream and Flower Garden. This is one of my favorite yarns from Lion Brand, and I have made a few summer tops and a cardigan from this yarn. I love the variegated color options and how they set off the cream for this throw. And this yarn gets softer when you wash it!
THE DESIGN . . .
I wanted a simple repeating-row stitch that was easy for changing colors, and the shell stitch delivers perfectly on those points. It was a happy accident when I discovered how beautiful the overall effect would be to crochet one row of the variegated yarn for every three rows of the cream; it created this gorgeous ribbon of color that actually looks like little individual flower petals dotted throughout the blanket. This crochet lap throw is finished with a matching shell stitch border worked only on the long sides of the throw and TASSELS. I cannot resist a tassel, and these were so fun to make.
Soft yarn that’s a dream to work with that comes in a variety of gorgeous coordinating colors. An easy crochet lap throw design that works up fast. Glorious texture and super fun tassels. The Wildflowers Lapghan has it all and is a satisfying quick make that would be a wonderful Mother’s Day gift. Happy stitching, friends!
Scroll down for the free crochet pattern for The Wildflowers Laphan and click here to PIN this for later!
Purchase the ad-free PDF digital download version from my Etsy shop here!
The Wildflowers Lapghan – Shell Stitch Crochet Lap Throw
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate
MATERIALS:
US Size J/10 6.00 mm crochet hook
Lion Brand Comfy Cotton Blend: # 3/DK Weight 50% Cotton, 50% Polyester – 392 yards/358 meters, 7 ounces/200 grams
- Color A: Whipped Cream – 3 skeins (approximately 1,176 yards)
- Color B: Flower Garden – 1 skein (approximately 392 yards)
Scissors
Yarn needle
Stitch Markers
GAUGE:
5 shell stitches X 11 rows = 5 inches
(Shell stitch: 5 double crochet plus one single crochet, worked after skipping stitches as indicated)
Finished Throw (including border): approximately 39” wide and 44” long
ABBREVIATIONS:
ch – chain
st – stitch
sts – stitches
dc – double crochet
sc – single crochet
sk – skip
GENERAL PATTERN NOTES:
- The starting chain is worked with the same hook size; make sure to chain loosely so your first row does not pull too tightly. You can also go up a hook size if that works better for you.
- The shell stitch is created by working 5 double crochet stitches into the indicated stitch, skipping two stitches, and then working a single crochet into the next stitch. The shell stitches are stacked on top of each other as the rows are worked and the shells are worked into the single crochet stitches from the row below.
- The ch 1 and ch 3 turning chain DO NOT count as a stitch unless indicated in the pattern; the overall stitch count at the end of each row is for the total number of shell stitches worked and any additional stitches as indicated.
- The lap throw begins and ends with three rows of cream yarn (color A); the border is worked on the long sides of the throw rather than all the way around, so that the entire border consists of three rows of cream yarn.
Wildflowers Crochet Lap Throw Pattern:
With Color A, ch 134.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. *Sk next 2 ch, 5 dc in next ch. Sk next 2 ch, sc in next ch.* Repeat from * to * across, ending with 1 sc in the last ch. Turn. (22 shell stitches plus the first sc worked)
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as a dc). 2 dc in 1st st from hook. *Sk next 2 sts, 1 sc in next st. Sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st (sc from the row below)* Repeat from * to * across, ending with 3 dc in the final st. Turn. (21 shell stitches plus three dc at the beginning and end)
Row 3: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). Sc in 1st st from hook. *Sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st (sc from row below). Sk next 2 sts, sc in next st.* Repeat from * to * across, ending with 1 sc in the top of the turning chain. Switch to Color B, turn. (22 shell stitches plus the first sc worked)
Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as a dc). 2 dc in 1st st from hook. *Sk next 2 sts, 1 sc in next st. Sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st (sc from the row below)* Repeat from * to * across, ending with 3 dc in the final st. Switch to Color A, turn. (21 shell stitches plus three dc at the beginning and end)
Row 5: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). Sc in 1st st from hook. *Sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st (sc from row below). Sk next 2 sts, sc in next st.* Repeat from * to * across, ending with 1 sc in the top of the turning chain. Turn. (22 shell stitches plus the first sc worked).
Rows 6 – 97: Repeat Rows 2 – 5.
Row 98: Repeat Row 2.
Row 99: Repeat Row 3, DO NOT SWITCH COLORS, you will be continuing with Color A for the border. DO NOT FASTEN OFF.
CREATING THE BORDER (long side of the throw)
Continuing with Color A, you will now begin working the border down the long side of the Wildflowers Lapghan. You will create a foundation row of single crochet into the ends of the rows without breaking yarn from the last row 3 you worked as indicated above. Shell stitch rows will then be worked in turned rows.
The same side will be facing up for beginning the foundation row for each side. You can place a stitch marker on this side for reference.
Approximately 6 single crochet stitches are worked for every four rows with 6 single crochet stitches worked evenly into the last three rows of the throw. It is recommended to place a stitch marker into each 6th single crochet that you work so that you can easily see that you have worked the correct number of stitches per every four rows. I moved my stitch marker ahead each time I worked 6 single crochets so that I could keep track of my stitch placement for consistency.
BORDER REFERENCE PHOTOS
Row 1 (foundation row): Continuing with Color A, ch 2. Evenly work 150 sc into the ends of the row. This was approximately 6 sc for every 4 rows, ending with 6 sc worked into the last three rows. Turn. (150 sc)
Row 2: Ch 2 (does not count as a stitch). Sc in 2nd st from hook. *Sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st. Sk next 2 sts, sc in next st.* Repeat from * to * across, ending with 1 sc in the last st. Turn. (25 shell stitches plus the first sc worked)
Row 3: Ch 3 (counts as a dc). 2 dc in 1st st from hook. *Sk next 2 sts, 1 sc in next st. Sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st (sc from the row below)* Repeat from * to * across, ending with 3 dc in the final st. Turn. (24 shell stitches plus three dc at the beginning and end)
Row 4: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). Sc in 1st st from hook. *Sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st (sc from row below). Sk next 2 sts, sc in next st.* Repeat from * to * across, ending with 1 sc in the top of the turning chain. (25 shell stitches plus the first sc worked)
Fasten off yarn and weave in the ends.
With the same side facing up, join yarn with Color A at the bottom opposite corner (this will be the very first foundation row you chained)
Repeat border rows 1 – 4. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
ADDING THE TASSELS
Make 4 tassels and attach them to your crochet lap throw:
- Using Color B and a book (here I have used my crochet hook case), wrap the yarn around several times. I ended up wrapping all the yarn I had left of Color B and had plenty for my tassels (PHOTO A).
- Slide the yarn off the book; you will have a nice circle of yarn. Cut your yarn at one end so that you have several long strands of yarn in a bunch (PHOTO B).
- Separate the yarn strands evenly into four sections, each with approximately 20 strands each. This can be adjusted as desired depending on how much yarn you have left (PHOTO C).
- Cut a long piece yarn (this will be used to tie your tassels to your throw corners), and tie in a knot in the middle of your yarn bunch. Cut another long piece of yarn and tie it around the upper third of your yarn bunch to make the round top part of the tassel; 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 (PHOTOS D AND E).
- 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 (PHOTO F).
REFERENCE PHOTOS FOR TASSELS
Trim your tassels to the desired length, then make three more. So cute!
Attach a tassel to each corner of your Wildflowers Lapghan with the yarn needle and weave in all your ends.
