Red plaid is an classic choice for both the outdoors and for Christmas time, and I took that inspiration to create this totally unique Northern Timberline plaid blanket. I design all my plaids from scratch and I am proud to share these one-of-a-kind designs with you! All my plaid designs are carefully drawn by hand, and every little thing is given much thought and intention. You should see the behind the scenes of the design process, and how much changes before a blanket can be created! Each one is different and I spend a lot of time perfecting the stitches & spacing so that it looks like a high-end, timeless plaid fabric.

For this project you will need 3 colours of yarn. I used Loops & Thread Impeccable yarn, which comes in many colours so it is wonderful for creating gorgeous plaid patterns. It is a medium yarn that is nice and soft, and easy to work with. This blanket is worked in the Lemon Peel Stitch and has a gorgeous texture. This a totally unique plaid that has been designed from scratch.

MATERIALS:

• Loops & Thread Impeccable Yarn (260m, 127.5g) A - Claret (3 x 260m) B - Burgundy (3 x 260m) C - Dark Charcoal (2 x 260m)
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle
• Crochet hooks Size 6.5 mm (K) crochet hook (for blanket) - the yarn calls for a smaller hook, but because you carry over a second strand of yarn to create the plaid, I preferred the 6.5mm (K) hook. Size 5.0 mm (H)crochet hook (for border) - you only work with 1 strand of yarn on the border so it is important to size down your crochet hook to maintain gauge.

FINISHED DIMENSIONS: 38 x 54”

Gauge: 5 in. = 14 sts, 13 rows

STITCHES USED (US Terminology):

Lemon Peel Stitch (LPS - alternating Single Crochet (SC) and Double Crochet (DC)),
Half Double Crochet (HDC),
Slip Stitch (SL ST)

NOTES:

You will be working with 2 colors in each row. You will carry along & crochet over the colour you aren’t working with.
To change colours, pull through a loop of the next colour to finish the last stitch of the active colour. Give the colour you carried over a small tug first to keep it flat along your row.
Keep one colour to the front of your work, and one colour to the back to keep the yarn from twisting.
You can find a photo & video tutorial for changing colours in plaid here.
As you work through the blanket, it is worthwhile to note that the Lemon Peel Stitch creates an adorable scalloped edge on its own. If you would like, this is a great way to leave the blanket, but you will have to cut your yarn for each “row” of the plaid and weave in the ends. I have designed the pattern to allow for carrying up your yarn along the side of the blanket - as I personally do not enjoy weaving in many ends. When you carry up the yarn in this way, the exposed yarn is then all covered by the addition of a beautifully textured border. I only had 17 ends to weave in through the entirety of the blanket.