Planned Blanket

Notes on using pony beads. - Pony beads at new house.

Need a worsted weight yarn. - Yarn has been ordered. Enough to make a baby afghan. about 1100 yards of worsted (4)

Pattern does not say how many beads will be needed.

Will need to estimate a head of time to make sure you have enough beads to complete the blanket.

I think that I will do what many others have done. I am going to run the beads in a diagonal stripe, using different colors. That should use up the most beads without having to worry about having enough of just one color.

My son wanted a “toddler” size blanket for his daughter’s bed. I looked up the size of a toddler bed. It’s about 54 in long by 30 in wide. So, that is the goal for size.

I don’t want to make it too heavy.

Pony Beads used

Middle section with diagonal pattern
translucent green
AB sparkle green
glitter translucent blue
glitter translucent pink
translucent pink
translucent purple
glitter translucent grey
glitter translucent clear
translucent champagne
glitter translucent yellow
translucent yellow
translucent sun gold

Border beads - translucent clear only

Foundation chain - 101 with 5 mm hook.

4 bead repeats + 1 bead per row = 49 beads per row
99 stitches per row

The problem that I had with starting this pattern was the lack of information as to how much yarn and how many beads were needed.

I am estimating about 1000 yards for a baby/toddler sized afghan. I am not beading the entire afghan because I am concerned about the weight.

I started with the middle section of my afghan and worked the rows until I ran out of one of the colors of beads.

Then I worked a solid panel and then the beaded border on the end.

Then turned my afghan and worked an identical solid panel and beaded border on the other end.

Finishing with sc around the entire afghan. I used stitch markers in the corner stitches.

Final row count
Each beaded section follows the pattern of 1 row hdc and 1 row beads.

Middle Section
55 rows with 27 of the rows beaded. There was one row of hdc after the beaded rows in the middle section.

(hdc row, bead row) 27 times, hdc row

Solid Section - worked twice
23 hdc rows

Border - worked twice
7 rows total

(bead row, hdc row) 3 times, hdc row

Total Beads
1323 in middle section

147 in each border section

1617 beads total

Hooks used
I used a H hook (5 mm) for all hdc rows. The F hook (3.75 mm) for the begginning ch 2 and the hdc in the beaded rows. The E hook (3.5 mm) for adding the beads.

I used the H hook to make my afghan more flexible. I didn’t want it to be stiff.

Dimensions

width - 26 inches
height - 40 inches