Random Rows Sedge Stitch Blanket

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If you watch any crochet videos on TikTok or any social media really, you have probably seen people making Chaos Blankets. They have gone viral and now everyone is making them. The idea is that you randomly choose a stitch, color, and number of rows and you end up with a blanket full of different colors, textures, and sizes of stripes. Some people draw slips of paper, some roll dice, some use online spinners, and others use a combination of those, but however you are doing it you are letting the "luck of draw" choose how your blanket turns out. 

I really enjoyed seeing how everyone else's blankets were turning out, and for a long time I have wanted to do some sort of crochet challenge type of video series so I was interested in the idea. I wanted to do something where I was not the one making all of the choices. When I am designing projects a lot of thought goes into everything I am doing, how I make the project, how I write the pattern, how I choose the materials, etc. The thought of a project where all of the decisions were made for me sounded fun and relaxing. But there was one thing that I was concerned about, and that was the different stitches. I thought the different stitches and textures on everyone's blankets looked really cool, but it is really hard to switch between lots of different stitches and keep the tension the same, plus you have to make sure that the multiple required for each stitch works with the number of chains you start with. Often blankets end up with really wonky edges that pull in where there are tighter stitches, and puff out at looser sections, sometimes stitch counts get off when switching between stitches, etc. There are ways to combat this, like changing hook sizes for each stitch to help with tension, and being very particular about which stitches you choose to include. But since I was wanting something super easy and relaxing and I knew that wonky edges would bother me and make it a stressful rather than relaxing project, I decided on a slightly different way of making my version of this blanket. 

Instead of changing stitches I decided to use the same stitch for the entire blanket, while keeping the other random elements. In other words, I am rolling dice to see what color I will use for each section, and how may rows that section will be. I am calling it a Random Rows Blanket because the rows are all random in both size and order of colors. I chose the sedge stitch for my blanket because it is one of my favorite stitches to use for a blanket and I thought it would be perfect for a cozy fall blanket. I also decided on a fall color palette for my blanket. 

I am still working on my blanket, I'm about halfway done as I am writing this post. But I still thought it would be fun to write a post sharing how I am making my blanket in case you want to make one too. I will update with more pictures when the blanket is finished, but the fun part about this kind of project is that even if you use the same yarns and make a blanket the same size as mine, yours will turn out completely different because the order and size of your rows will be different than mine. 

How to Crochet a Random Rows Sedge Stitch Blanket

You will need:

• 6-8 colors of medium weight acrylic yarn (Sample used Loops & Threads Soft Classic in Off White, Ginger, Curry, Wine, Mustard, Leaf Green, Clay, and Dark Taupe, you may need more than one skein of some colors depending on how frequently you roll them)
• I (5.25/5.5 mm) crochet hook
• yarn needle
• dice (one for the number of colors, I used 8 colors = D8, 1 for the number of possible rows in each section, I used a D10 for 1-10 possible rows per section, if you don't want to use dice you can write the colors and numbers on slips of paper and draw from a bowl)
• PDF Printable Instructions (includes 1 version with the colors I used, and one that is blank so you can fill in your own colors)

Instructions:

To start you will need to choose 6-8 colors of yarn in whatever color palette you would like for your blanket, I chose a fall color palette and I used 8 colors of Loops & Threads Soft Classic (Off White, Ginger, Curry, Wine, Mustard, Leaf Green, Clay, and Dark Taupe). You will likely need more than one skein of some colors depending on how often they are rolled. 

You will need a die that has the same number as the number of colors you have. I used a D8 since I am using 8 colors, if you only have 6 you will need to use a D6. If you have an odd number of colors you could have one number mean your choice or roll again, for example if you have 7 colors you could use a D8 with numbers 1-7 labeled as colors and 8 mean either you choose, or roll again, or least used color, or something else that you choose. 

You will also need a die that equals the max number of rows you want in each section. I would recommend between 6-12, I went with a D10 so I could roll anywhere between 1 and 10 rows per section. 

Number your colors 1- whatever number of colors you have, you can use my printable PDF to track your colors or just write them down. 

Roll the 2 dice to determine both the color you will be using and the number of rows you will be doing. 

Crochet that number of rows in that color using the sedge stitch, instructions below. 

Stitch Instructions:

Sedge Stitch: 

Begin with a multiple of 3 + 2

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (1 hdc, 1 dc) in same stitch, [skip 2 ch, (sc, hdc, dc) in next ch] repeat until you have 3 ch left, skip 2, sc in last ch

Row 2: ch 1, turn, (sc, hdc, dc) in first stitch (last sc from previous row), [skip 2 stitches, (sc, hdc, dc) in next stitch] repeat until there are 3 stitches remaining, sc in last sc

Repeat Row 2 until your blanket is the size you want. 

Size Recommenations/Gauge:

Using an I hook (5/5.25mm) 4 repeats of the stitch or about 12 sts = 3.5"

-For a baby size I would start with about 122 chains (approx. 36" wide)

-For a throw I would start with 170 chains (approx. 50" wide)

Adjust the starting chain as needed to get the size you would like, always starting with a multiple of 3+2.

I started with 170 chains and my blanket is about 52" wide, and I am aiming for about 60" long, since I am not done yet I don't know for sure how many rows I will do. 

I am including 2 printable versions you can use to track your blanket, one with the colors added, one blank that you can fill in with your own colors. They also include all of the instructions so you can have it all in one place. PDF Printable Instructions