Have you tried planned color pooling? Feeling intimidated? Let me tell you, it does work! And you can do it too! Here I am using Caron Simply Soft Stripes yarn and the granny stitch to create this really neat color pooling effect! Let me walk you through a photo and video tutorial.
There are only a few variegated yarns that will allow you to color pool. Caron Simply Soft Stripes is one of those yarns! I am using color Times Square (so fitting for my first project of the New Year) but this yarn comes in 8 shades! Shop all the colors HERE on Yarnspirations.com.
I used about 4.5 skeins for this blanket. You can get about 22 rows with one skein (if your blanket is this wide) and I have a total of 96 rows.
You CAN make your blanket wider! You will need to double the starting chain count and then follow the tutorial the same way.
Finished Size: Approximately 30 inches wide by 40 inches tall with border.
Materials:
– 5 skeins of Caron Simply Soft Stripes. I am using color Times Square.
– One skein of solid color yarn (for starting chain and border). I am using Caron Simply Soft in white.
– Size H Crochet Hook
– Tapestry Needle
- Each stitch (the granny stitch) is 3 DC stitches all in one spot – I refer to this as a cluster in the video.
- The magic number is 6. You will be making 6 granny stitch clusters with each color length. With exception to the starting row where you will work only 3 clusters of the first color.
Here is a video tutorial on how to crochet the first 3 rows of this project! This will get you started an on your way! See pictures and written pattern below.
Pattern:
With solid color yarn, chain 95, fasten off.
Unravel your stripes yarn a bit to find a good color to start with. In first chain (this will be the one next to where you fastened off because you really can’t get your hook into the spot where you fastened off your chain) join yarn IN THE MIDDLE of the first color you decide to use. In my case this was dark purple.
Chain 3, *Skip 2 chains, and make 3 DC in the next stitch, repeat * two more times and now you should be at your first (natural) color change as in the picture below. If you aren’t at your color change then you need to unravel and adjust your starting spot to make it work.
Continue to skip 2 chains and make 3 DC in the next, repeating until you come to (almost) the end of your chain. Remember that you should have 6 granny stitch clusters (3 DC) for each color (6 blue, 6 light purple, 6 pink, etc as in picture below) except for your starting color.
You must end on the same color you started with (in this case dark purple). So as you can see I am at the end of my starting chain and back to the dark purple. There is only room for 3 clusters and then I skip 2 stitches and I make a DC in the last chain.
Now you are at your turning point.
Turn, chain 3 (counts as part of your first cluster) and make 2 DC over the first space between DC and Cluster from previous row.
Continue pattern by making 3 DC between each 3 DC cluster from previous row. Maintain 6 clusters for each color! Even though you just turned, you should still have 6 dark purple clusters (3 on the previous row and 3 clusters on the new row.
When you come to the end of the second row (picture below) you will make a cluster in the last space and chain 3 and turn. On this row you are going to leave the chain 3 as is and make a cluster (3 DC) in the next space. Continue on with the 3 DC between each cluster from previous row until you get to the end of your third row.
At the end of your 3rd row you will see that you now have no place to make a cluster like you did on the previous row. Instead you will make a DC in the last stitch of that cluster, turn and chain 3. Just as before the chain 3 will act as part of your next cluster (because you see now that you have a space to make a cluster). Continue pattern as you have been. The turning rows will now alternate between having a space to make one last cluster or needing make a DC in the last stitch.
You should see your colors start to stagger. That is how you know it is working! So see on the picture below how the blue color is now one off from the 6 blue clusters from row 2? That is how you want it!
Continue pattern until it’s time to add in a new skein. That part comes quicker than you might think! As I mentioned before, you get about 22 rows before your skein is gone.
Follow the video tutorial below on adding in a new skein of yarn. Basically you need to unravel your skein a bit and line up the color sequence so it matches up to the color sequence in your project. Then you join in your yarn at the spot needed. If you run out of yarn on a row of pink, add in the new skein on pink.
Sorry, thought I got a better photo of this. But you see how I ran out of light purple after 4 clusters. So I need two more clusters of purple and I need to make sure my yarn is in the correct sequences so I needs to go from dark purple to blue to light purple to pink… So I have pulled the yarn past the dark purple, past the blue, and now I am at the light purple.. And I will join with enough light purple in my strand to make two more clusters.
Now for the border! I decided to make a simple SC border. It is only 3 rounds wide. You can choose to add whatever border you’d like and you can make it much wider if desired! You will see that 3 of your edges are “rough edges”… meaning that they don’t have a clear stitch to crochet into. I found that if you crochet 3 stitches for every cluster + space next to it, you will have an even border. In the picture below you will see that I have 2 SC stitches along the cluster edge and then one SC in the space between clusters. You will want to make a SC + chain 2 + SC in all 4 corners.
Did you give a try? If so, remember to use the hashtags #RepeatCrafterMe and #Yarnspirations in your social media posts! I would love to see how your color pooling is looking!
*** You may make and sell products from my patterns but if you do I ask that you link back to my post. Please do not copy and post this pattern and claim it as your own. Please do not re-publish photos as your own.***
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How funny! I have some pretty yarn that I’d thought I’d try color-pooling with ~ but I keep reaching past it to get some other thing. I always shake my head and mutter I really want to play color-pooling tricks with this … but something else mutter excuse mutter mutter.
Today is the day. Let’s just do it! Time to play.
Beautiful on how this turn out.
Will this work using Caron Big Cakes?
Thanks for the instructions. Can’t wait to try this technique!
No, because the colors in Caron Cakes are so much longer.
Hi! Thank you so much for making this video and for all your wonderful patterns. You’ve truly helped me so very much. I was wondering if there are any yarn color ways other than the Caron Simply Soft Stripes that would work for this particular color pooling technique?
I love this! So fun to see a different twist on color pooling with the granny stitch!
Hi there!
I’m not sure what I am doing wrong but I am not ending on the same color! I doubled the starting chain and I have the right amount of chains to end with the last color having 3 clusters. But I am ending on the next color after my starting color!
Thank you for the great directions. I’m not scared to at least try this! I’m also wondering if there are other types of yarn that would work for this effect.
Red heart has decent selection, google yarn for color pooling
A year ago I fell in love with colour pooling, but after trying with three different yarns (including this one) I gave up. I always thought my tension was pretty even but I could not make the pooling consistent. By switching to a granny stitch I am able to keep tabs on tension without ever having to rip out more than six clusters. Genius! Also starting with a solid makes so much more sense. Thanks for being the Pro that you are, and sharing your techniques!
Hello!! Many thanks for this amazing pattern!! If I want to do a scarf do you think it is possible?? And how many chain??
I’ve had trouble with color pooling but I found the granny stitch to be much easier. Is there anyway I could use this idea to make a scarf?
im going to try this in the yarn called Jersey Shore colours for Yarnspirations!
Question!!! How many clusters should be in each row? Also can you write out the 3 repeating rows? I keep getting a bit confused with the endings of each row.
Such a neat twist on color pooling! I too would like to make this as a scarf, if I knew how. Might not work for such a narrow item though. My biggest trouble with color pooling attempts has been changing skeins, even when lining up the color, how to get it so exact as to not throw off the pooling. How do you know how much of the last color was left on the last skein’s sequence. Very frustrating how just a tad off can throw off the look completely.
Hi – can this pattern be adapted to do a throw? Would just doubling the chain amount, from 95 to 190 work?
That’s what I’m thinking of trying… started one with the Golden Gate color and it was working out with six clusters just fine. Then I tried a different one in Madison Avenue and I could barely get six even going down hook sizes and crocheting really tight! So I’m thinking I’ll try for five clusters and double the pattern… fingers crossed!
I am using Central Park Caron Simply Soft Stripes, and ch 185 for the foundation chain. I used a 5.5 hook for the first row, but was having an issue with the next row matching, so I changed to a 5.0 hook and it is working perfectly…some of the colours, I have to pull a little tighter and some looser. The project measures approx. 52 inches wide. It is going to take a lot of yarn, but I think it will be worth it. The first row starts and ends with 3 clusters as your project does. Fingers crossed it keeps working 🙂
Are you seeing the pattern come out? I doubled the size also but am not seeing yhe pattern come out.. I also went down to a size 5.0 hook…
Thank you! I couldn’t figure out how many to ch. to make it bigger because 190 wasn’t working (double the 95 as suggested). My math came up with 184, so 185 to tie off the last makes so much sense.
I am also using Central Park, and it took me a while to pin down the right hook. You are so entirely right that the first row requires looser stitches. I tried 5.5 for the first row, but it was too loose for my stitches, so I ended up using 5 in inline hook and the rest of the blanket is being done in 5 tapered. That tiny bit of difference seems to have done the trick.
Also I find it a little annoying that the orange stripes are always a tad bit too short, and blue stripes are tad bit long. I’m finding I’m needing lots of finagling. But… it’s working the way Sara’s has her pattern.
I think you’d need 185. You need 90 + 5 for the original pattern, so to double it you need (90*2) + 5 = 185.
I had the exact yarn! Working on mine now. I’ve always admired the pooling and had never gotten it to work using the moss stitch. The clusters are working beautifully, and going much faster! Thank you!
Hi Sarah
I have the same question as Tara. I would like to make a larger blanket too. Have you done a blanket like this larger and could you double the chain amount from 95 to 190 to work.
Love your videos they really help to understand how to do it!!!
Deborra
Hi Deborra – I chained 185 for the foundation chain. I had 3 clusters of the first colour and the same 3 clusters at the end of the row like Sara did…seems to be working for me. Good luck!
My blanket the double crochet seems really tight, so I can make the six clusters. Should I go down a hook size? I have been tugging it tightly to make the six clusters, and it is apparent.
I love the coloring combo and your videos were great. Thanks
I’m having this problem with one color but not another… I went down a hook size AND was tight and it still barely worked and looked funky. I’m thinking of going back to my original hook size and making five clusters of each color. There’s no reason that shouldn’t work, right? The “stripes” created in the pools will just be a little narrower…?
Did it work with 5 clusters ? I tried everthing but that.
I changed my hooks 3 times and nothing works.
Please help me.
My name is Marie.
I ended up using a size 4 hook and finished my blanket. It turned out nice, and I was able to do the six clusters. Because of the yarn, some colors seemed shorter, while others were longer. So for some colors I crochet tighter to get the six clusters. While other colors were longer, so I crochet the clusters looser. Overall, the blanket turned out a nice size and I plan on making a nice wide boarder too. I learned it just took sometime to figure out the tension from the colors. I would make another one in the future.
Hi Viola, I’m not Sarah the crafter that thought up this beautiful blanket, but my name is Sandy and I have been crocheting for 50 years. I just wanted to say that your comment is one of the more positive ones that I read. That’s one problem I’ve seen over the years, some crocheters have a tendency to give up too soon. Back when I learned to crochet, you were taught with very fine yarn or some called it thread. And the first thing you were taught to make was a very lacy doily. You wasn’t considered a “lady” until you could make a doily. My Moma taught me how to crochet. I have doilies that my Grandmother crocheted. Crocheting is a very delicate art. Either you love it or you don’t . Either you enjoy trying to make the projects or you don’t. I know its frustrating, I still get frustrated. That’s when it’s time to walk away and get refreshed. And come back and then get it done. Have fun with it. And learn from it. Sandy
I bought the yarn today, it’s hard to tell where new color begins, I can’t get it to work, I have too much left after the six clusters. I’m using an H hook, tried an I, still didn’t come out…I give up…
I felt the same way too. Finally I had to take a break and try again. I finally think I got it, I am using a smaller hook…but now my clusters are spot on. It just took some trial and error…and little breaks in between.
i found the first row you had to crochet realllly loose and then after the first row, everything lined up. try doing that.
I can’t seem to find the Caron stripes. Does anyone know if the Caron paints will work for this?
Thank you so much for this pattern! I have started and it is working great but I changed to a new skein of yarn and realized that the colors are in a different order. I am guessing this has to do with dye lot (which is a bummer because I have to order the yarn online). I am just wondering if you ran into this issue?
I just ran into this issue in the middle of a skein! There was a knot, and then the colours were in a different order. So disappointed.
It happened to me in the middle of a skein but they were just reversed. Try pulling the yarn from the opposite end. I have one skein that switched the spot of the light purple and the blue
Having same issue. Manufacture’s knot then shorted a full color. FRUSTRATING! I cut off a full color pattern joined the correct color pattern and continued.
I want to try this so much but this yarn is not available in my country 🙁
check out my instagram @jprms_ for my colorpooling blanket. i am using jersey shore yarnspirations
Hi there! I got about 14 rows in and realized my rows were not staggering. I unraveled and started at row two double checking everything. It goes great staggering till the beginning of row 5. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. The only way I could make it work and keep it staggering is getting rid of a cluster in the beginning. Will that throw it all off even though it will make it stagger like it’s suppose to?
I had it working great with old stock Times square until I had to add a new skein and it was the new stock marked 25% more. The new has the colours in a different order and the colours were more muted so I had to quit.
Then I got some skeins of Jersey shore on sale (the new stock 25% more) and it simply wont work. Its as if the colours are shorter and I was only getting 5 really tight clusters using a 4.5 mm hook. Ah well, I guess this project just isnt meant to be for me 🙂
I had some colors long enough for 6 clusters, and other only long enough for 5… There were only two skeins of the old one and 5 of the new, so I got the new one, that’s really disappointing!
Hi Sarah! I finally decided to give this a try after numerous other failed attempts at color pooling. I think it’s working, but did you have to force some colors to work? Like adjust your tension with each different color? I’m also using Times Square and it seems to me that the blue section is always short, so I’m crocheting tighter to make it fit 6 clusters and the dark pink I’m doing looser.
Can this be done with Red Heart Stripes?
Nevermind. I bought some yarn, but the stripes are too long. This does not work with Redheart Striped yarn.
Red Heart Super Saver Stripes in Neon Stripe and Primary Stripe work for this method.
I’m hoping to find more yarns that will work. I like “standard” color pooling for scarves but I’m working on a blanket in Golden Gate and am enjoying this method more.
Can those socks be done in crocheting
I bought it in the 25% more and it is not working, stripes are not even! I only get 6 clusters with my yellow and turquoise. The others will only give me 5 clusters. It is not my tensions, the length of the stripes differ from color to color!
I am pretty disappointed, and will look at another project because that’s really not my fault the yarn is uneven 🙁
I think that’s what she uses in the video…the 25% more
I am using the caron stripes Golden Gate Bridge and the colors are longer! I get 7 cluster out of each color, I tried switching to a 5.5mm hook and STILL got 7 clusters. I used the planned pooling app and discovered that a chain of 104 will get you the same argyle outcome…still a work in progress, I hope this is helpful.
Can you double the size?
Thank you so much for the great tutorial and video! I tried color pooling last year, and was so frustrated because I couldn’t get it right.
I’ve been able to follow your instructions easily, and by going all the way down to a 4mm hook, I’m having success! I can’t wait to see the end result.
Love your blog! ❤
Got the first four rows done with minimal frogging but no only does my my Caron simply soft stripes have a lot of knots but it skips a color at each knot. So I’m wasting a lot of yarn. Not sure if I’m going to continue or just move on to another project.
Such a great idea but the yarn itself is frustrating me,
Approximately how long is each colour in the Caron Simply Soft?
Help!
Frogged three times, finally got the clusters to work (6 per color) but it’s not staggering. Just going straight up. I don’t want to give up, but I’m already crocheting way tighter than I normally do and not feeling comfortable with it.
Jacqui, check your turn stitches.
I was almost done with mine and it started going straight up too, I missed something on one of the ends and it threw the pattern off.
How can I make this wider ? Please
go through the colors twice
Hello I have done this planned pooling with a different colorway of the same yarn with no problems,but I am having a hard time with the time square colorway. I started with a H hook and I started over with a g hook now I’m down to a F and I am still having a problem with getting the 6 clusters. Any suggestions???
thanks T
Me too, I’m only getting 5 clusters. Can anyone help with this?
NO one seems to answer questions here….. I’m just trying this pattern and finding nothing works. Did you end up using 5 clusters and does
it work out?
رائع اعجبني كثير
So doubling the size was not as simple as doubling the length of the chain. I ended up with chain 180, not 190. It seems that you should chain, do your three clusters, do two sets of colors for row one and make sure you end with three clusters. Doubling the chain to 190 made the entire pattern off because the corners didn’t fill in like they should have. After three attempts I’m finally getting the pattern to show correctly. I’m pretty new to crochet though so I may have done something funky but I’m making it work now 🙂
Awesome plan on trying this soon
Thank you for publishing these details! Has anyone yet tried to triple the width?
Is there a way to make this pattern for larger afghans and still get same effect?
I have been following you for years now! You have the best way of teaching new skills plus I love all your patterns! I found the granny stitch pooling very interesting and I like being able to use Caron yarn instead of the other brand lol.
Are there direction for making this in different sizes? I would like to make this for my daughter bed. She has a full size bed. What would my starting chain be?
While creating this blanket, more than half way through the skein there was a knot where yarn was added, and much to my chagrin it didn’t match the sequence of colors thar was already in place! When I added the new skein, the yarn coming from the center was wrong, so I had to use the outside end to match up the pattern. I decided to roll the yarn into a ball starting with the inside end and again came across a knot and it was not correct! What a pain! At least now I know to to do when I attach the next skein!
This happened to me too! It was so annoying.
What I would love to know is how you developed the magic number “6”. I am doing this very same afghan and it is working beautifully, but just very curious how you determined that number. There is another granny afghan stitch in a different yarn (RH primary colors) that I want to try and I see other pictures where their cluster count is 8 or more. Can you share that information? Thanks in advance.
Thank you for this pattern. I love it! I’m about half way through, but I had to stop to make a different baby afghan for my granddaughter coming any day now. The only problem I’ve been having is that every skein of yarn has had one or two places where the manufacturer has tied the yarn. I’ve had to cut out lots of yarn so that the colors stay the right length! I crochet all the time and have seen these knots before but one or two in each skein is excessive I think! Did you have any problems like that? I know this is not your problem and I’m not blaming you, just wondered if others have found this with this yarn.
Where did you get your fun crochet hook?!?! It is so CUTE!
Sarah, my first try went pretty well. Now on my second blanket and it’s just not working! I have been careful to count stitches and adjust tension, but my changing of colors is jumping to several stitches each cross….not the one more step as in my first blanker…so the color changes and transpostioning is much too quick. I still get 6 sts per color…as before but it jumps in the next run across ( not next row but every other row) it starts about 3 sts later……what do I need to adjust? I’m on my thrid frog out…tried adjusting hook size…no luck
I don’t know what I’ve done…I’m getting them to pool but it is making squares instead of the rectangles. I have frogged it and restarted 3 times. I’m putting on the appropriate number of stitches and the placement is appropriate….it has to be something with the ending color on the rows. I am using Caron’s Simply Soft Stripes, the color is Churchill Downs…TIA for any and all hell ❤️
I just bought the yarn yesterday and have tried with multiple skeins and different size hooks and its not working. I went down to a 4.5 hook and tighten it and it even only gave me 5 clusters sometimes. I wonder if they changed something with the yarn because the color changes are not even. I was so excited. Bummer.
I might try a different color. The one I used was time square.
Will colour pooling work with Lion Brand Mandala and or Lion Brand Baby Mandala?
Many thanks.
This is working out fine with the Times Square colourway but I’m struggling to make it work with Madison Avenue. The colour lengths seem longer and inconsistent. I’ve tried a variety of hook sizes etc. Any ideas? TIA
For some reason I’ve
Done the first row 2 times and keep ending up with left over chains on the end? You sure it’s 95?
Thank you for your help. The blanket looks amazing…
Thank you for your site
Just finished this blanket using Caron Simply Stripes “The Keys”. Wish I could figure out how to leave a photo comment! Love the way it turned out. Thank you for posting this pattern.
Do you know if you can make this pattern for like a dishcloth with cotton yarn? Like one of the multi-color rolls and smaller, I love making dishcloths and hand towels ?? Please let me know, ty
Carol
I’m loving this but my normal tension and hook would be smaller and tighter and I find in order to make this work the stitches are pretty loose and the gaps between the clusters are quite large – could I do 7 clusters and tighter tension or smaller hook ?
I’m using Caron Simply Soft Stripes – Jersey Shore and a 5mm hook usually I’d use a 4.5 for this yarn.
Now this is the problem with your site….how do you chooose!? So many excellent patterns and ideas it’s almost impossible to decide which one to do next! 🙂
I’ve made one blanket with this pattern before and managed to make it work. I’m trying again and it just isn’t working. I’m having to do one color so loose to make it work that the stitches are sloppy and the next so tight just to get the right number of clusters … and the colors are still blending together …. what am I doing wrong?? Or is it just a bad skien??? (using the same as in your tutorial btw)
HELP PLEASE!!!!
I wondered if you could tell me the measurements of the finished blanket. I’m trying to figure how much yarn to get, too possibly make it larger.
Thank you
What other yarns do you think you could do this pattern with?
So far so good! I’m using the color Martha’s Vineyard and this pattern is working will for me! My second skein of yarn has so much blue mixed in with the yellow but it doesn’t bother me so much.
I used the original 95 cast on as I’m making a baby blanket and this seems like a good size.
I did find a knot in my yarn that broke up the color order so I just had to cut out that yarn until I could get the pattern to start over again. Thanks so much for this pattern.
How many stitches would I need to make this, but in a scarf size? Is that even possible to do with this technique?