Meet Dumpling, a rescue cat story... & Free crochet blanket pattern

Meet Dumpling, she lives with Little T's dad and Little T absolutely adores her.  She was a rescue cat from Battersea Cats and Dogs home and not very much was known about her life before she was taken in.  She was found as a stray and taken care of by Battersea.  Little T's dad had previously had another cat "Marmite" who had died in a tragic accident and felt it was time to get another.  So we all went together to the cats home and it was decided that Dumpling would be the one to come home with us.

At first she was afraid to go outside and was very wary of us, but she soon settled in and over time has started to go outside.  She doesn't stray far though, always staying close by.  She likes to play with Little T, he always insists on buying her toys every time we go to the pet shop and he likes to give her "Dreamies" for treats.  When she first came home she had a lovely hand knitted blanket that someone had made and donated to the shelter, it's good for cats to have something familiar when they first go to their new home.

Cat and dog shelters are always on the lookout for hand knitted or crocheted blankets, so I thought it would be a nice idea to make some blankets myself to donate.  My local shelter prefers knitted blankets as kittens can sometimes get their paws stuck in the holes that crochet blankets often have.  So I thought I would design a blanket, with no holes for little kitties to get their tiny paws stuck.  This pattern is great for using up your stash and can be made with any yarn.  I had some giant 400g balls of "cheap" Aran yarn, that had been lying forgotten in a tub somewhere.  I bought it on a whim because it was a "bargain" and never used it because it wasn't very soft.  I'm sure you all have some of "that" yarn in your stash.  So go on dig it out and make a rescue cat or dog happy...

For more rescue cat and dog blanket ideas check out this post here...

Cat Blanket No.1

Materials

Aran / Worsted from your stash

Hook

6mm (J)

Size

Approx. 85 x 85cm (33 x 33 inches)

Ability

Intermediate

Abbreviations US Terms (UK Conversion)

ldc – linked double crochet (linked treble crochet)

dc –double crochet (treble crochet)

sc – single crochet (double crochet)

ch - chain

st(s) – stitch(es)

sl st – slip stitch

yo – yarn over

Special Stitches

Linkeddouble crochet: Insert hook into horizontal bar of previous st, yo and pull through loop, insert hook into next st, yo and pull up a loop, yo pull through 2 loops, yo pull through remaining 2 loops.

Other notes:  This pattern is designed with kittens in mind.  Linked double crochet creates a dense fabric, with no holes for little kitties to get their tiny paws stuck.  I used Aran / worsted yarn for mine with a 6mm (J) hook; but could just as easily be made with any gauge yarn.  Just use a hook size recommended on your yarn ball band.  Use as many colours as you like and change colours at will.  When changing colour, pull new colour through last st of row.

Blanket

Make a ch as long as you would like the width of your blanket to be (I chained 100 for mine).

Row 1 dc in 3^rd ch from hook, ldc in each ch across.  Turn.  (98ldc)

Row 2 ch2 (does not count as st), dc in 1^st st, ldc in each st across.  Turn.  (98ldc)

Repeat row 2 until you have completed 54 rows (or blanket is required length).  Fasten off.

Border

Round 1 Join with sl st to any st along top of blanket, ch1, sc in same st, sc in every st across top and bottom of blanket, 3sc in each corner, along sides sc evenly across (how many sc you work along the sides will depend on your tension.  I found for every 6 rows I needed 10sc.  If your sides start to pull in you don’t have enough sts and if your sides start to go wavy, you have too many).  Join with sl st to starting sc.

Round 2 ch1 sc in same st, sc in every sc, 3sc in every corner st, join with sl st to starting sc.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

If you would like a wider border you may repeat round 2 until you reach desired width.

You can purchase an add free pdf version of this pattern in my Etsy Store...

Pin it for later...

I hope you enjoyed the pattern and if you would like to see more posts like this please follow (in the sidebar) and subscribe.  Do you make blankets for rescue cats or dogs?  I would love to hear about it, let me know in the comments below or head on over to my Facebook Group and share your photos.

Happy hooking!

Catherine

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