Spring Mixers

A 6-Day Superstar Blanket Variation

Mix your favorite cake yarns for amazing affects!

This variation of the classic 6-Day Kid Blanket works from the center out into the shape of a fourteen-pointed star. No one can make just one 6-Day Kid Blanket, Star, Superstar or Supernova Blanket, and with so many choices you will never get bored. Mix up some cake yarns for infinite possibilities.

Mixing cake yarns offers even more variation and unexpected effects. You can use my exact combinations given above, substitute similar colorways, or come up with your own. I encourage you to be brave and experiment. Challenge yourself to choose something you wouldn’t normally choose.

When you cake-mix, let go of the need to know “exactly” how it’s going to turn out. There is an element of chance when you mix cakes. Even if you use the same exact brand and colors that I used, your blanket will not come out exactly like mine because there is no way to control how the different stripes and colors line up.

With so many different brands of cake yarns available in amazing colors, there are infinite combinations. You can choose several skeins with a common color, like the the Zen Mix, where I wanted mostly pink, purple, and white. Or try four wildly different yarns, like Megan’s Mix.

When mixing cakes and new colors give them a chance to show themselves before you decide it’s not working. I’ve had the experience of not liking the first few rows or repeats of my color choices. Usually all I really needed was to stick it out for a few more rounds. I’ve never ripped a cake-mixed blanket because I didn’t like the colors! If you aren’t sure, set your project aside for a few days and take it out and look at it again with fresh eyes after some time. Take some chances, you may surprise yourself.

With each of these blankets, I controlled the first eight rounds so that there were no mid-row color changes. After that, I let the colors flow. I worked through the yarns for about one repeat of the pattern, or less if I got bored, or if I noticed that there were a lot of similar colors lining up too much at once. I kept the order of the cakes, unless I didn’t feel like using the next color that was up. Each cake was added to the blanket twice.

If you use my edge, you will need about 1/2 a cake for the entire edge. You can plan which yarn you would like to use for the edge, or just take it by chance.

The specific yarn used for the two blankets pictured above is as follows:

Zen Mix

Caron Big Cakes (2400 yards total)
Used in the following order:
1 Cake Roll
1 Grape Jelly
2 Cherry Cake (used for border)

Megan’s Mix

Caron Big Cakes (2400 yards total)
1 each of the following (given in order)
Afternoon Tea
Blue Hawaiian
Summer Berry Tart
Cake Roll (border)

I started the blankets with a J (6 mm) hook and went up to a K (6.5 mm) hook around row 9. My favorite hooks are the Furls Odyssey.

THE PATTERN

This pattern is adaptable. You can use my yarn, or make your own combination. The blanket can be made in virtually any yarn and you can continue to grow it as big as you want it.

Approximate yardage for 2 common sizes and weights:

For DK or #3 weight yarn you will need approximately 1200 yards for a 40” baby blanket and 2000 yards for a 60” throw-sized blanket.

For Worsted or #4 weight yarn you will need approximately 1000 yards for a 40” baby blanket and 2400 yards for a 60” throw-sized blanket.

Hooks: test crocheters have found that we needed a much larger hook than we would normally use to avoid curling. Most worked the #3 weight with an H or 5 mm hook, and the worsted with a K or 6.5 mm hook.

Start the blanket with a hook one half or one size larger than your yarn label recommends, and go up 1/2 hook if your work starts to curl. Lay your work down often and check for curling or rippling.

If your work is rippling, your hook is too large or you may have added stitches.

Gauge: varies

Finished Size: The blankets shown are 60″ across. Your blanket may be larger or smaller if you use a different yarn. The nice thing about this pattern is that you can stop at any point or continue indefinitely. This is your blanket, make it any size you like.

Skill level: Intermediate

If you have made a traditional 6-Day Kid Blanket, you can make this! If you have not made the traditional 6DKB, you may find this pattern easier after you do.

Changing colors:

The first 6-9 rows of this version look best when the yarn does not change colors in the middle of a row, so if you are using cake yarn, you may want to purchase an extra cake so you can cut colors for at least the first few rows. After the center is complete, mid-row color changes are not as obvious. Of course you can always change colors deliberately if you like.

Abbreviations

bet: between
ch: chain
dc: double crochet
dc2tog: double crochet 2 together cluster
dc3tog: double crochet 3 together cluster
rsc: reverse single crochet
sc: single crochet
sl st: slip stitch
sp(s): space or spaces
st(s): stitch(es)

Special Stitches:

dc2tog (cluster) – this stitch is a cluster, not a decrease. It is worked as follows: yo, pull up a loop, pull through two loops, yo, pull up a loop IN THE SAME STITCH/SPACE, pull through two loops, yo and pull through all loops on the hook. dc2tog complete.

dc3tog (cluster) – this stitch is a cluster, not a decrease. It is worked as follows: yo, pull up a loop, pull through two loops, *yo, pull up a loop IN THE SAME STITCH/SPACE, pull through two loops, repeat from *, yo and pull through all loops on the hook. dc3tog complete.

Begin the Blanket

Ch 4, join with sl st to form a ring.

Set-up Round 1: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 13 dc into ring. Join with sl st to top of ch 3. (14 dc total)

Set-up Round 2: ch 3, dc in same st. 2 dc in each st around. Join with sl st to top of ch 3. (28 dc total)

Set-up Round 3: ch 3, dc, *ch 3, 2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, repeat from * ending with ch 1, join with sl st to top of ch 3. (28 dc with 7 ch 3 sps and 7 ch 1 sps)

Set-up Round 4: sl st in next dc and ch 3 sp, [ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in same sp. *dc3tog in ch 1 sp, [3 dc, ch 3, 3dc] in ch 3 sp, repeat from *, dc3tog in last ch 1 sp, join with sl st to top of ch 3.

Set-up Round 5: sl st into the gap just below your hook (between the dc3tog and the 3 dc), [ch 2, dc2tog] in same sp, *[3 dc, ch 3, 3dc] in ch 3 sp, dc3tog in next 2 sps, repeat from * to last sp, dc3tog, join with sl st to top of dc cluster (be sure to join in the top of the cluster and not to the ch 2).

Set-up Round 6: ch 1, sc in same st, sc in each st around, working 3 sc in ch 3 sps. Join with sl st to first sc (be sure to join to the top of the sc and not the sl st).

Set-up Round 7: sl st in next st. ch 3, 3 dc, *[5 dc in center sc from row below], 4 dc, sk 2, 4 dc, repeat from *, 4 dc, join with sl st to top of ch 3.

Set-up Round 8: sl st in next dc, ch 3, 4 dc, *[5 dc in center dc from row below], 5 dc, sk 2, 5 dc, repeat from *, 5 dc, join with sl st to top of ch 3.

Set-up Round 9: sl st, ch 1, sc in same st, 5 sc, *3 sc in center of 5 dc from the row below, 6 sc, ch 3, sk 2 sts, 6 sc, repeat from around, ending with ch 3. Join with sl st to first sc.

Set-up Round 10: sl st in the next 4 st, ch 2, dc2tog cluster in same st, *sk 2, [3dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in center sc from row below, sk 2, dc3tog, sk 4, [3dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in ch 3 sp, sk 4, dc3tog in next st, repeat from * around, ending with [3dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in ch 3 sp, Join with sl st to top of starting dc2tog (make sure to join into the top of the dc2tog, and not into the ch2).

Set-up Round 11: sl st into sp bet d2tog and 3dc, ch 2, dc2tog in same sp, *[3dc, ch 3, 3 dc], dc3tog in next 2 sps, repeat from * around ending with dc3tog in the last sp, join with sl st to first dc2tog (make sure to join into the top of the dc2tog, and not into the ch2).

In order to make the row numbers correspond to the original 6-Day Kid Blanket row numbers, we are calling the next row Round 4. Round 4 corresponds to 6DKB row 4, and Round 5 to 6DKB Row 5, etc. Proceed from here to Row 4.

Round 4: ch 1, sc in same st, sc in each st around, working 3 sc in ch 3 sps. Join w sl st to first sc (make sure to join into the top of the sc, and not into the sl st or ch 1).

Round 5: sl st in next st. Ch 3, 3 (6, 9, 12, etc.) dc, *[5 dc in center sc from row below], 4 (7, 10, 13, etc.) dc, sk 2, 4 dc, repeat from *, 4 (7, 10, 13, etc.) dc, join with sl st to top of ch 3.

Round 6: sl st in next st. Ch 3, 4 (7, 10, 13, etc.) dc, *[5 dc in center dc from row below], 5 (8, 11, 14, etc.) dc, sk 2, 5 (8, 11, 14, etc.) dc, repeat from *, 5 dc, join with sl st to top of ch 3.

On subsequent rounds 5 and 6, the number of dcs on either side of the mountain will increase by 3. The numbers in parenthesis show the number of dcs on each subsequent repeat of the pattern.

Round 7: ch 1, sc in same st and each st around, making 2 sc in each center of 5 dc from the row below. (Since we are working on all right sides and not turning, the top of the center dc is above and slightly to the right of the center stitch). Join with sl st to first sc (make sure to join into the top of the sc, and not into the sl st or ch 1).

Round 2: ch 2, dc2tog cluster in same st, *sk 4, 3 dc in next st, **[sk 2, 3 dc in next st], repeat from ** to top of the mountain, [3dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in second of 2 sc from row below, ***[sk 2, 3 dc in next st], repeat from *** to 5th stitch before the valley, making last 3dc in the fifth sc from the valley, sk 4, dc3tog in the center valley st, repeat from *, Join with sl st to top of starting dc2tog.

Round 3: sl st in next sp, ch 2, dc2tog in same sp, *3 dc in next sp, repeat from * to top of the mountain, [3dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in ch 3 sp, **3 dc in next sp, repeat to the valley, dc3tog in sps before and after the dc3tog in the row below, repeat from *, join with sl st to first dc2tog (be sure to sl st into the top of the dc2tog and not into the ch).

Repeat Rounds (4, 5, 6, 7, 2, 3) approximately 3 times for baby blanket size, 4 times for Spring Mixers, 5 times for a throw size, and finish with round 4 once more. Continue to Finishing.

Finishing

Work a round of rsc to edge the blanket, skipping one stitch every 4-5 stitches if your blanket edge ripples.

Alternate Edge (shown below):

Work Pattern #101 from Around the Corner Crochet Borders by Edie Eckman.

Edge row 1: of Edie’s edge, you will need to “fudge” the number of chain stitches and skips in order to have a loop centered in the valley, an even number of loops going up/down the sides of the mountains, and a loop crossing the top of each mountain.

Edge row 2: put the corner stitches in the mountain loop and a sc stitch in the valley loop.

Edge row 3: (Betty’s Addition): after the last row of the edge pattern is complete, work a round of sc in each stitch, with sc, picot, sc in each ch sp on the points.

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This pattern variation was created during the time of COVID-19. I chose bright colors to brighten my mood. Both blankets were made for friends who needed support and sent to them as replacement “hugs.” I hope that they help you find ways to brighten your life or someone else’s, and to keep your mindset positive.

This pattern is 100% original and the intellectual property of Betty McKnit/Beth Elliott. This pattern, The 6-Day Kid Blanket, 6DKB, 6-Day Star Blanket, and all derivative works are also protected by copyright. Publishing corrections, variations, video or written tutorials of this pattern, online or elsewhere, without written permission from the owner is a violation of copyright.

Superstar pattern tested by Marianne Killackey

This pattern is dedicated to the memory of Megan Sims.

*Disclaimer* This pattern contains affiliate links.

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