Meet the Huzzah Cluster Ripple Blanket: A Festival of Color and Texture

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I feel like right now is the perfect time, while it’s cold and dreary in the northern hemisphere and sun-shiny in the south, for a bright, vibrant, and playful blanket. I know I could use some high-spirited good cheer, and having the Huzzah Cluster Ripple Blanket draped across the chair in my room has been adding tons of good vibes to my days.

As I’m looking at it now, I can’t help but think that this blanket has the energy of a Renaissance fair, an amusement park ride, and a full-blown dance party all rolled into one. It’s a literal celebration of color and texture, and I’m so excited to finally share it with you.

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If you’re looking for a project to cheer you on and entertain you through the coming months, this is the blanket for you. The stitch pattern is quick to memorize, making it an excellent companion for cozy evenings in front of the TV. And with this cheerful, texture-rich design, you can truly let the yarn do the colorwork for you.

I created a playful cluster stitch pattern specifically to highlight the vibrant transitions of Lion Brand Ferris Wheel, a self-striping yarn with long, bold color changes. The result is effortless color shifts. With no yarns to cut or colors to change, you can crochet along to your heart’s content and watch with delight as the colors unfold row by row.

Designing this blanket, and making sure the stitch pattern and color changes worked in harmony, turned out to be more of an adventure than I initially anticipated. If you’re curious about the magic (and mystery) of pairing ripple stitches with self-striping yarn, including tips for choosing colorways that really shine, be sure to check out the end of this email. But first, let me tell you a bit about how the blanket itself comes together.

How This Blanket Is Made

Worked in rows from the bottom up, the Huzzah Cluster Ripple Blanket features a simple two-row repeat with rhythmic increases and decreases that form gentle peaks and valleys. You’ll work rows of cluster stitches alternated with rows of single crochet and back post single crochet, separated by chains, to create all those glorious pops of color and texture.

To support you along the way, the pattern includes four short photo tutorials that walk you through each special stitch step-by-step, so you can crochet with confidence. A clean, simple border finishes the blanket for a polished, professional look.

Perfect for adventurous beginners and beyond, this project offers soothing repetition and the pure delight of seeing the colored stripes take shape as you go.

The Story Behind the Design

I had originally planned to release this pattern a couple of months ago, but the first sample I made, which was about half the size of my final blanket, didn’t showcase the color changes in the yarn quite the way I had envisioned. So it was back to the drawing board.

I was determined to create a ripple blanket that highlighted Ferris Wheel’s beautiful striping without muddy color changes or awkward pooling. Through the process of refining the stitch pattern and stripe sequence, I learned a great deal about how ripple stitches interact with self-striping yarn and how thoughtful design choices can make those color changes truly shine.

To help soften and blend transitions between colors, I devised a playful cluster stitch pattern worked in a simple two-row repeat. Each row of clusters is worked into chain spaces that are separated by single crochet stitches. Working into chain spaces like this helps blend color transitions from one row to the next — similar to the effect you see in linen stitch (also known as moss stitch).

Across each row, the rhythmic increases and decreases create gentle peaks and valleys, which further soften the color changes horizontally and give the blanket its lively movement.

Another important discovery was how the width of the blanket affects the way the stripes appear. While the pattern includes tips for customizing the width, it’s worth noting that narrower blankets tend to produce bolder, more dramatic stripes (as shown in the sample below), while wider blankets result in a more evenly distributed striping pattern (as pictured above).

Tips for Choosing the Right Yarn

This isn’t the first time I’ve designed a pattern to highlight a specific yarn. My Painter’s Garden Blanket was created with the color changes of Sirdar Jewelspun in mind, while the Painter’s Garden Cowl was designed especially for Noro Silk Garden. In practice, though, I’ve seen those patterns work beautifully with many different self-striping yarns, and I’m confident the Huzzah Blanket will behave similarly across a wide range of colorways.

The key is choosing yarns with long color changes and distinctly different shades. This helps prevent muddy combinations and ensures that the colors play nicely wherever they meet.

For that reason, I recommend starting with Lion Brand Ferris Wheel, which comes in a wonderful range of playful colorways. But if you’d like to try a different yarn, here are a few tips to help you choose:

1. Look for yarns described as self-striping, long color changes, or color-shifting.

2. Try to find photos of the yarn worked up, especially in crochet. Manufacturer websites sometimes include swatches, and Ravelry project pages are a fantastic resource for seeing how the colors behave in real projects. As you browse, look for colorways with several clearly defined shades that won’t blur together; unless, of course, you’re intentionally going for a softer, more muted look. In that case, a tonal palette can be absolutely beautiful too.

And here are a few other yarns that I think will work wonderfully with this pattern:

• Red Heart Roll with It Melange

• Hobbii Tea Time

• Järbo Cookie

• James C. Brett Emotions DK

I hope these tips get you excited about choosing yarn for your own Huzzah Blanket! I’d love to hear which colorway you’re considering. Feel free to reply to this email or write to me at crochet@JenniferOlivarez.com.

And as always, I’d love to see your finished projects. Share them on Ravelry to inspire others, or email me a photo — with your permission, I’d be thrilled to feature your work in a future newsletter.

If you’re ready to start your own Huzzah Cluster Ripple Blanket, now’s the perfect time. Use your HUZZAH coupon to grab the pattern at 20% off through February 2, and enjoy every stitch of this colorful, cozy make.

Thank you so much for being here. It truly means the world to me that you choose my patterns to be part of your crochet journey.

Happy stitching!