Here you can find the free crochet pattern for a crochet guinea pig blanket released as a crochet-a-long (CAL) for 2023.
I love guinea pigs, and I love crochet and I also like a slow paced CAL, so what better way to combine the 3 things I seem to love – I can’t be the only one right?
Why a crochet guinea pig blanket?
We love guinea pigs. I used to have Guinea pigs (or wiggies/ Furry Potatoes) when I was a child, but I don’t remember them being very much fun.
Looking back now, they must have been great pets, as we had wiggies for the whole of my childhood.
Roll on a couple of decades, and we looked after the school wiggies, and now we have 2 boys of our own.
Let me introduce you to George and Sherbet.
Now you’ve met the boys, this is why I have designed a crochet guinea pig blanket, along with the skills of my daughter!
This blanket is the perfect gift for any guinea pig lover. You could make it as we are in different guinea pig colours, or choose your favourite pig and repeat that one over and over again!
This project is a bit of strange one for me. I usually like to have the finished project all done by the time I launch a CAL, but this one is going to evolve over the year with different designs.
This does take me out of my comfort zone, so we’ll see what happens wish me luck!
Crochet Blanket Themes
Guinea Pigs were the easy choice, then the thought was to have this as a slowed paced CAL.
Some Cals I’ve released or taken part in have been one square a day or a week,
The Hobbycraft Granny square CAL
This one is a lot SLOWER paced.
>>>No Brainer Granny Square Blanket, >>>Animal-a-long C2C blanket, >>>Harry Potter C2C Blanket
When will a CAL square be released?
One Square will be released on the second Friday of every month.
One square a month for 12 months, so we’ll have good sized blanket – and I may add a header and footer too!
The square will be in a graph form, but may have the blocks too – if people prefer that – any feedback welcome!
What stitch for the Guinea Pig Blanket?
This blanket is corner to corner crochet – or C2C
I adore this stitch, for a number of reasons but this main one being this give a closed texture, and when to get to half way, the squares get quicker, as each row is shorter!
I’ve used Half Double crochet in the Corner to Corner technique. You can use double crochet, – it just changes the sizes slightly.
If you are new to Corner to Corner – I have help!
Learn how to crochet Corner to Corner for Beginners
Learn how to change colour in C2C crochet
For more C2C designs from me have a look at:
What Yarn for a Crochet Guinea Pig Blanket?
If you’ve followed me a while you’ll know I love a stash buster project rather than sending you to shop!
However if you want to use Double Knit Yarn like I have (It’s more common in the UK) I have some suggestions below:
Double knit = light 3 weight yarn, worsted = medium 4
How big is the Guinea pig blanket?
The size of the blanket will depend on a number of things.
My finished blanket will measure 96cm x 128cm before any borders are added, or any headers/ or footers.
If you’d like a bigger blanket there are a couple of options:
- Use Double crochet instead of Half Double crochet.
- Use a thicker yarn – e.g worsted weight and an appropriate sized hook
- Make more squares!
How big is each crochet Square?
This will depend on your yarn choice and the stitch to use.
Double Knit Yarn
If using HDC Corner to Corner and DK yarn each square will measure: 32 cm or 12.5 inches.
If using DC Corner to Corner and DK yarn each square will measure: 40cm
How to C2C a square using a pattern in HDC
Abbreviations – USA terms
MC – Main Colour
ch – chain
HDC – half double crochet
sl st – slip stitch
sp – space
Start the chart from the bottom right, follow the chart diagonally, not in rows.
With MC, chain 5.
Row 1: Starting in the 3rd ch from the hook, 3 HDC. Turn. 1 block
Row 2: 5 ch, starting in the 3rd ch from hook, 3 HDC, [1sl st, 2 ch, 3 HDC] into 2ch-sp from previous row. Turn. 2 blocks
Row 3: 5 ch, starting in the 3rd ch from hook, 3 HDC, * [1sl st, 2 ch, 3 HDC] into 2ch-sp from previous row; rep from * across. Turn. 3 blocks
Rows 4-24: Continue increasing as Row 3, changing colours as per chart. 25 blocks
Row 25: sl st along next 3 sts, [1sl st, 2 ch, 3 HDC] in next 2ch-sp; rep from * to last 2ch-sp, 1 sl st in last 2ch-sp. Turn. 25 blocks
Rows 26-49: Cont to dec as Row 25 until last block is complete. Turn. 1 block
Row 50: sl st across 3 HDC to finish corner. Fasten off. Weave in ends.
How to do C2C in HTR by reading a pattern
Abbreviations UK Terms
MC – Mian Colour
ch – chain
Htr – Half treble crochet
sl st – slip stitch
sp space
Start the chart from the bottom right, follow the chart diagonally, not in rows.
With MC, chain 5.
Row 1: Starting in the 3rd ch from the hook, 3 Htr. Turn. 1 block
Row 2: 5 ch, starting in the 3rd ch from hook, 3 Htr, [1sl st, 2 ch, H tr] into 2ch-sp from previous row. Turn. 2 blocks
Row 3: 5 ch, starting in the 3rd ch from hook, 3 Htr, * [1sl st, 2 ch, 3 Htr] into 2ch-sp from previous row; rep from * across. Turn. 3 blocks
Rows 4-24: Continue increasing as Row 3, changing colours as per chart. 25 blocks
Row 25: sl st along next 3 sts, [1sl st, 2 ch, 3 Htr] in next 3ch-sp; rep from * to last 2ch-sp, 1 sl st in last 2ch-sp. Turn. 25 blocks
Rows 26-49: Cont to dec as Row 25 until last block is complete. Turn. 1 block
Row 50: sl st across 3 Htr to finish corner. Fasten off. Weave in ends.
Crochet Guinea Pig Blanket
You will need a variety of different colours of DK yarn. The maximum a square will use is half a ball (approx 40g) of yarn for the main back colour. Each square uses in total about 65g when made in HDC.
4mm hook, or hook size needed to get to the tension listed.
Tension
8.5 squares x 9 squares x = 10 x 10cm square (4 inches)
Square 1 – January – Sherbet in the snow
Stylecraft yarn: Black, white, Cloud Blue (1019), Walnut (1054), Dark Brown (1004), Pink.
Follow the pattern above, and the chart below
February Guinea Pig
This month we were thinking Valentines day, so hearts are a plenty here.
To note on this one, my mum had a guinea pig that looked like this one – called Peppa.
This is like an Agouti coloured wiggie, dark grey speckled hair, and black eyes and dark ears too.
Stylecraft and Deramores yarn for this one in: Silver, black, graphite, pomegranate and pale rose (I think).
I went off piste for the chart and the colours – can you see?
The design my daughter made had more light pink, but then I looked at how much yarn I had and changed them to the other way around!
Get the graph below – or sign up to the mailing list and have it delivered to your email address as a PDF.
March Guinea Pig
Today we have George!
George is one of our wiggies, and he’s super cute.
We’ve designed him with some Polyanthus flowers as spring is just about to appear (we hope).
George is actually a bit of a mix of a guinea pig. He’s definitely part Rex and probably a bit of a Texel/ perurian, as he has really long hair on his behind!
If you know what he is I’d love to hear it!
April Guinea Pig
I’ve loved making this crochet guinea pig this month, the colours just make this little guy “Pop” or should that be “Popcrorn”.
Again using my stash yarn, this one uses mainly Stylecraft Special DK in colours: Bluebell, Pistachio, Mocha, Bosenberry, white, black, and Candyfloss.
The cream for this one was gifted by @Hobbii_Yarn
Come back in early May for a rather special guinea pig.
May Guinea Pig
This one was easy – it being the Coronation of King Charles the 3rd this weekend.
A very regal wiggie, in Royal colours of Purple and Claret!
The main yarn for this one is from Cygnet in Mocha.
June
It’s Pride 🌈 month in the UK, so a rainbow was called for (and it’s super easy in C2C!). This little guy is like one of my childhood guinea pigs called Harry – a Himalayan. I had a rosette pig called Ned at the same time!
Stylecraft again – rainbow should be the same colours as I used in this Rainbow blanket
July
And it summer, so a baseball cap and some sunglasses for the Crochet Guinea Pig Today.
If you are joining late, this blanket is made from Mini C2C, so “normal C2C”, but the HDC not DC (and a chain 5), but the premise is the same.
Learn how to colour change here
August……….
We’ve got a summer watermelon for August.
When I designed this little guy. I’d just been to the local farm, and there was a baby guinea pig with a little white patch on his eye, so just had to copy him…….. but he was ginger…. and somehow this guy is black, as we are yet to have a black wiggie!
September
And it’s back to school……. a crested wiggies this month.
October
And it only be halloween! A little witch of a wiggie this month.
November
In the UK we celebrate firework night on November the 5th, so this one seemed fitting!
It looks amazing……. but be prepared for the ends!
Almost there…….. 11 months done! December will be early, and then the border!
Finally we are at December
This one is a tricolour pig, with a Santa hat
12 months of Guinea pigs……. join me next week and I’ll show you how I joined and finished the blanket off.
How to join the C2C squares together?
I joined then using the same colour yarn, and placing the front sides together.
You can read all about it here (because it’s pretty long)
>>>How to join the C2C blanket together
How to add a border to you C2C blanket
here you can read about the different border options for the Guinea Pig Blanket.
You can read all about the different crochet edgings you can do here
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