The Morven Blanket: A Tapestry Crochet Blanket Pattern with Geometric Ends and a Moss Stitch Centre

The Morven Blanket uses two very different techniques in a single piece – and the contrast between them is exactly the point. Each end of the blanket is worked in tapestry crochet, building up a bold geometric design in repeating triangles, while the central section uses moss stitch, which produces a softer, more fluid fabric with a noticeably different feel. It’s a design with real visual interest, and one that stays engaging to work from start to finish.

The pattern is available on Etsy and Ravelry.

Where the Idea Came From

I wanted to make a baby blanket that felt modern and fresh – something that would look at home in a contemporary nursery without being fussy or overly done. For me, that meant keeping the patterning contained and letting most of the blanket breathe.

The idea of using tapestry crochet at each end, with a simple stitch in the middle, came quite naturally from that. Moss stitch was the right choice for the centre: it gives a lovely soft drape, a slightly textured, woven look, and it works up quickly once you’re in the rhythm of it. Especially in a 4 ply yarn, the whole piece has a fluidity that a denser stitch wouldn’t have given.

For the geometric motif, I’d seen a pattern of stacked triangles and liked the idea of arranging them in alternating stacks of three – pointing in opposite directions. It’s a slightly less common arrangement for triangles, but it has a pleasing geometry to it. What helped was that the triangles worked particularly well in the extended single crochet stitch: the proportions of the stitch give a nice, clean slope to the sides, so the triangles come out almost equilateral. That clean shape was important to me.

The palette was a deliberate choice too – an ochre yellow, an off-white, and a simple dark blue that frames the whole thing neatly. Warm without being sweet, and fresh enough to sit alongside modern design rather than against it.

What the Blanket Looks Like

The tapestry crochet sections sit at each end of the blanket, creating two bold geometric panels that mirror each other. The triangles are worked in the extended single crochet stitch (exsc in US terms; exdc in UK terms), which gives the colourwork a clean definition – the stitch’s proportions lend themselves well to diagonal lines, so the triangle edges are sharp rather than stepped.

The centre section is worked in moss stitch in the main colour alone. Moss stitch – sometimes called linen stitch – creates a tight, woven-looking fabric with a softer hand and a noticeably different texture from the tapestry panels. The shift between the two sections, when you move from the geometric ends to the simple centre, is part of what makes the finished blanket interesting to look at.

At the sample size, the finished blanket measures 66 x 86 cm – a good baby blanket size. The pattern includes clear instructions for adjusting the dimensions, so it can be scaled up to a larger throw if you prefer.

The Tapestry Crochet Technique

Tapestry crochet is a colourwork technique where you carry unused yarn colours inside your stitches as you work, switching between them to follow a chart. Because the carried yarn is locked inside each stitch rather than floating across the back, the fabric is fully reversible and has a solid, stable structure.

The Morven Blanket uses the extended single crochet (exsc in US terms; exdc in UK terms) for the tapestry sections. This is a slightly taller stitch than regular single crochet, which produces a fabric with a more open, rectangular quality and noticeably better drape. It’s also well-suited to charted colourwork: the proportions of the stitch mean that a square chart produces more accurate shapes in the finished fabric.

Managing two yarn colours at once can feel a little awkward at first. The key thing is to keep each yarn in a consistent position relative to your work – one to the front, one to the back – and always pick each colour up from that same position. When you do that, the yarns don’t cross and they don’t tangle.

If you’d like a full introduction to tapestry crochet before you start, my Tapestry Crochet hub covers everything from reading a chart to managing your yarn.

Pattern Details

• Yarn: Hobbii Rainbow Bamboo (4 ply / fingering weight; 60% bamboo viscose, 40% cotton; 250 m per 100 g ball)
• Yarn quantities: 3 balls Curry (20); 1 ball Natural White (02); 1 ball Ocean Blue (35)
• Total yardage: 1,367 yards (1,250 m)
• Hook sizes: 2.5 mm and 3 mm
• Gauge: 20 stitches and 15 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) in exsc/exdc (US/UK terms), worked flat
• Finished size: 66 x 86 cm – adjustable; instructions for resizing included in pattern
• Construction: Worked flat in rows
• Skill level: Intermediate
• Terminology: Separate PDF files for US and UK crochet terms
• What’s included: Full written instructions, colourwork chart, pattern notes, links to video tutorials for key techniques

Colour and Yarn Choices

Contrast is what makes tapestry crochet work. The triangles in Morven are built from two colours, and how clearly they read depends almost entirely on tonal difference – not just hue. The sample uses ochre, off-white, and a dark blue. Those three colours sit far apart on a tonal scale, which is why the design reads so clearly.

If you’re working with your own palette, it’s worth testing your colours in greyscale before you commit. Two colours that feel visually distinct can look almost identical when you remove the hue, and that tonal similarity will flatten the design. A quick phone photo in black and white will tell you what you need to know.

The Hobbii Rainbow Bamboo is a good yarn for this design. The bamboo-cotton blend has a smooth surface and slight sheen, which keeps the tapestry stitches sitting cleanly and makes the colour boundaries sharp. It also has a natural softness and drape that suits the moss stitch centre particularly well – the whole blanket has a fluid, light quality that a heavier or more textured yarn wouldn’t give. That said, any 4 ply yarn with good stitch definition would work. You can also go up to DK weight if you prefer a chunkier fabric, though the finished dimensions will change and the triangles will come out larger.

For more on choosing and testing colours for crochet blankets, this post goes into more detail: How to Choose Colours for Your Crochet Blanket.

And if you’re new to working with 4 ply yarn for blankets, this post is worth a read too: Why Choose 4 Ply for Crochet Blankets.

Get the Pattern

The Morven Blanket pattern is available as an instant PDF download on Etsy and Ravelry. Two separate files are included – one in US crochet terms and one in UK terms.

New to Tapestry Crochet?

Morven is an intermediate pattern. It uses the exsc stitch alongside the tapestry crochet technique, and involves switching between two quite different stitch types within the same project, which takes a little acclimatising. If you’re newer to tapestry crochet, the Geo Georgie Blanket is a gentler starting point – it uses the same core technique with a simpler, more consistent construction throughout.

The Tapestry Crochet hub has guides, tutorials, and a full range of pattern suggestions to help you find the right place to start.

Explore More

You’ll find more pattern ideas and technique guides in the Crochet Blanket Resource Hub, including resources on blanket sizes, yarn quantities, and construction methods.

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About the Author

Catherine is a crochet designer based in Surrey, UK, specialising in tapestry crochet and colourwork blankets. Her work has been published in crochet magazines, and she is a featured designer in the book 100 Crochet Tiles. She has designed patterns in collaboration with Sirdar and WeCrochet. You can find her patterns on Etsy and Ravelry, and her tutorials on YouTube.