A zig zag blanket looks far harder than it is. The whole effect comes from one repeating row: you add a couple of stitches at each peak, take the same couple back at each valley, and the fabric does the rest. Once that clicks, you can work a whole blanket without looking at the pattern again.
Pattern Facts
- Designer
- Blossom Crochet
Below is a free video tutorial for the textured chevron stitch, plus the things a video cannot easily pause to explain — how the increase and decrease trade works, what size to make your foundation chain, and what to do when the edges start creeping.
Further down you will also find more than 20 zig zag, chevron and ripple blankets from our archive, grouped by style, so you can pick your next one.
What You’ll Need
Yarn: This one calls for worsted weight (size 4) yarn.
Hook: size a/5.
You’ll also need: a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and scissors.
Shop the supplies: worsted weight yarn · ergonomic crochet hook set · tapestry needles · small craft scissors · blocking mats and pins
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How a chevron actually works
Every zigzag blanket, whatever the stitch, runs on the same trade. At the top of each peak you work several stitches into one, which fans the fabric outward. At the bottom of each valley you join stitches together or skip them, which pulls it back in.
Because a peak adds exactly what a valley removes, your stitch count is the same at the end of every row as it was at the start. That is the single most useful thing to know: if your count has changed, the mistake is in the row you just finished, not somewhere ten rows back.
What you need
The tutorial below uses Caron Simply Soft with a 5.5 mm hook, which is a worsted weight 4 yarn. Any smooth worsted will behave the same way.
Avoid a fluffy or heavily textured yarn for your first chevron. The peaks and valleys are what make the design, and a hairy yarn hides exactly the stitches you need to be able to count. Save the chenille for your second one. If you are not sure what weight you have, our yarn weight chart will tell you, and the hook size chart converts between metric, US and UK hooks.
The video tutorial
This textured chevron is worked lengthways. One side comes out smooth, and when you turn it over there are lovely raised ridges at every colour change — so the blanket is genuinely reversible, with two different looks.
Full tutorial by Blossom Crochet — watch it on YouTube. Thanks to Blossom Crochet for the tutorial and the featured image.
How big to make it
This is where most chevron blankets go wrong before the first stitch. A chevron repeats over a fixed number of stitches, so your foundation chain has to be an exact multiple of that repeat. You cannot add three chains to make it slightly wider. Add a whole repeat or none at all.
Work one repeat first, measure how wide it is, then divide your target width by that number and round to a whole repeat. Rough finished sizes to aim at:
- Baby blanket — about 30 x 35 inches
- Lap blanket — about 35 x 45 inches
- Throw — about 50 x 60 inches
- Twin bed — about 65 x 90 inches
Worked lengthways, as this one is, the chain sets the length rather than the width, so decide which way round you want the zigzags to run before you start.
Choosing your colours
Chevrons are the most forgiving stripe there is, because the waves break up any colour clash. Change yarn at the start of a row and the stripe follows the zigzag automatically — you do not have to do anything clever.
Two approaches that always work. Either pick one neutral and alternate it with every other colour, which holds a scrappy palette together, or run a gradient from dark to light across the blanket. Both look deliberate, and neither requires you to be good at colour.
This is also an excellent way to use up leftovers. See all our chevron patterns for more colour ideas.
When your zigzag goes wrong
Three things account for nearly every chevron problem.
The edges creep inward or outward. You have missed an increase or a decrease. Count the stitches at the end of every row against the pattern, and fix it in the row where it happened.
The peaks drift sideways. Almost always the turning chain. If the pattern says it counts as a stitch, do not also work into the first stitch; if it says it does not, make sure you do.
The whole blanket bows. Your peaks and valleys are not balanced — each peak must add exactly what each valley takes away. Recount one full repeat and compare it with the pattern.
A blocking session at the end will settle any remaining unevenness, but it will not rescue a counting error, so catch those early.
More zigzag and chevron patterns
Looking for a full written pattern rather than a video? Start with our roundup of free chevron blanket patterns for beginners. Otherwise:
- A chevron blanket with a straight edge — if you would rather not have a wavy top and bottom
- Chevron ripple stitch in single crochet — a denser, tighter version
- Zig zag spike stitch — for more texture
- Zig zag puff stitch
- A chevron afghan made from granny squares
- A chevron bag and a baby chevron cardigan — the same stitch, worn
Or browse all crochet blanket patterns and the stitch library.
More free zig zag blanket patterns
Once the stitch makes sense, the fun part is choosing which zig zag to make. These all come from our own archive, grouped by style. Each link goes to our post about the pattern, which credits the designer and links to their free pattern or video. Chevron and ripple are names for the same up-and-down look, so both are here.
Zig zag stitch blankets
Tunisian crochet zig zag stitch baby blanket — the zig zag worked in Tunisian crochet, presented as an easy baby blanket for beginners.
Zali zig-zag chevron afghan by Pip Lincolne — a photo tutorial that leaves you plenty of freedom with colour.
Zig-zag puff stitch baby afghan by Kadie — alternating straight and zig zag lines, suited to an advanced beginner.
Classic chevron blankets
Chevron baby blanket by Bellus Threads — a simple yellow-and-white chevron that is easy to customise.
Cabin in the Woods afghan by Lorna Miser — classic chevron stripes in rich, cosy colours.
Heirloom rainbow chevron baby blanket — a HelenMay Crochet video tutorial, finished with a braided border.
Long shell chevron stitch blanket — the zig zag comes from long shells, made in Lion Brand Mandala yarn.
Ripple blankets, with softer waves
Ripple blanket by Lucy of Attic24 — easy to follow, and the baby size makes a good stash buster.
Pretty Ripple Baby Blanket by Lauren Brown — an easy ripple for using up scraps.
Heartbeat Ripple by ByMimzan — higher peaks and deeper valleys, made in any size you like.
Waterfall ripple blanket — a colourful, eye-catching ripple.
Rustic Ripple afghan by Lion Brand Yarn — a simple ripple in neutral shades, made with a man in mind.
Holiday ripple afghan by Justina — a bright ripple for Christmas.
Teeny Ripples by Marie Segares — a gently rolling preemie blanket that needs only chain, single crochet and double crochet.
Granny ripples
Granny Ripple Afghan by Janet Jarosh — a quick granny ripple that uses up leftover yarn.
Granny goes ripple — a step-by-step video from The Crochet Crowd, for anything from a baby blanket to a king size.
Granny Ripple Afghan by CrochetDreamz — a granny ripple combined with a few granny squares.
Round ripples
Sunburst round ripple baby blanket by Jayda InStitches — circle-shaped, with a video to help with the start.
Rainbow Ripple Baby Blanket by Celeste Young — a 12-point star you can make as big or as small as you want.
Zig zags beyond the blanket
Zig-zag blanket border by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk — overlay crochet that gives a blanket a zig zag edge.
Crochet zigzag stitch lesson — includes a free zigzag scarf pattern.
Frequently asked questions
Is a zig zag blanket good for a beginner?
Yes, as a second or third project. You only need chain, double crochet and a simple decrease, and the row repeats until it is memorised. The one demand it makes is accurate counting, which is a good habit to build early.
What is the difference between chevron and ripple?
Very little, and the words are used interchangeably. If anything, chevron tends to mean sharp pointed peaks and ripple tends to mean softer rounded waves — the construction is the same either way.
How much yarn will I need?
For a worsted weight baby blanket, roughly 1,000 to 1,200 yards. A throw needs about 2,000 to 2,500. Buy it all in one dye lot, because a chevron shows a colour mismatch far more clearly than a plain blanket does.
Why is my chevron blanket curving at the sides?
Your increases and decreases are not balanced. Count one full repeat against the pattern — a peak must add exactly the number of stitches a valley removes.
Can I make the edges straight instead of wavy?
Yes. You either work half a repeat at each end, or add a straight border afterwards. This pattern shows the first method, and our borders and edgings cover the second.
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