Sunset Horizon Striped Throw: Free Quick Crochet Afghan Pattern

Introduction

If you have ever wanted to make a blanket but felt intimidated by complicated stitch charts and endless counting, this Sunset Horizon Striped Throw is the project for you. It is designed specifically for complete beginners who have never held a crochet hook before, using only two of the most basic stitches in all of crochet: single crochet and double crochet. The result is a soft, drapey, generously sized throw (about 48 by 60 inches) that looks like a warm sunset draped over your sofa, with wide horizontal bands of sunset orange, golden yellow, dusty rose, and cream. The fabric has a gentle, slightly ridged texture that feels cozy and squishy in worsted-weight yarn, and the simple cream border gives the whole piece a neat, finished, handmade look. Best of all, because the pattern is just a two-row repeat, you can finish this blanket in a weekend or two of relaxed evening crocheting while watching TV.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight yarn (also called Category 4 or medium weight), approximately 1200–1400 yards total. The sample uses four colors:
  • Color A (Sunset Orange): 400 yards
  • Color B (Golden Yellow): 350 yards
  • Color C (Dusty Rose): 300 yards
  • Color D (Cream): 250 yards
  Acrylic or a cotton-acrylic blend works beautifully and is easy to care for.
• Crochet hook: Size J/10 (6.0 mm), or whatever size you need to match the gauge below.
• Stitch markers: At least 4. These are small clips or loops you place in a stitch to mark a spot you want to find again (for example, the first stitch of a row).
• Tapestry needle: A large, blunt-tipped sewing needle with an eye big enough for yarn. You will use it to weave in yarn ends.
• Scissors: Any sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Measuring tape: For checking gauge and the finished length.
• Finished size: Approximately 48 inches wide by 60 inches long (122 cm x 152 cm).

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Every abbreviation used in this pattern is listed below with a plain-English explanation. If you have never crocheted, read this section twice before you begin — it is your dictionary.

• ch – chain: Make a slip knot on your hook, then wrap the yarn over the hook (this is called a “yarn over”) and pull it through the loop already on your hook. That is one chain. Chains form the foundation of your project.
• sc – single crochet: Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over (wrap yarn around hook), pull up a loop (you now have 2 loops on your hook), yarn over again, and pull through both loops. One single crochet made. This is the shortest, tightest basic stitch.
• dc – double crochet: Yarn over first (wrap yarn around hook before inserting), insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops (2 loops remain), yarn over and pull through the remaining two loops. One double crochet made. This stitch is taller and looser than single crochet.
• st / sts – stitch / stitches: A “stitch” is one completed loop of crochet fabric. “Sts” is simply the plural.
• sl st – slip stitch: Insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull the yarn through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. This makes an almost invisible joining stitch.
• yo – yarn over: Wrap the working yarn (the yarn coming from the ball) over your hook from back to front. This is the motion used in almost every stitch.
• turn: At the end of a row, flip your work over so you can work back across the row you just made. The side facing you changes each row.
• Right Side (RS): The “public” side of the fabric that will face outward on the finished blanket. Row 1 is a Right Side row.
• fasten off: Cut the yarn a few inches from your work, then pull the cut tail all the way through the last loop on your hook and tighten. This locks the stitch so it will not unravel.
• join with slip stitch: Attach a new color or continue the border by making a slip stitch into a specified stitch.
• work evenly: Space your stitches at a regular, consistent distance apart along an edge, without stretching or bunching the fabric.
• 3 sc in corner: Work three single crochet stitches into the same corner stitch or space. This creates a smooth, flat turn around a corner.
• weave in ends: Thread a yarn tail onto a tapestry needle and run it back and forth through the back of the fabric so it is hidden and secure.

Gauge

Gauge: 12 stitches and 8 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in the pattern stitch (alternating single crochet and double crochet rows).

Why gauge matters: Gauge is simply how big your stitches turn out. If your stitches are larger than the pattern writer’s, your blanket will come out bigger than 48 x 60 inches and you may run out of yarn. If your stitches are smaller, your blanket will be smaller. Matching gauge is how you make sure your finished throw is the size promised and that your yarn amounts are correct.

How to make a gauge swatch: With your J/10 (6.0 mm) hook and any one of your colors, chain 20. Work Row 1 as single crochet across (19 sc). Then alternate one row of double crochet and one row of single crochet until you have about 10 rows. Lay the swatch flat, do not stretch it, and measure a 4-inch section in the middle. Count how many stitches fit across 4 inches and how many rows fit in 4 inches. If you have more than 12 stitches in 4 inches, your stitches are too small — try a larger hook. If you have fewer than 12, your stitches are too big — try a smaller hook. Repeat until you match. This small test saves hours of disappointment later.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Count your stitches at the end of every row. You should always have 145 stitches. If you are off by one or two, it is almost always because you missed the very first stitch or added an extra stitch at the end. Counting as you go is far easier than fixing it later.
• Use a stitch marker in the first stitch of each row. The first stitch of a row is easy to skip by accident. Place a marker in it so you always know exactly where your last stitch of the next row belongs.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Beginners often grip the yarn hard, which makes stiff, tight fabric and sore hands. Keep a relaxed, even tension — the yarn should glide, not fight.
• Change colors at the very end of a row. To change color, work the last stitch of the row but stop before the final yarn over; then yarn over with the new color and pull through. This keeps the color change clean at the edge.
• Keep your turning chain consistent. This pattern uses a chain 1 at the start of every row. That chain 1 does not count as a stitch — your first actual stitch goes into the first stitch of the row below.
• Take breaks and stretch your hands. A blanket is a long project. Ten minutes of rest every half hour keeps your hands happy and your tension even.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Notes Before You Begin

The afghan is worked flat in rows, turning at the end of each row. Change colors at the beginning of a row by finishing the last stitch of the previous row with the new color. You may carry the unused colors up the side edge, or fasten off and weave in the ends as you prefer. The color sequence repeats: A, B, C, D, and each color band is 4 rows tall.

Special Stitches reminder: Single crochet (sc): insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops. Double crochet (dc): yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, pull through remaining two loops.

Foundation and First Color Band (Color A – Sunset Orange)

Foundation: With Color A, chain 146. (146 ch)

Row 1 (Right Side): Sc in the 2nd chain from the hook and in each chain across. Turn. (145 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, dc in the first sc and in each sc across. Turn. (145 dc)

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in the first dc and in each dc across. Turn. (145 sc)

Row 4: Ch 1, dc in the first sc and in each sc across. Turn. (145 dc)

Second Color Band (Color B – Golden Yellow)

Change to Color B at the end of Row 4 as described in the notes.

Row 5: Ch 1, sc in the first dc and in each dc across. Turn. (145 sc)

Row 6: Ch 1, dc in the first sc and in each sc across. Turn. (145 dc)

Row 7: Ch 1, sc in the first dc and in each dc across. Turn. (145 sc)

Row 8: Ch 1, dc in the first sc and in each sc across. Turn. (145 dc)

Third Color Band (Color C – Dusty Rose)

Change to Color C at the end of Row 8.

Row 9: Ch 1, sc in the first dc and in each dc across. Turn. (145 sc)

Row 10: Ch 1, dc in the first sc and in each sc across. Turn. (145 dc)

Row 11: Ch 1, sc in the first dc and in each dc across. Turn. (145 sc)

Row 12: Ch 1, dc in the first sc and in each sc across. Turn. (145 dc)

Fourth Color Band (Color D – Cream)

Change to Color D at the end of Row 12.

Row 13: Ch 1, sc in the first dc and in each dc across. Turn. (145 sc)

Row 14: Ch 1, dc in the first sc and in each sc across. Turn. (145 dc)

Row 15: Ch 1, sc in the first dc and in each dc across. Turn. (145 sc)

Row 16: Ch 1, dc in the first sc and in each sc across. Turn. (145 dc)

Repeating the Color Sequence to Length

You have now completed one full 16-row color sequence (A, B, C, D, each 4 rows). Continue repeating this 16-row sequence — Color A for 4 rows, then Color B for 4 rows, then Color C for 4 rows, then Color D for 4 rows — always alternating a single crochet row and a double crochet row as shown in Rows 1–16 above, until the piece measures approximately 58 inches from the foundation edge.

Important: End your final repeat with a single crochet row (the same type of row as Row 3) in Color D. This means your very last row worked is a single crochet row. Fasten off.

Border (Optional but Recommended)

With the right side facing you, join Color D with a slip stitch to any corner of the blanket.

Border Round 1: Ch 1, work sc evenly around the entire perimeter, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with a slip stitch to the first sc. (Stitch count will vary depending on your exact edge; just keep the stitches evenly spaced and the corners flat.)

Fasten off.

Assembly and Finishing

Weaving in ends: Thread each yarn tail onto your tapestry needle. Working on the wrong side (the back) of the blanket, run the needle in and out through the backs of several stitches in one direction, then turn and run it back through a few stitches in the other direction. This locks the tail so it will not work loose in the wash. Trim the yarn close to the fabric but not so close that it can pop out.

Seaming: This blanket is worked in one piece, so there are no seams to sew. The only “assembly” is the border and the finishing.

Blocking: Blocking means gently wetting or steaming the fabric and shaping it flat so the stitches even out. For acrylic yarn, the safest method is light steam blocking: pin the blanket to a flat, padded surface (or lay it on a clean sheet) to the finished 48 x 60 inch dimensions, then hold a steam iron a few inches above the fabric — never touch the iron to the acrylic, as it can melt. Let it dry completely. For cotton or cotton-blend yarn, you may spritz the blanket lightly with water, pat it flat to shape, and let it air dry. Blocking is optional but makes the edges straighter and the fabric softer.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the palette: The four-color sequence works in any combination. Try ocean blues and sandy creams for a beachy look, or deep jewel tones for a cozy winter throw. Keep the same 4-row-per-color rhythm and the pattern stays exactly the same.
• Adjust the size: To make a smaller baby blanket, chain 98 instead of 146 (this gives about 32 inches wide) and work fewer repeats. To make a larger throw, add chains in multiples of 2 and add more color repeats. Always keep the alternating sc/dc row rhythm.
• Substitute yarn: Any worsted weight (Category 4) yarn works. A cotton blend gives a cooler, heavier drape; a soft acrylic gives a light, fluffy feel. Just check your gauge again with the new yarn, because different fibers behave differently.
• Add a wider border: For a more finished look, work two or three rounds of single crochet around the perimeter instead of one, always working 3 sc in each corner so the corners stay flat and square.