Moss stitch! I love it.......it's quick, it's easy and it produces a lovely closed fabric with a beautiful drape. The thing I like most about it though is for me it shows crochet off in a more contemporary way. Don't get me wrong I love a granny square but sometimes I want the more modern look and moss stitch in lovely thick stripes just works!
Before I go any further and so as to prevent any nitpicking I know it as moss stitch but it is also called linen stitch and granite stitch which I believe are all one and the same thing :)
I haven't used a pattern, this stitch is incredibly simple, you just alternate UK dc, ch1 all the way along the rows but if you do an internet search for moss stitch you will be sure to find plenty of written, picture and video tutorials so that you can pick one that works for you.
I mostly use acrylic yarns for blankets as they are practical, good value and often come in a huge range of colours. Stylecraft Special DK is among my favourites however I also like to use Cygnet DK too which is pretty much the same as it has some really gorgeous colours that aren't included in the Stylecraft range. I often mix them up to get the colour combination I want but this time I have only used Cygnet DK. The colours are Cerise, Kiwi, Harvest, Barley, Buttercream, Aqua and Cream.
I did a random stripe order of 7 rows each and gave the blanket a five round cream moss stitch edging to really bring the other colours out
I'm not a crochet designer, i just like to experiment but it you make a blanket exactly like mine it's always nice to get a mention for the inspiration :)
PS - Have I mentioned before that you can buy Cygnet DK at a very good price and with excellent service from Snufflebean Yarn ;)