Crochet: A Study in Blue

Crochet: Study in Blue

Pattern: Rainbow Ripply Baby Blanket
Size: 33 rounds, plus one round of crab stitch
Hook: 5.5mm (US I/9)
Yarns: Hobby Lobby’s “I Love This Yarn!” in four shades of blue, completely replicated from the wonderful AFwifeCrochetNut, who hit it out of the park, again. Here’s her blanket: Little Boy Blue. I only changed the darkest color. I found a more…greenish(?) teal for that.

Crochet: Study in Blue, full Crochet: Study in Blue, edge

Do you remember my Study in Pink blanket from last year? Well, I loved it so much I HAD to make it in blue. We were blessed to have a cousin expecting a baby and I knew it’d be the perfect blanket. By the way, she delivered a beautiful baby boy, last month! I think he’s grandma’s tenth or eleventh great grandson. Can you believe that out of thirteen or so great grands, only two are girls? Bananas! I don’t complain because I love love love blue.

closer

side

just the blues

crab stitch border

Have you made any baby blankets, lately? Do you find yourself gravitating to the same patterns over and over?

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Crochet: Granny Four Square

granny four square baby blanket

I started and finished this blanket for my cousin’s new baby, waaaaaay back in March. That’s over 4 months ago! If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been on hiatus for a while. How the heck are you?! Any cool projects I should check out? I haven’t had a chance to hit up my blog reader in a while. Is anyone still out there? Say hello in the comments! I would love to get back to sharing my crochet and knitting projects, so I figured this would be a good start.

Granny Four Square, folded

This blanket started with the yarn. I chose 3 shades of pink, 2 shades of blue, a yellow, and white. I used Hobby Lobby’s “I Love This Yarn!” because they have a ton of colors in store and it’s pretty dang soft. After I had my colors in front of me, I used the nifty granny square generator at granny-square-colors.com to get a completely random granny blanket. I kept refreshing until I saw one that I LOVED. I took a screen shot of my result, so I could keep it handy while I worked.

Granny Four Square close-up

Since I was using worsted weight yarn, I used a 6 mm (US 10/J) hook for a looser feel. I was feeling a bit anxious around this time and it was definitely reflected in my yarn tension. The larger hooked helped a lot! As did the crochet work. Interesting enough to keep going, mindless enough to help me relax.

Each square was three rows of each of the six colors, minus white. I used white to make a final round on the squares, employing my favorite granny square join (between the chains, pretty much) until all four were connected. If there is an official name for this join, let me know. You aren’t crocheting into the other square so much as THROUGH it.

Here’s how it went:


When you get to the first corner of the second square’s white round, make a DC cluster into the corner, chain 1, then take your hook completely out of the current chain. Insert it into the corner you want to join to, put the chain back on the hook and THROUGH that space and then simply continue as you were: chain 1 again, and make the next DC corner cluster. Before your next “Ch 1” in the granny square (space between each cluster), you repeat the process of removing your hook from the chain and pulling it through the space you want to connect to. It looks like this:



You continue the final white round, connecting in the chain spaces as needed. When you get to your third square, you have to connect the corner in two squares, but it isn’t that much more difficult than connecting to one. My granny squares have a “Ch 2” corner, but I still chained 1 before taking the hook out for my first join. I brought the chain through one of the squares, chained 1 again, then brought that chain through the other square and chained 1 a final time. This makes it a “Ch 3 corner” but that’s OK for the final rounds.



Attaching the fourth square is just as easy; attach the corner to the square on the right and the square above.

Granny Four Square joined

Granny Four Square edging

Granny Four Square corner

Granny Four Square folded blue

After joining all four squares, I made a round of SC and then a round of 5-DC scallops. This blanket was perfect for people like me who have problems completing projects with a lot of parts, like regular granny square blankets. Four big squares with different color patterns keeps things interesting and is finished before you know it.

Granny Four Square, laid out

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Crochet: A Study in Pink

Scallop border

Pattern: Rainbow Ripply Baby Blanket
Size: 35 rounds, including the border, approximately 46-48″ from one corner to the other
Hook: 5mm (US H/8)
Yarns: You can find the exact measurements I used on my Ravelry project page, but from the center out they are as follows:
–Plymouth Encore Worsted in “0029 Pink”
–Vanna’s Choice solids in “Pink”
–LB’s Heartland in “Denali”
–Caron Simply Soft in “Watermelon”
–LB’s Heartland in “Biscayne” (c/o Lion Brand Yarn)
–Red Heart Soft in “Berry” and “Black”

Crochet: Study in Pink Crochet: Study in Pink, full

In the next two months, I’ll be going to TWO baby showers, both for baby GIRLS! I am preeeetty excited about it. I am mostly excited for all the newborn baby snuggles I am expecting come Christmas day. Like SO EXCITED. I’m not being very coherent. I just want to cuddle a baby.

The first blanket I made is a Rainbow Ripple blanket in pinks. I looked to my stash for the yarn and was so happy with my selection. I feel like I got a good mix of shades. The color pattern is one that is mentioned in many of the projects, called the “Rule of 5” and inspired directly by THIS beautiful peony blanket. Mama likes pink and black, so I reversed the pattern and went light to dark.

Closer

side

just the pinks

scallop border, detail

The border starts after Round 33 and is a simple lace round–just V-stitch every third stitch–and a scallop round–alternating SC and scallop into every V-stitch.

Round 34: Slst into next st, Ch 3, sk 2, [(DC, Ch 2, DC) into next st, sk 2] 6 times, (DC, Ch 2, TR, Ch 2, DC) into corner, sk 2, rep between [ ] 6 times, DC in next st, sk 2, *DC in next st, rep between [ ] 6 times, (DC, Ch 2, TR, Ch 2, DC) in corner, sk 2, rep between [ ] 6 times, DC in next st, sk 2; Rep from * around, slst to top of beg ch-3.

Round 35: Slst to first ch-2 sp, Ch 3, 5 DC into same sp, SC in next ch-2 sp, [7 DC in next ch-2 sp, SC in next Ch-2 sp] twice, 6 DC into each of the next ch-2 sp, [SC in next ch-2 sp, 7 DC in next ch-2 sp] twice, 6 DC in next ch-2 sp, SC between next two DC, *6 DC in next ch-2 sp, [7 DC in next ch-2 sp, SC in next Ch-2 sp] twice, 6 DC into each of the next ch-2 sp, [SC in next ch-2 sp, 7 DC in next ch-2 sp] twice, 6 DC in next ch-2 sp, SC between next two DC; Rep from * around, slst to top of beg ch-3.

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Crochet: Christening blanket

Crochet: Christening blanket

I get extremely flattered when someone asks me to make them something specific. My mom’s friend recently commissioned a Christening blanket for her new granddaughter. It’s such an important piece of a family’s history! I felt a little intimidated by the significance this might have, but she calmed me down and set me down a simple path: white and square-ish. That’s IT.

Naturally, I scoured the web for Christening blanket patterns and inspiration, but I ended up just using my favorite stitch pattern. The offset shell stitch has been made into many blankets for babies in my family (check out those posts here), so it felt like a good choice.

Crochet: Christening blanket offset shell

I used Bernat’s Softee Baby and a 5mm (US 8/H) hook. My beginning chain was 148 and I worked until it was just about a square. I’m not sure how many rows exactly. I made a single crochet border around the whole thing, then searched for a lacy border to add. I found about a bajillion charts of lace edges on Pinterest and ended up here where I found the lovely border I ended up choosing.

Christening blanket lace corner

After figuring out the number of stitches in the pattern, I made another round of single crochet to adjust my stitch count. Luckily I wasn’t off by too much!

Crochet: Christening blanket

I think it came out lovely. It’s big and squishy and machine washable. It should last a really long time. Who knows, maybe this grandbaby will still have the blanket when she has grandbabies of her own.

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baby shower gifts

i was informed, on saturday, that my cousin’s baby shower will be THIS WEEKEND! total craft chaos ensued, today. i made a sweater! i finished a [little] blanket! i nearly killed myself (or rather, i slipped on my messy floor) trying to get a good photo. i did not succeed. but i want to show you guys, because i’m really excited.

i started and finished a little star blanket because i have a HUGE crochet blanket in progress for the new bub. it’s about half way done, but i wanted to make a different blankie, just in case i don’t finish the other.

star baby blanket #6

yeah, it’s on my wall! heeey, sticky tack!

star baby blanket #6

villarrealsweater

ETA
I finished the GIANT blanket on time!

blanket_st

blanket_corner

here’s the cozy little gift basket

babybasket