Next Project: Zoe's Doc Blanket

I've been wanting to try a Corner to Corner (C2C) blanket for a while.  Now Amelia has her blanket, Zoe (3) has been asking me multiple times a day when her blanket will be done.  Poor girl doesn't understand the concept of MONTHS yet.  So far it's been a learning experience and a bit trickier than I thought but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Chart:

Materials: (Vanna's Choice Yarn)
F Hook

Sources:
Inspired by these pictures
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f3/65/1e/f3651e923cd9c9e8ba6719e18c291f41.jpg
http://wondersofdisney.yolasite.com/resources/disjunior/mcstuffins/docexaminelambie2.png

Owls in a Tree Blanket

Amelia (7) helped me design this blanket for her twin bed.  It is an amalgamation of a few patterns linked below.  This is completed in Single Crochet with an F Hook (although I crochet with little tension so for "normal" crocheters it may be more like an H hook).  I learned a lot about graphs, colour changes and bobbins.  I'm planning on adding a border but Zoe (3) is insisting I work on her blanket so that's taking precedence for now ;).Please note that this is an untested design and I don't claim to be an experience pattern designer.

Materials:  (Vanna's Choice Yarn)
White (dyed with glow in the dark acryllic paint using this method - http://hodgepodgecrochet.net/2014/09/diy-glow-in-the-dark-yarn/) - for the stars and moon
Navy - sky
Raspberry - bottom left owl, hearts
Aqua - letters & top owl
Eggplant - right owl
Oatmeal - inside of owls
Black - owl eyes
Silver Heather - tree
Orange (from my stash) - owl beaks
F/5-3.75mm Hook

Graph:

Notes:
I actually just did 3x3 squares for each of the stars as this X design did not work well in SC.
I highly recommend using bobbins.  These are just small ones I picked up from Target but I've since purchased the huge ones you can find at Dollar Tree.  They should make for less knots when the bobbins run out.  I also learned to change color every time there was a color change more than a couple of stitches.  It made for a much cleaner finish without carrying yarn across different colors, especially with the big difference between the Navy and Silver Heather.























I experimented with a few different joining techniques but settled on this one by the end of the project.  I only used it when joining two strands of the same color though.  http://jennybellairs.blogspot.com/2010/01/fast-pictorial-guide-to-weavers-knot.html?m=1

Sources:
Owl - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/297800594089339342/
Tree - https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/cf/85/b5/cf85b5362bdfab2e4c718c07e10d2c99.jpg
Alphabet - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/297800594089335917/

You are welcome to sell what you make from this pattern, but please link back to this blog to credit the pattern.

Kate's Baby Blanket

My childhood best friend just had a baby. . . so a great excuse for a blanket.  As I have two girls, I haven't explored many baby boy crochet patterns but love Pinterest for giving me some inspiration.  This was relatively quick to pull together and I love how it turned out.

I started with Lucy's ripple pattern from Attic 24.  I love how simple it is.  I wanted to try out  Moogly Blog's Standard Double Crochet technique to eliminate the intermingling of colours when I'm joining.  My goal was to get the blanket to measure 29" x 36" as this is the size of our most used blanket for the girls.   After a little experimenting I realized it was important to use Lucy's method of 14 stitches repeating rather than using a multiple of just 7 (you don't end up with the same number of increases and decreases in each row) so I used edging to get closer to the dimensions I was after.  It ended up being 28" x 35 1/2" so not too far off.

Materials:
Bernat Softee Baby in pale blue (2 1/2 balls)
Bernat Softee Baby in heather and white
Worsted weight yarn in bright colors and black for cars
H/8-5mm Hook for Chain
G/6-4mm Hook for Blanket
F/5-3.75mm Hook for Cars

Abbreviations (Using US Terms):

ch - Chain

st/sts - Stitch/Stitches

sl st - Slip Stitch

SC - Single Crochet

HDC - Half Double Crochet

DC - Double Crochet

TC - Triple Crochet

Blanket:
Ch 108 with an H hook.  I used a G hook for the rest of the blanket.
Repeat Attic 24's ripple pattern for 19 rows (note that she uses UK terms so Treble Crochet = US DC). Finish off.
Make the Road: Join grey yarn using Moogly Blog's Standard Double Crochet technique.

2 DC rows in grey.  Don't finish off.

Slip stitch across in white.  Finish off.

2 more DC rows in grey.  Finish off.

Join Blue yarn using Moogly Blog's Standard Double Crochet technique.
41 DC rows in blue or until blanket measures roughly 34".  Don't finish off.

Edging:
Round 1:
Start working across the top of the blanket.  The goal is to make a straight edge.
Ch 1, 3 SC, *2 HDC, 4 DC, 2 HDC, 6 SC*, repeat from * to * across, ending with 3 SCs.  HDC in same corner stitch as last SC.
2 DC in each row all the way down the side of the blanket, working into the chains and stitches rather than just in space created by the chain or stitch.
2 DC in the corner stitch, DC, *2 HDC, 6 SC, 2 HDC, 4 DC*, repeat from * to * across, ending with 2 DC.  2 DC in the corner stitch.
2 DC in each row all the way up the side of the blanket, working into the chains and stitches rather than just in space created by the chain or stitch.  Join to first SC.
Round 2:  Ch 2, DC around, working to DC into each corner.  Join to first DC.
Round 3: Ch 1, SC around.  Join to first SC.

Cars:
Using an F Hook.
Ch 11
Row 1:  SC in 2nd ch from hook, SC across (10 SC).
Row 2:  ch 1, 2 SC in 1st St, SC in next 8 sts, 2 SC in last st (12 SC).
Row 3:  ch 1, SC across (12 SC).
Row 4:  sl st, SC in next 10 sts, sl st (12).
Row 5: sl st, SC, HDC, ch 5, skip 2 sts, TC in 3rd st, ch 5, skip 3 sts, HDC in 4th st, SC, sl st.
Row 6:  SC around with 2 SCs in bottom corners.  Finish off.
Wheels:  With black, make a magic ring.  7 HDC in ring.  Join to first HDC.  Finish off with long tail to attach.
Sew wheels to cars then cars to the road on the blanket using blue yarn.

Throwback Post: My First Blanket

The project I've just finished is a secret until it reaches its recipient so here's a throwback post in the meantime:

December 2011

This was a blanket for baby Tenley (who is now two!).  It's made up of hexagons in Caron Simply Soft in White.  I've learned over the years that blankets get heavy quickly so if I did it again I'd use a light weight yarn but I was very pleased with it as a first attempt.  It was time consuming but a great on the go project as I only had to have a "square" or two with me at a time.

I followed the Pinwheels pattern from the book Make One For Baby.  I used an E/4-3.5mm hook and as my motifs turned out bigger than the pattern I'm sure I made less than the 52 stated in the pattern but honestly can't remember.