Same Yarn. Two Different Blankets

Here’s an example of what happens when two of my friends use the same baby bedding and color scheme. The first blanket was my standard (re: boring!) nine square granny square pattern. The second blanket, made 18 months later, was a more fun, chevron pattern.

I wanted to make sure that both blankets match the bedding but looked completely different and unique. At this point, I was  comfortable making granny squares all of the blankets I was making were starting to look the same. It was time for something new.

For both blankets, I used Vanna’s Choice brand yarn, which was great for warm, cuddly blankets without them being too heavy. Same yarn, same hook, but with two different patterns, these are definitely two very different blankets.

I think it’s fun to experiment with different patterns for blankets. It’s amazing to me that both blankets have a totally different look and feel even though they’re made with the exact same yarn and same size hook. Here’s the link to the pattern for the chevron blanket. I think Lion Brand does a great job with all of the free patterns that they have on their site. You just have to create a username and sign in to see them.

I tend to make at least 3 blankets of one pattern before I go in search of a new pattern, just to make sure I’ve mastered any new stitches. With the granny squares, it was the concept of putting multiple stitches into one space and skipping other stitches altogether. With the chevron pattern, it was the dc3tog, for decreasing stitches, which creates 1/2 of the chevron pattern. And with each new concept or stitch learned, I start to feel more and more like I actually know how to crochet.

A Blanket for Eva

There’s something about baby blankets, specifically, that I truly love to make. Maybe it’s that each one of the blankets is unique to the person I’m giving it to, or that something I’ve created is appreciated by the mom-to-be and cherished. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I love when I find out that another friend of mine is pregnant. I hustle to the nearest yarn store as soon as I find out what colors their baby’s room is going to be and sit in the aisle with all of the soft colors and soft textures of baby yarn.

Bullseye!

Eva’s blanket was a little different for me. I didn’t have time to make Eva a blanket before she was born but I still wanted to make something special for her. Instead the blanket became part of the present for her first birthday. More for her mom, Maria, than for Eva herself.

I had finally mastered the granny square concept so Eva’s blanket became a large, square bullseye of purple, lilac and green. Alternating colors every four rounds, it was a quick blanket to make.

Making granny squares also taught me how to edge my blankets correctly. It all made sense once I thought about it. When you make that turn, you need to allow for that extra space.

Folded over to see the not-curled corner.

Before granny squares, I’d always subscribed to the philosophy of putting one stitch in each of the previous row’s stitches. When I figured out that crochet sometimes involves multiple stitches into one stitch of the last row, I also realized that corners should have one or two extra stitches in that spot to allow for the stretch that a corner needs.

Even though Eva didn’t get her blanket until her first birthday, I still think the sentimental value of it is the same. That’s what I love about hand-crafted (not homemade!) customized gifts. Yes, it’s the thought that counts, but it’s even better if it also looks good.

Blanket #2

After the brown and blue blanket was received so well, my confidence grew that I could make blankets for every baby born to one of my friends. I had another opportunity about six months later. This time, it was for a baby girl. For some reason, I think it’s easier to pick out colors for a baby girl’s blanket than it is for a baby boy. For this one, I went with a pale pink, a bright pink and some white to soften it.

The blanket!

Keep in mind, I still didn’t know what I was doing. Again, no pattern or stitch counting at all. I went with my standard (only) stitch and made nine squares of double crochet. I remember thinking that I was totally getting better at this because they lined up better. When the squares were stitched together, they actually formed a bigger square!

It looked a bit unfinished without a border so I again used a double crochet stitch to make a white border around the blanket. I hadn’t learned how to edge correctly so the corners curled pretty badly on this blanket.

Matching dog blanket.

I finished the blanket in record time so I thought I’d make a hat to match, since the baby was being born in November. I tried so hard to figure out how to make a hat. I read pattern after pattern but couldn’t get the hang of it. After about a week to trying and failing, I gave up on the hat idea.

I thought it would be fun, though, to make a matching blanket for one of my friend’s dogs, a little chihuahua that considered himself the baby of the house. I started with just a little square and did my “edging” with the other colors.  It looked like a very weird bullseye but at the time, I thought it was cute.