Lucy's Blankie

This blanket was completed a while ago but I didn't want to post it until it had been gifted at the baby shower. The pattern is basically a riff on a pattern from the Lion Brand website called Glamour Baby. I heavily adapted the pattern to fit my yarn, gauge, etc. The main changes I made were to increase the width of the blanket by adding extra repeats and to ignore the instructions for how high to make each repeat. I went by what came out looking square for me which turned out to be 10 stitches x 12 rows.


The Ruffle:


I'm pretty proud of this ruffle. I got loads of help on the Ravelry forums to get the concept right. Basically, I picked up stitches all the way around, then I increased in every stitch on the first round. On the second round I increased every third stitch with an extra increase in each corner to make it full. Then I knitted around until I had just enough yarn left to cast off. The effect was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself :) I think the ruffle added an heirloom quality I was hoping for in this blanket. Thanks Ravelers for all the helpful hints!

Baby Blanket Blues

Here it is, my very first original pattern, free for you! That's right, a FREE PATTERN. I didn't think I would take this step, but here I am. I just wanted to keep this blanket simple and by the time I was done I realized I had made the whole thing up on my own! I was as amazed as you are, dear reader.

This baby blanket was made using a variegated yarn for the body in a simple combination of single, half-double, and double crochet stitches. The border is done in a solid color and forms a little picot edge. Change up the colors and the blanket could easily look very feminine.

So here are the oh so simple instructions for a nice little baby blanket appropriately titled:

Baby Blanket Blues

materials - approx. 600 yards worsted weight yarn in main color, 150 yards worsted weight yarn in contrast color for border. (I used Berella)

hook - size US L/8 mm (I like my projects to zoom along, I thought the fabric was just the right weight for a Texas baby with this hook.)

finished size of my blanket is 29" wide x 27" high, includes border

standard American crochet abbreviations used

all stitches made into both loops after foundation row

Pattern:

ch 75 (or number needed to reach desired width)

Row 1(foundation row)- sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc into each ch across, ch 2

Rows 2 & 3- hdc in each st across, ch 2

Row 4- hdc in each st across, ch1

Row 5- sc in each st across, ch3

Row 6- dc in each st across, ch 1

Row 7- sc in each st across, ch 2

Repeat rows 2-7 until out of yarn, ending on row 5 if possible, fasten off main color.

Border:

Row 1- join contrast color in right corner of last row, 3sc in corner st, sc in each st,3sc in corner st, turn corner, sc in each row, continue around, sl st in beg. sc, make sure all sides have an even number of stitches

Row 2- ch 3 2hdc in corner st.,* ch1 skip 1 sc, hdc in next sc* repeat from * to * across each side, 3hdc in each corner, join with sl st in first hdc

Row 3- ch1, 2sc in corner,* sc in each hdc, sl st in each ch1 sp( ch 4, sc in first ch, of same sp)* repeat from * to * across side, 3sc in each corner, sl st to join first sc, fasten off yarn


So there you have it, a simple but effective baby blanket. Just enough variation to keep you interested, but mindless enough to allow you to watch your favorite television cop show (in my case:).

Please comment here with any errors as this is my first time to write a pattern, who knows what I may have missed :)

Enjoy!

5/10 - hope to have better pictures later in the week