Then a few months ago I stumbled across the blog Hopscotch Lane (thanks, Pinterest!) and her own version of a chevron blanket. CROCHET. With a link to a pattern! A simple pattern that a novice like me was actually able to read.
So I whipped up my own crocheted chevron blanket. And I copied her color scheme because I am unoriginal like that. And used her yarn suggestion - I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. (I did use a slightly different shade of yellow - a more buttery, pastel shade rather than a bright hue.)
I was extremely happy with the way it turned out! And I love, love the colors. When I first started the project, I wasn't thrilled with the yarn (it didn't feel "soft" enough), but once I got it all together it felt nicer. I would definitely use it on a newborn after a couple washes to soften it up a little more.
I then decided to make another one for a friend who just had a baby girl:
Like my chair, splendidly modeling my handiwork? I thought it might look pretty to take a picture of the blanket hanging over the rail of a white crib, but when I went to prepare the shot, I thought that a chewed up crib rail with chipped off paint may not have been as visually appealing.
This one is made with Caron's Simply Soft, a recommendation from my sister-in-law. VERY soft and perfect for a baby. Originally I thought this was a strawberry-ish color scheme, but the more I worked, the more apparent it looks more like a watermelon!
The blankets measure somewhere around 30" by 30" (they are folded over in the pictures). And I have already bought enough yarn to make at least 3 more. Because I'm a hoarder of all things craft-supply-ish!
On the simply soft blanket, did you use one strand or two strands of yarn held together?
ReplyDeleteJust one! The yarn is pretty thin but I wanted the blanket to be light. :)
DeleteHow many skeins of yarn does it take to make one blanket?
ReplyDeleteI used 4 for both. Two of each for the white and yellow (I had a LOT left over of each color), and two whites and one of the other colors for the pink/white/green one. :)
DeleteHow do you change the colour? They look great! :)
ReplyDeleteI crochet 4 rows in one color, tie a small knot and then cut the yarn off at the end, leaving about 7-8 inches of yarn as a tail, and then weave all the tails in at the end of the project. I crocheted for years and never knew how to do it properly, and then I discovered this youtube video before I started these blankets and it works SO well! So helpful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyvdsTz9Jso&feature=player_embedded#!
DeleteWhat size of yarn did you use? I started making this blanket for my baby boy due in April (so excited!), but I think the size I got was too small...
ReplyDeleteI used 4, worsted weight, for one and baby yarn weight (which I believe is 2?) for the other. The one with the Simply Soft yarn is definitely a lot lighter/thinner than the other, and when I first started working on it I didn't think I would like how it turned out, but it ended up being great. It was so much softer than the thicker-weight yarn.
DeleteI'd really like a copy of the pattern. Where can I find it?
ReplyDeleteThis is the one I used! http://www.flickr.com/photos/34087139@N08/5789046724
DeleteDo you remember how many you chained? The pattern is pretty strange to pick between 183-185!
ReplyDeleteI think I did 184 - it is strange! I incorporated the extra stitch at the end of the second row.
DeleteHi Colleen: I'm very new to crochet here, but I've made about 6-7 baby blankets so far (all my friends are having babies!) and I'm learning quickly! :) I just took a look at the pattern. So should I chain 184? Or should I chain 185, since you mentioned incorporating an extra stitch at the end of second row...just trying to save myself some trouble before I start here. I appreciate your insight, seeing that you've used this pattern multiple times. Your work is beautiful! Thanks in advance!
DeleteKrista - I have done it both ways, but 184 seemed to work best for me. It's not terribly hard to add or drop (or accidentally skip) one stitch, so it works out either way, but I preferred the 184 the most!
DeleteOkay, perfect. :) Thanks Colleen!
DeleteI love this blanket! Can I hire you to make one for me, seriously?!
ReplyDeleteI love these colors for the "watermelon" blanket. Any idea which colors you used? My friend recently pinned it to her "Nursery" board and I would love to surprise her with this exact blanket.
ReplyDeleteI didn't keep the wrappers for the colors (and I have since learned not to throw them away, or at least to write down the color/number)! I do have the white, which is just called "White", and I believe the pink is called "Watermelon." The green, I can't remember for sure, but looking at the available colors online, my best guess is "Soft Green." I was just looking for something mint-colored. It's all Caron Simply Soft (regular, not the baby line) and I got it all at Joann Fabric!
DeleteHey Colleen...another quick question. I think I'm finally going to make this blanket. :) according to the flickr pattern, she says all treble = double crochet in us terms....did you do treble stitches throughout or dc? They both work up quickly...but treble is quickest...and I can't quite tell from the photos...just curious. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Krista! I did double crochet, although I think any basic stitch would work. That's just what seems to be fastest for me. :)
DeleteIs this where you chain so many then dc 7 skip 2, dc 7 add 2 in one, and so on... Or is it the other way around; chain so many dc 7 add 2 in one dc 7 skip 2 ? ~I made one when I was pregnant 26 years ago and it was my sons favorite 'blankie' until he was about 3 ~Corina
ReplyDeleteI'm having some trouble at the ends. in order to reach the top of the double crochet three from the previous row I have to work more double crochets then the pattern indicates. is this normal?
ReplyDeleteSo I had a lot of problems with this pattern. First off, it makes more sense to chain only 182 or even 180 instead of having to hide the extra chains. Even with hiding the extra chains I still had to double crochet decrease at the end of every row which was annoying. I ended up having to take apart and redo this many times but I liked the way the images looked so I stuck through it. I realized that when you turn you are NOT supposed to chain 2 which was odd but it seems ok. I'm about half way through and now that I've figured out the issues it is going a lot smoother, however, my chevrons look more like rolling waves than mountain peeks like the images. I'm not sure why this pattern is so stubborn but I like how it looks in the images so hopefully I can make it work. After trying 10+ patterns and failing I'm about ready to give up so I'm crossing my fingers!
ReplyDeleteI'm having the same issues! So at the end of the row when you turn, do you skip the loop on the hook or skip the first double crochet of the last row? That's got me confused, I've been chaining 2 at the end.
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