Crochet baby blanket

I haven't any of my own home made offerings to show, but can share the crochet glory of a daughter. She did all the crochet hard work but needed a bit of speedy joining up by me to be able to gift the baby blanket at a baby shower the following evening. There wasn't enough time to do the edging, so it has been given and taken back to complete the finishing touches which may also include some little flowers if the baby is a girl. The photo doesn't really do it justice as the colours have a lovely fresh spring look. I have to say that the best bit about this blog post is that (at last) I have an offspring who has persevered with learning to crochet!

Granny square baby blanket

Another baby on the way. Not mine I hasten to add, but my nephew and wife will become proud parents this summer. It's not like me to be ready with a home made gift in plenty of time, but this time I can declare that a blanket for the baby is ready.....nearly. I needed a diversion from loop stitch which is quite hard on the fingers so inspired by daughter E's beginner foray into crochet, I started some simple granny squares with some wool designated for sheep (I think I have vastly over catered for the sheep......unless I want to make a truly impressive flock). Then I went wild and ordered some wool, but what colours to choose? I didn't want baby pastels but some colours with a bit of pop. I'm not sure my choices worked quite as intended, but it's done now so will have to do. I know I over analyse and become super critical. Sometimes I agonise for ages and then just flipping well get on with it and be done with it. I need to cut down on the agonising bit. Well, here is the almost finished blanket - just a bit of edging to finish, and it could probably do with some blocking, but I doubt it will get the full treatment........

It was very quick to make as it has no colour changes except for the last row. The last row in white was for two reasons; it provides a uniform frame for the different colours which allows them to stand out, and then it makes it easy to join the squares together so that you can do it quickly without worrying that the stitches aren't even. In other words it hides a multitude of sins (hee hee). I crocheted them together because it makes a nice ridged row on the right side. The final row is just a bit of shell edging for speed.

As usual I'm already planning the next thing, although I have some white (sheep coloured) squares which didn't make the final cut when trying out colour combinations. A white square with a white border just doesn't work at all. I did try a darker heather'y purple colour for a border and it looked really nice but it just didn't seem right for a baby blanket, so white it was. I also undid the last row of every square and replaced it with white row, the reason being that they seemed too big and out of proportion for a baby blanket. It would have been fine for an adult size throw or blanket, but all wrong for babies, at least in my eyes (yet more procrastination). This now means that I have lots of tiny balls of wool to use up. I made a trial square with two colours and might continue with this to make another little blanket or a cushion....argghhh, stop with the granny squares. I need to make sheep.........