This was crochet for a single sized bed.  I used 13 balls of Carron Simply Soft for this project and I think that it took FOREVER!!!  Each section of blue and pink color change was approx 1 ball, 20 rows.  I think the cast on was somewhere around 250 sts.  I had 5 balls of blue, 5 balls of pink, and 3 balls of green.  I used what I had left of a pink ball to do a chain linked/slip stitch edging on the blanket.  Simple, yet pretty.  This gets softer each time I wash it, but it did strech out quite a bit when I first washed it.  I am not sure if it would do the same if knit.

Blanket 1

This simple bear blanket was made from several granny squares sewn together.  Below is a simple pattern.  The eyes were simple crochet rounds to form a circle and placed on the face part of the bear.  The ears were crochet as half rounds and stitched on later.  This is a quick and easy baby gift if you are looking for something last minute.

Bear Blanket

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn (200 yds) Plymouth Encore , size H hook, sewing needle

Lots of folks have asked me if I would post the pattern for the Feather and Fan Blanket, and I would love to be able to do that. But (there’s always a but), I didn’t make the pattern myself. It came from a great “perpetual calendar” called 365 Knitting Stitches a Year.  This “perpetual calendar” is a lot like a standard desk calendar but doesn’t include year numbers or day names. That way, you can use the same calendar year after year! It’s really a great tool for learning new stitches. I highly recommend it!

To make my blanket, I used the Feather and Fan stitch on the February 9 pattern. I cast on 110 stitches (the pattern says to use a multiple of 18 + 2). Each white or blue block is one skein of Lion Brand Chenille. Between them, I did 4 rows of red.  You should get approximately 20 rows out of each skein.  Be sure to change colors when working on the right side of the blanket. I also used a size 13 needle.

Working 2-3 hours per day, the project took me about a week. If I had to do it over again, I’d have used a different, chunky-weight yarn. I’ve found that the Lion Brand Chenille isn’t as durable as I would like and doesn’t wear very nicely.

This was loved by many people, but the lucky people that finally got this blanket were my aunt and uncle for Christmas.  Their whole house is decorated in red, white, and blue.  I can’t wait to see how it looks on their couch.

Finally, I am done with my blanket!  I think that it will become a Christmas present since we don’t have red, white, and blue in our house - mostly just blue and purple.  On the left side of the picture, there’s a red end that I hadn’t yet woven in.

I am thinking of starting a knit teddy bear for my next project and trying to knit him a sweater to wear, too.  Actually, I think that it will end up being a “her” because I only have pink self-striping yarn that is thin enough for a teddy bear sweater.

Friday was a weird day at the Yarn Shop. We attribute this to the full solar and lunar eclipse that we are having all in one year!!! I haven’t got much knitting done this week, but I really don’t care. I have spent my knitting time with my new puppy!  And if you know me as a knitter you would know that is a big deal.  ALL of my free time is spent knitting…..ALL of it.

I did manage to get some work done on the feather and fan blanket, though. What do you think?