This lovely little baby blanket is bouncy and lacy with just a bit of reinforcement built into it and along the side edges. The lacy bands are alternating single crochet and chain stitches. The solid lines are single crochet stitches. The side edges (along the end of the rows) are slip stitches. Might be an achievable challenge for a practiced beginner.
The Story Behind the Project:
I made this with the last skein of a batch of Bernat Softee Chunky (5) yarn in Natural I got from a friend.
It really was down to the wire with this one. Near the end, I tried to get one more set of pattern rows and made it through almost all four rows, only to come up short with about 6 inches left in the project. Hurt to unravel it, but doing that left me enough to reinforce the sides with slip stitches (I didn't have enough to reinforce the top and bottom, too).
Still, I think that's one of the things I enjoy about crafting without a pattern using dubiously minimal amounts of leftover yarn. It forces you to be creative and to make choices. In this project, I used a lot of open work to use less yarn, but it was springy and nice. I also used a huge hook (N) to make it even bigger. The slip stitches on the edges weren't my first choice, but I would have run out with single crochets. I also prefer my finishing borders to go all around a project, but I didn't have enough for that.
Now, you might say, "Why didn't you just run on down to the store to buy some more yarn?" I did about halfway through the last ball I had (when I saw the writing on the wall), and then I went online. You know what? I found the color. I found the brand. I found the Softee Chunky. What I didn't find was all these things in a 5 weight yarn with only a two strand twist. Nope, looks to me like Bernat reclassified the Softee Chunky as a 6 weight and it now has three strands. It still looks lovely, and I want some of it to work with, but as you probably know, switching weights would have been rather noticeable in the final product.
Anyhow, I worked up the rest of the yarn and maybe a half an ounce of it from the previous skein and had just enough for a decently proportioned, if a bit small, baby blanket. It will likely be more of a snuggle blanket than a keep warm one, but I like it.
Slip Stitch (ss)
Chain (ch)
Single Crochet (sc)
Both Loops = normal crochet stitch through both of the loops that make up the top of the stitch in the row below
Front Loop Only = just the loop in the front of the two loops that make up the top of the stitch in the row below
Scaling:
Starting chain = 42 (or any even number of stitches to gain width)
Pattern rows = The pattern rows are 1 closed, 3 open, 1 closed. Scale up the length 4 rows at a time. A 1, 3, 1 pattern could be made more open by changing to a 1, 5, 1 pattern, or more closed with a 2, 3, 2 pattern. The key is in keeping an odd number of open rows so each set of pattern rows and the project as a whole, ends up facing forward on the last row.
I used Bulky (5) yarn with a size N Hook for the blanket. For the swatch in the illustrations, I used 4 weight yarn and a size J Hook. Use whichever you like. The bulkier yarn and larger hook make a springier fabric. The smaller one results in something a bit more flat with more obvious open work.
Ideas:
Lacy scarfs
Baby blankets
Wraps
Continue on to the Pattern
