Tuesday 26 June 2012

Crochet Baby Blanket RAINBOW

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Last minute DOT crochet...  yes that's right just one week before my flight to Oz I decided to make another baby blanket for my daughter's first born.

QUICK PROJECT
I decided to make it easy on myself and just get something out fast and the only way to do that was to follow Helen Ardley's pattern for a "Snuggle Blanket".

I found the pattern in her book "Cute Crochet for Tiny Tots"... this book was available in my local KENT library.

The pattern is written for Rowan Wool Cotton using a 3.5mm hook; and the measurements are 42 x 58cm (16.5 x 22.25in).
Basically it is a small blanket and made with a Rowan yarn I had already used for my other baby blanket (which I will talk about in another blog soon)....  and I wanted this blanket to be different.

YARN CHOICE
I decided to use up my stash of Bendigo Woollen Mills "Cotton 8ply"... a few years ago Bendigo carried a range of colours in this beautiful soft cotton... and of course I managed to purchase at most 2 x 200g balls in each colour.... so obviously I had a good range of colours to choose from... hence the 12 colour blanket.

Unfortunately today the same colours are no longer available; however they still provide a nice selection of 10 colours... check it out here.

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IN LOVE WITH BENDIGO
From the first time I used this cotton yarn I fell in love with it... it is just so soft... and at the time when I started using the yarn there was no other yarn on the market that even came close to the softness of this cotton yarn by Bendigo Woollen Mills.

You may know this yarn by it's other name "HEIRLOOM" Cotton 8ply which is available in 50g balls.

However, buying direct from the mill is a more economical purchase and you get the bonus of 200g balls which are perfect for larger projects.

RAINBOW BLANKET
Materials:  Heirloom/Bendigo Cotton 8ply in 12 colours
I used my stash of 200g balls in each colour.
If you use 50g balls I estimate approximately 1 to 1.5 x 50g balls of each colour; depending on size of blanket, and your tension/gauge.
Hook:  4mm
Size:  86.4 x 86.4cm (34 x 34in) (excluding the edging)
Tension/Gauge:  2.5 fans/shells over 10cm (4in)
The pattern is written in British Crochet terms, but it is easy to follow and easy to convert to US Crochet terms.
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and there you have it... a "simply perfect" colourful baby blanket in rainbow colours... and what's even better is .... you can wash this cotton blanket in the washing machine... on a quick gentle wash... so perfect for new mums who may not have the time to wash by hand.

All you have to do is head off to your local library and borrow the book or purchase your own copy... the book includes a good number of easy crochet projects for your baby and toddler... and all worth trying...  I myself may have to revisit this book.... I enjoyed this blanket project so much and managed to complete it very quickly... estimate about 20hrs total from start to finish... and that includes 1hr of hiding yarn ends.

GO FOR IT... GIVE IT A TRY... YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED...


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Ciao, Ciao...  
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