Today's project is a baby blanket that I made as a gift for an expectant mama who loves everything ocean. I was so excited to get started once the yarn arrived! (Information on the free blanket pattern and colors is included at the end of the post.) I quickly worked through the pattern and then decided to embelish it a little more.
To give the blanket a more beachy feel I added sea turtle appliques! So fun! This was my first attempt at a turtle. The pattern was a little confusing at first since it was my first turtle, but I decided to just trust the process, and once I crocheted the first turtle it all made sense, so I kept on going and made five more.
YARN SELECTION
The yarn is a
cotton and bamboo blend which has a soft feel, perfect for a baby, and a beautiful drape (specific colors and ordering tips at the end of the post). Bonus points for machine washable! The yarn was a pleasure to work with. I don't always block my crocheted projects, but I think you'll see that blocking really does have a big impact. The photo below is before blocking (don't worry there is a towel underneath the blanket!) and my initial design placement of the turtles (more on that later).
AFTER BLOCKING
To finish the blanket I added a simple dark blue border to give it more definition. Then I placed it on my
blocking squares (link to actual product I purchased) and misted it with water before pinning it into shape. You can see some blotchy areas in the photo as it was still drying when I took the photo. It all evened out after it was dry.
The turtles are still separate from the blanket at this point as I was playing around with design placement. First, I wanted an even distribution of weight so the blanket wouldn't feel lopsided. Secondly I wanted to make sure the turtles wouldn't fall on a "fold line".
I folded the blanket prior to attaching the turtles and used stitch markers to note where the folds would fall. (I added some red lines to the photo below to try and show you visually what I mean.) Next, I pinned the turtles in place, and then attached them to the blanket. I am proud to say none of the stitches showed through on the back of the blanket. Hey it's the little things these days! Yeah me!
My crochet turtles are now attached! They have hatched and are making their way from the beach into the ocean.
I wish I could say the pattern was designed by me, but the truth is I found it for free on the internet! (See the pattern information and specific colors at the end of the post.) Although I didn't design the pattern, the color selection and placement is my own (me begging for a pat on the back). For the blanket itself, I used a ripple pattern and started at the top of the blanket with a beautiful turquoise blue for the sky. Next I added a darker blue for the background ocean color, followed by a varigated blue, creamy white for the crashing waves, and ending with a neutral light brown for the sand.
I angled some of the turtles to add extra interest to the overall theme. The simple border that I mentioned earlier is shown here, too. I did two rows of single crochet in dark blue around the perimeter of the blanket, followed by a rope stitch using the sky blue.
Here is the blanket neatly folded and placed inside the gift box.
Bon voyage little turtles! I hope it brings a smile to the expectant mama and one day soon for the new baby!
Pattern Information
The ripple pattern is available for free at Planet June's website. The turtle applique pattern can be purchased there or from her Etsy shop.
Purchasing Yarn
Yarn used for this project was Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop, 50% bamboo, 50% cotton, 3.5oz, DK Light Worsted. The yarn can be purchased on Amazon, but I was able to find the yarn at LoveCrafts for a little cheaper with a discount, too. As of the date of publishing most colors were in stock. But you might have to search out different sources if the inventory gets depleted (happens frequently during a pandemic).
The specific colors used were: Turquoise for the sky, Ocean and Brilliant Blue for the water, Cream for the crashing waves, and Sand for the beach sand. The dark blue in the border is Denim. I used a variety of cotton yarn from my stash for the turtles. (I believe it was Paintbox brand.)
I hope you enjoyed today's crochet project! Thank you so much for stopping by The Black Sheep Shoppe.
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