Girly Safari Animal Baby Hats: #1 Zebra (3-6mo)

This pattern was a ton of fun to write and I was so giddy with how it came out. I took it to show my older brother who happened to be in the middle of playing video games. Note that for most guys pink is pink, purple is purple and blue is blue etc... there is no light pink or dark pink, only PINK. So when he saw it I asked what he thought it was. Bad idea. Because it was all pink he instantly claimed it was a pig. That kind of burst my bubble of joy, so I went to see if he was the only one who didn't know what it was. (Because what's the point of a cute hat if no one can tell what it is) Since I have no sisters I went to see what my other brothers thought and questioned them. To my disheartening they all told me it was a pig... ugh! They didn't know how much I had already changed in the pattern to make sure it did not look like a pig. So as a last resort I asked my dad... please let there be someone in the house who does not say it is a pig. Alas my hopes were crushed and my adorable zebra hat was proclaimed a pig. When I informed him that it was indeed a zebra, he told me that it might be more recognizable if I had done it in the traditional black and white colors of a Zebra. Can’t a girl not have a fun, pink, whimsical zebra to wear on her head?

With uncertainty I wrapped it up with two other pink safari animal hats I had done (a monkey and a giraffe which I will post soon) and took it to a baby shower. The mother's face lit up as she saw the "zebra" hat. Finally someone recognized a zebra when they saw one. At least the person who it was for knew what it was and so did everyone else at the shower. The lesson I learned: don't ask my brothers to guess what I made... especially since now they joke about all the hats I make looking like pigs.

Please tell me this does not look like a pig.

Size: 3-6 months

Tools:

·         Crochet hook­ size I/9 (5.5mm) or size need to obtain gauge

·         Scissors

·         Yarn needle/darning needle

Supplies:

• Hot pink  worsted weight yarn (CA)
• Light pink worsted weight yarn (CB)
• 2 matching Black/Dark Brown Buttons for eyes (optional… you can also crochet the eyes)
• A small amount of black worsted weight yarn  (CC)

Gauge:

Rnds 1-4 of Base Hat = approx. 4.5inches in diameter

Instructions:

Base Hat

With CA

Make magic loop, ch 3

Rnd 1: dc 12 in loop, sl st in 1^st dc

Rnd 2: ch 3, (dc in same st) twice, dc 2 in ea st around, sl st in 1^st dc

With CB

Rnd 3: ch 3, dc in same st, dc 2 in nxt st, (dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st) repeat around, sl st in 1^st dc

Rnd 4: ch 3, dc in same st, dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st, (dc 2, dc 2 in nxt st) repeat around, sl st in 1^st dc

With CA

Rnd 5-6: ch 3, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc,

With CB:

Rnd 7-8: ch 3, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc,

With CA

Rnd 9-10: ch 3, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc,

With CB:

Rnd 11-12: ch 3, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc,

With CA

Rnd 13: ch 1, sc in same st, sc around, sl st in 1^st sc, fasten off and weave in ends

With CA

Make a 2” pom-pom and sew to top of the hat, weave in ends

Ear (make 2)

With CB

Ch 7, turn

Rnd 1: dc in 3^rd ch from hook, dc 2, sc 1, sc 3 in nxt st, turn so you are working on the bottom of the chs, sc 1, dc 2, dc 2 in nxt st, sl st in 1^st dc

Rnd 2:  ch 2, dc 2 in same st, hdc 2, sc 2 in nxt st, sc 3 in nxt st, sc 2, hdc 2, dc 2 in nxt st, dc 3in nxt st, sl st in 1^st dc,

With CA

Rnd 3: ch 1, sc in same st, sc around, sl st in 1^st sc, fasten off and weave in tails

Sew on at the top of the hat tucking the point under the base of the pom-pom

Muzzle

With CA

Ch 10,

Rnd 1: dc in 3^rd ch from hook, dc 6, dc 3 in nxt st, turn so that you are working on the bottom of the chs, dc 6, dc 2 in nxt st, sl st in 1^st dc,

Rnd 2: ch 3, dc 2 in same st, dc 6, dc 2 in nxt st, dc 3 in nxt st, dc 2 in nxt st, dc 6, dc 2 in nxt st, dc 3 in nxt st, sl st in 1^st dc,

Rnd 3: ch 1, sc 2 in same st, sc 2 in nxt st, sc 6, (sc 2 in nxt st) twice, sc 1, sc 2 in nxt st, sc 1, (sc 2 in nxt st) twice, sc 1, sc 2 in nxt st, sl st in 1^st sc, fasten off leaving a tail for sewing, sew on

With CB embroider two “x” to represent nostrils

Eyes (make 2)

With CC

Make magic loop, ch

Rnd 1: sc 6 in loop, sl st in 1^st sc, fasten off leaving a tail for sewing, sew on, weave in ends

OR

With CC to sew on buttons for eyes

If you would like instructions for making a pom-pom or more detailed directions for the rest of the patterns, please feel free to comment and please tell me the finished product does not look like a pig. Also please let me if you find any errors as this pattern has not officially been tested.

Basic Striped Baby Hat (3-6mo)

So now that I've posted how to change colors (here) and I don't feel like I have to include that information in every pattern, I will show how I used that technique in my basic striped baby hat pattern. (Note: all color changes are done with the method above)

Size: 3-6 months

Tools:

• Crochet hook size I/9 (5.5mm) or size need to obtain gauge
• Scissors
• Yarn needle/darning needle

Supplies:

• Hot pink  worsted weight yarn (mc)
• Light pink worsted weight yarn (cc)

Gauge:

Rnds 1-4 of Base Hat = approx. 4.5inches in diameter

Instructions:

Base Hat

With mc

Make magic loop, ch 3 (if you would like to avoid the magic loop just replace it with an extra ch & dc in it instead of the loop in rnd 1)

Rnd 1: dc 12 in loop, sl st in 1^st dc

Rnd 2: ch 3, (dc in same st) twice, dc 2 in ea st around, sl st in 1^st dc

With cc

Rnd 3: ch 3, dc in same st, dc 2 in nxt st, (dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st) repeat around, sl st in 1^st dc

Rnd 4: ch 3, dc in same st, dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st, (dc 2, dc 2 in nxt st) repeat around, sl st in 1^st dc

With mc

Rnd 5-6: ch 3, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc,

With cc:

Rnd 7-8: ch 3, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc,

With mc

Rnd 9-10: ch 3, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc,

With cc:

Rnd 11-12: ch 3, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc,

With mc

Rnd 13: ch 1, sc in same st, sc around, sl st in 1^st sc, fasten off and weave in ends

With mc

Make a 2” pom-pom and sew to top of the hat, weave in ends

If you would like instructions for making a pom-pom or more detailed directions for the rest of the patterns, please don't hesitate to comment. Also please let me if you find any errors as this pattern has not officially been tested.

Lady Bug Baby Hat

Lately I've been a having a blast making little baby hats. Since they're so quick and easy I can usually finish one each morning. Most of them only take two to four hours (depending on how complex it is). When I realized how similar a lot of the patterns are I began making a plethora of designs, which means that I will be posting more baby hat patterns soon. Many of them are still only drafts so please be patient :)

I am so pleased with how this pattern came out, it can be as simple or as complex as you like it since there are a few different options in ear flap ties and edges. So far I only have it in the two sizes, but I plan to write the larger patterns later. If anyone is anxious for a bigger size please comment.

Also at this point this pattern has only been tested by me, so if you find any errors please let me know. If you complete this patten I give you credit for testing.

Size: 0-3 months

Tools:

• Crochet hook size F/5 (3.75mm) or size need to obtain gauge
• Scissors
• Yarn needle/darning needle

Supplies:

• Red worsted weight yarn
• Black worsted weight yarn

Gauge:

Rnds 1-4 of Base Hat = approx. 3.5inches in diameter

Instructions:

Base Hat

Using red worsted weight yarn

Make a magic loop, ch 2

OR

Ch 3

Rnd 1: Dc 12 in loop or 3^th ch from hook, sl st in 1^st dc, (12 st)

Rnd 2: Ch 2, dc 2 in same st, dc 2 in ea st, sl st in 1^st dc, (24 st)

Rnd 3: Ch 2, dc in same st, dc 2 in nxt st, (dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st) around, sl st in 1^st dc, (36 st)

Rnd 4: Ch 2, dc in same st, dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st, (dc 2, dc 2 in nxt st) around, sl st in 1^st dc, (48 st)

Rnd 5-10: Ch 2, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc, switch to black in last dc of rnd 10, (48 st)

Don’t fasten off just continue into the first ear flap with the black worsted weight yarn

Ear Flap

Row 11: Ch 2, dc in same st, dc 5, turn, (6 st)

Row 12: Ch 2, dc2tog 3 times, turn, (3 st)

Row 13: Ch 2, dc3tog, turn, (1 st)

Row 14: Don’t ch, sl st in nxt st, ch 35, fasten off, leaving a tail about 2ft long to make a tassel,

Edging (Choose One)

Mini Scallop Edge

Rnd 11: sl st in any dc with black yarn, ch 1, sc in each st and on the edges of the ear flaps, sl st in 1^st sc,

Rnd 12: ch 1 (sc, ch 3, sl st) in each st around but around the ear flaps sc in each st, sl st in 1^st sc

OR

Basic Edge

Rnd 11: sl st in any dc with black yarn, ch 1, sc in each st and on the edges of the ear flaps, sl st in 1^st sc,

Ties (Choose One)

Tassel Ties

Join Black yarn to top of ear flap, sc in same st, ch 35, fasten off leaving a long tail for making a tassel, (thread ending tail in last ch loosly so that you get a loop on the end of the ch) 4 times making sure all the loops are the same length. Tie the ending thread around the last so that the loops don’t slip if you gently pull on them. Cut the loops like you would if you were making a pom-pom.

Repeat on other ear flap

OR

Curly Ties

Join black yarn to top of ear flap, sc in same st, ch 47, turn

Row 1: sc in 2^nd ch from hook, (sc2tog) 15 times, sc 16, sl st in top of ear flap, fasten off, weave in ends

Repeat on other ear flap

Head

Ch 3

Row 1: dc 6 in 3^rd ch form hook, turn

Row 2: ch 2, dc 2 in each st, turn

Row 3: ch 2, (dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st) across, fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing, sew on to base hat centering it between the 2 ear flaps

Embroider antenna above head using ch st

Spots (make 6)

Make magic loop, ch 2  OR  Ch 3

Rnd 1: dc 12 in loop OR 3^rd ch from hook, sl st in 1^st dc, fasten off leaving a tail for sewing

Size: 3-6 months

Tools:

• Crochet hook size H/8 (5mm) or size need to obtain gauge
• Scissors
• Yarn needle/darning needle

Supplies: 

• Red worsted weight yarn
• Black worsted weight yarn

Gauge:

Rnds 1-4 of Base Hat = approx. 4.5inches in diameter

Instructions:

Base Hat

Using red worsted weight yarn

Make a magic loop, ch 2

OR

Ch 3

Rnd 1: Dc 12 in loop or 3^th ch from hook, sl st in 1^st dc, (12 st)

Rnd 2: Ch 2, dc 2 in same st, dc 2 in ea st, sl st in 1^st dc, (24 st)

Rnd 3: Ch 2, dc in same st, dc 2 in nxt st, (dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st) around, sl st in 1^st dc, (36 st)

Rnd 4: Ch 2, dc in same st, dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st, (dc 2, dc 2 in nxt st) around, sl st in 1^st dc, (48 st)

Rnd 5-10: Ch 2, dc in same st, dc around, sl st in 1^st dc, switch to black in last dc of rnd 10, (48 st)

Don’t fasten off just continue into the first ear flap with the black worsted weight yarn

Ear Flap

Row 11: Ch 2, dc in same st, dc 5, turn, (6 st)

Row 12: Ch 2, dc2tog 3 times, turn, (3 st)

Row 13: Ch 2, dc3tog, turn, (1 st)

Row 14: Don’t ch, sl st in nxt st, ch 35, fasten off, leaving a tail about 2ft long to make a tassel,

Edging (Choose One)

Mini Scallop Edge

Rnd 11: sl st in any dc with black yarn, ch 1, sc in each st and on the edges of the ear flaps, sl st in 1^st sc,

OR

Rnd 12: ch 1 (sc, ch 3, sl st) in each st around but around the ear flaps sc in each st, sl st in 1^st sc

Basic Edge

Rnd 11: sl st in any dc with black yarn, ch 1, sc in each st and on the edges of the ear flaps, sl st in 1^st sc,

 Ties (Choose One)

Tassel Ties

Join Black yarn to top of ear flap, sc in same st, ch 35, fasten off leaving a long tail for making a tassel, (thread ending tail in last ch loosly so that you get a loop on the end of the ch) 4 times making sure all the loops are the same length. Tie the ending thread around the last so that the loops don’t slip if you gently pull on them. Cut the loops like you would if you were making a pom-pom.

Repeat on other ear flap

OR

Curly Ties

Join black yarn to top of ear flap, sc in same st, ch 47, turn

Row 1: sc in 2^nd ch from hook, (sc2tog) 15 times, sc 16, sl st in top of ear flap, fasten off, weave in ends

Repeat on other ear flap

Head

Ch 3

Row 1: dc 6 in 3^rd ch form hook, turn

Row 2: ch 2, dc 2 in each st, turn

Row 3: ch 2, (dc 1, dc 2 in nxt st) across, fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing, sew on to base hat centering it between the 2 ear flaps

Embroider antenna above head using ch st

Spots (make 6)

Make magic loop, ch 2  OR  Ch 3

Rnd 1: dc 12 in loop OR 3^rd ch from hook, sl st in 1^st dc, fasten off leaving a tail for sewing

Ravelry Pattern Hodgepodge Butterfly Afghan

   When I heard that my cousin and his wife were going to decorate their nursery with butterflies I began "favorite-ing" oodles of butterfly patterns on Ravelry... I LOVE butterflies, and I wish more parents would use them in their daughter's nursery theme.

     When I first saw the pattern for this afghan (which is made up of squares) I knew that it would be perfect (granted I would do some tweaking). I decided to only make 25 square (instead of the 35 the pattern called for...16 of square #1 and 9 of square #2)) since the time before the baby shower was running out.

     I also used a different butterfly pattern because I couldn't get the one from the afghan pattern to lay flat.

     After I saw this edging the scallops would not do. Somehow I couldn't get the butterfly edging to look right (so either I was doing something wrong or there was a slight error in the pattern) so I edited so that it reads as follows:

dc cluster = ch 3, yo, insert, draw up, yo, draw through 2, yo, insert in same st, draw up, yo, draw through 2, yo draw through all,

Tr cluster = ch 3, (yo 2, insert in same st, draw up, yo, draw through 2, yo, draw through 2) 3 times, yo draw through all, ch 4, sl st in same st

Antenna st = ch 5 tightly, ch 1 loosely (later you will cut this ch), ch 5 tightly, sl st in same st,

Butterfly= dc cluster, ch 1, tr cluster in last ch, antenna st in same st, ch 1, tr cluster in same st, dc cluster in the same st, sk 4 st in round 1 and sl st in 4th st

Notes: In between each of the butterflies you sc 10... Of course I had to tweak this too, instead leaving it basic I repeated this in between the butterflies:
(sl st, ch 2, sc in same st, sc 1)

 I guess I can't be perfectly happy with anything because after the first couple of squares I changed the pattern so that I would finish the first corner at the beginning of the round instead of doing half at the beginning and the other half at the end, which caused the corner to stretch out and look uneven. (like the upper left corner of the square above)

I even sewed the squares together differently than the usual whip stitch. Instead I used the flat braid join method that I found here and I used the tips from here.

KB Adjustable Sock Knitting Loom

A few Christmases ago I received this neat adjustable sock knitting loom by KB. It is really easy to use and very compact. The hardest part to knit is the sliding section because you have to work around all the pegs that you're not using.

 I decided that it would be best to start with something small, so the first project I did was these cute little baby socks. The pattern was on the DVD that came with the loom. It used 30 pegs and I decided to put 1x1 rib at the top.

 The thing about socks is that you have to make two matching ones. After I finished the first one I began to wish that humans only had one foot because it seemed like an impossible task to make one exactly the same. Turns out that it really wasn't that hard, since it was easier to count the stitches of the first one once it was off the loom. I'm not sure if I did the same amount of rows on each sock but I think I got pretty close. :)

Crochet Puppy Dog Package

Spring is supposed to be coming and now it seems as though there is a baby shower every weekend...well I guess that means my crochet schedule will be packed with hats and booties for the little ones. I think it's time for some variety, so here comes my puppy dog package.

 Even though I did not use the yarn the pattern called for I still think it looks cozy.

 The cute, matching gift bag and tag are contributions of  Spare Thyme Ink.

Shells and Flowers hat

This is the pattern that really got me going on baby hats, and to write my baby football beanie pattern. I love the shells and the incorporated flowers. Unfortunately I ran out of yarn and had to omit/change the last few rounds. You can find the pattern here but I'm not sure if you'll be able to link to it if you don't have an account on ravelry.

Once again I made a matching fleece blanket with a crocheted edge.

Baby Football Hat

My very first crochet sports item... I generally don't care for football nor almost any sport, but even so I am very pleased with how this pattern turned out. I had looked at a few different patterns that were similar on Ravelry but couldn't find one that was free (yes...I'm a penny pincher...hey, why buy something that you can easily do yourself for free?) and in the right size. So long story short... I ended up writing my own pattern. Pretty much the most complicated thing in this pattern is the magic loop or switching colors.

Size: 0-3months

Tools:

I/9, 5.5mm crochet hook or size needed for gauge

Large Yarn/darning needle

 Gauge:

9 rows of 14 dc each (ch 2 at the beginning of each row)  = 4" square

Materials:

Brown worsted weight yarn (MC)

White worsted weight yarn (CC)

With MC make a magic loop, ch2 (if you would like to avoid the magic loop, ch 3 and pretend the 1st ch is the magic loop)

Rnd 1: dc 12 in magic loop, sl st in 1st dc,

Rnd 2: ch 2, dc 2 in ea st, sl st in 1st dc,

Rnd 3: ch 2, (dc 2 in nxt st, dc 1) repeat around, sl st in 1st dc,

Rnd 4: ch 2, (dc 2 in nxt st, dc 2) repeat around, sl st in 1st dc,

Rnd 5-6: ch 2, dc around, sl st in 1st dc,

Rnd 7: ch 2, dc around, switch to CC (by doing the last dc as follows: yo with MC, insert hook into nxt st, yo with MC, draw through st, yo with MC, draw through 2 loops, yo with CC while holding the tail, draw through 2 loops, DO NOT cut the MC), sl st in 1st dc

Rnd 8: ch 2, dc around, switch to MC (by doing the last dc as follows: yo with CC, insert hook into nxt st, yo with CC, draw through st, yo with CC, draw through 2 loops, yo with MC from the last time you changed colors, draw through 2 loops, cut the CC)

Rnd  9-14: ch 2, dc around, sl st in 1st dc,

Rnd 15: ch 2, dc around, switch to CC (by doing the last dc as follows: yo with MC, insert hook into nxt st, yo with MC, draw through st, yo with MC, draw through 2 loops, yo with CC while holding the tail, draw through 2 loops, DO NOT cut the MC), sl st in 1st dc

Rnd 16: ch 2, dc around, switch to MC (by doing the last dc as follows: yo with CC, insert hook into nxt st, yo with CC, draw through st, yo with CC, draw through 2 loops, yo with MC from the last time you changed colors, draw through 2 loops, cut the CC)

Rnd 17-19: ch 2, dc around, sl st in 1st dc, fasten off after Rnd 19 and weave in tails with darning needle

Lacing: make a ch at least 6in long, fasten off leaving a 6in tail, attach the beg tail to the top of rnd 14 (I just tied a knot), thread the ch on to the needle and complete the stitching as shown...(If you need more instruction for the stitching or otherwise please leave a comment and let me know)

Cozy (Pink/Blue) Baby Layette

     If you have followed my blog for some time you may think this looks familiar and it should because I've posted the hat and booties before (here), since that post I have added to the set a blanket and a matching gift bag that I absolutely love!

     For the bag I use a hole punch to make the holes, and then I sc in each one all the way around, then I sl st to join the end.

      The blanket is very similar to the other fleece blankets I've made in the past (here) except I found I could "cheat" (because of the fluffy yarn) by only doing a single round and not doing a ch in between each sc.

     I think using  Red Heart Baby Clouds definitely ties the whole set together and allows me to make a matching baby girl set.

     Because I used the Provo Craft Knifty Knitter blue round loom for the newborn hat it was easy to adjust the size (by switching to the green loom) of it when I had the opportunity to make a matching "big sister" hat! :)

    The gift tag below was done by the author of Spare Thyme Ink who does many beautiful things in the paper crafting world!

Crochet Converse Baby Shoes

   I just absolutely love this pattern, it is very simple and the only stitches you need to know are ch, sc, sl st, hdc and dc. Tutorials for these stitches except the sl st and hdc can be found here.

    Unfortunately, I found the pattern on Ravelry and can't find it elsewhere, so anyone who would like it would have to become a member of Ravelry if they aren't already.

    If you would like the pattern here is the link http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-baby-converse.

   I would totally recommend this pattern to a advanced beginner (one who has done several patterns). The directions were given with many photographic references so as long as you know the stitches you should have no problem.

More Crocheted Fleece Baby Blankets

This blanket has a simple dc edge but as you may notice, there's crocheting down the middle.
Unfortunately when I purchased this fleece the piece wasn't wide enough for a baby blanket. So when I went to cut the holes I decided to cut the long piece in half and put holes in all sides of both pieces.  I placed the wrong sides together, sc in the piece closest to me (piece a), instead of putting a ch between each sc I sc in the piece farthest from me (piece b). I sc in the next space on piece (a) and then sc in the next space on piece (b) all the way down the seam. Once I reached the end of the seam I did the basic base stitch (see Fleece Baby Blankets) and the dc all the way around as normal.

This jungle fleece blanket is probably one of my top 3 favorite crochet blankets, along with the next blanket shown here. I think this is a perfect example of how your border can make or break your project and not so much style or stitch, but the choice of yarn. I completely fell in love with this jungle print and put off crocheting the edge because I didn't think I had any yarn that would finish it just right. One day when I was going through my yarn stash (see My "Craft Room" Storage) I found this...

Instantly I thought of my jungle fleece, this will be perfect, this will "make" the blanket, this reminds me of the zebra in the print...I CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED!!!!! So I just put a very simple double crochet around the edge after doing the base stitch.

This has the simplest edge you could imagine...okay maybe not, but what's so great about this edging is that you only have to go around once, that's right it's just the base stitch! I just used Red Heart Baby Clouds for this one so it matches my Baby Hat and Booties that I've made. (Note: I've also made a blue version of this)

I especially like the multi-colored borders on this one, which is as follows:
Rnd 1
Using purple, Base Stitch all the way around
Rnd 2
Sc all the way around, sl st in the 1st st
Rnd 3
Using pink, *ch 2, (dc, sc) in the next st, sl st, repeat from * all the way around

I hope this is helpful and that you enjoy them as much as I do. Again I would love to see your creations

Crocheted Tri-Bead Baby Socks

These cute little baby socks are very simple to make, so you can make a pair of baby socks for every occasion. They are great for beginners because they use only the simplest stitches, the chain stitch, single crochet and slip stitch.

Note:The actual socks I bought and I only crocheted the beads on.  Also your hook has to be small enough to go through the hole in  your bead. Most of the time the hole inside tri-beads are relatively large. To save on colored beads I use a clear beads in between all the colored beads. I usually use cotton crochet tread but I'm sure you could use sock or sport weight yarn etc.

 Special stitches: Bead Stitch=insert your hook through a bead, yo, pull through bead and loop. I'm going to abbreviate this st as bds
To start unfold the socks, with slip knot on your hook, (insert your hook into the top the sock (make sure you are inserting it into the knitting and you have more than just the elastic band on top of your sock), sc, ch 3, bds, ch 3,) Repeat all the way around the sock, the distance between your stitches is up to you,  most of the time I use 24 beads per sock depending on the size of the sock.

Fleece Baby Blankets with Crocheted Edge

      This is one my favorite crochet projects of 2010, it's quick, easy, inexpensive, versatile, and very rewarding.This is much faster than crocheting an entire afghan. These blankets can be made with only very simple stitches such as: a chain stitch and single crochet, or can be made with more complicated stitches such as: double crochet, half double crochet, triple crochet, ect., all depending on which edge you chose to put on. I have found that I can get 2 blankets out of 24-36in of fleece, you can find this as a remnant at your local Joann's or fabric store. Joann's puts fleece on sale frequently, but regularly it costs about 7.99-13.99per yard. Because many fabric stores have lots of variety it's easy to find cute baby boy or girl fleece. Also you can easily alter you pattern from a straight edge to a scallop to a picot to your heart desire. Though no matter what you do it will look adorable. :)

To start your blanket you need to cut your fleece to size, cut slits. I do my slits about 3/4in away from the edge. The first blanket I did, I used a Crop-o-dile (which is a heavy duty hand punch.) Unfortunately I punched my holes too close together and too close to the edge so when I start to crochet the fabric stretched and tore. I had to start over by cutting off the edge and repunching. This method is tedious and uneven. If however you still want hand punch all the way around your blanket you should punch at least 3/4" away from the edge and punch your holes at least 3/4" apart. So not long after I obtained an "Original Skip-Stitch^® Blade" which can be purchased at http://www.skipstitch.com/products--orders.html. 

Hook G or H
Rnd 1
Insert your hook into a hole (make sure the right side is facing you) (sc 1, ch 1,) in each hole make sure you don't miss any. (Note: the edge of your fleece should fold back so that the bases of your single crochets are a little more 1/4")  On the corners (sc 1, ch 1) 3 times in the corner hole, (you may want to round the corner of the fleece with a pair of scissors.) When you reach your first st, sl st in it.

Rnd 2+
This is totally up to you. :)
The flowered blanket above has a rnd of dcs (with 3 dcs in the corner) and a rnd like this (sk 1, dc 5, sk 1,   sl st 1,)

 

Rnd 2

For this one it's just double crochet (with 3 dcs in the corners) and the sl st in 1st dc

Multiple colors is another fun option 
Rnd 2
Dc all the way around (with 3 dcs in the corners) Sl st in 1st dc
Rnd 3
Switch to red yarn, dc all the way around (with 3 dcs in the corners) Sl st in 1st dc
Rnd 4
(Sc, sl st, ch 5, sl st in the same st) all the way around, sl st in 1st sc

Aren't the little firemen cute. :)

Another option is "Dolly and Me" blankets

Here is the mini scallop for the doll blanket
Rnd 2
Sc all the way around, (sc 3 in the corners) sl st in 1st sc
Rnd 3
[Ch 2, (dc 1, hdc 1) in the next st, sl st] all the way around,

This is the same as the Flower blanket above.

 Have fun creating you own edge designs too! I would love to see them. :)