Cotton Granny Square baby blanket

A new project... this time in Cotton.

I wanted to make something modern, in crochet but suitable for my friend's baby boy. In order to keep it looking fresh, I wanted white to be the key component, so I decided to go for a circle in a square, with the inner circles in variations of red, pale blue and navy.

Cottons were found while on vacation in Argentina, but should be readily available, as they are Coats brand. Any 3 ply 100% cotton will do and colours easily swapped out to suit any project.

I used the following, all from Coats Cisne (Cygnet) 3 ply 100% cotton.

1x ball Navy colour 00152 3 ply cotton
1x ball Pale blue (Caricia) colour 7700
1x ball Red colour 00046
2x hanks (about 150gms) White (unbranded hanks)

I used a 2mm hook. 

The basic pattern for each square is:




1. Chain 4, join to form a ring.
2. Chain 3 (first treble), treble 11, join.
3. This round is in bobble stitch. To bobble, start like you're going to treble - yarn over hook, put your hook into chain, pull the yarn back through, 3 loops on hook, pull the yarn through 2 loops (2 loops remaining on hook), yarn over hook, put the hook back through the same chain, now 4 loops on hook, pull the yarn through 3 loops (2 loops on hook), pull the yarn through the last 2 and you've done one bobble. To start this round, chain 2, treble 1 into same chain from previous round (first bobble), then *chain 2, bobble 1* 11 time, chain 2 and join.
4. Change colour or continue on for a single colour circle. Chain 3 into space, treble 2 into same space, chain 1, *treble 3 into next space, chain 1*, 11 times and join.
5. White. Start in a space (chain from previous round). Chain 4, crochet into next space, repeat for round and join.
6. Chain 1 and *crochet 4 times into the first space (this will be a side of the square), chain 1, into the next space 1/2 treble once, treble 3 times, double treble once then chain 2 (forms first part of corner), into the next space, do the reverse - double treble once, treble 3 times, 1/2 treble once, chain 1. Repeat from * to complete each side and join.

I am making a smallish blanket - 7 squares wide by 11 squares long. I am undecided as to whether I'll add a border but it's likely that I will, in a combinations of pale blue and red.

Each of these squares is about 65mm. For a larger blanket, you could make the circles 1 or 2 rows larger - which is what I'll be trying next time.



For this design I will need the following number of squares in each colour.

24 x Pale Blue
10 x Pale Blue with Red centre
6 x Red with Pale Blue centre
10 x Red 
5 x Navy
10x Red with Navy centre
3 x Navy with Red centre
3 x Navy with Pale Blue centre
6 x Pale Blue with Navy centre



The layout of the colours I am using is as follows, with each row mirroring from the centre.

Rows 1, 5 and 9 = 
Pale Blue / Red w Pale Blue ctr / Pale Blue / Navy w Red ctr / Pale blue / Red w Pale Blue ctr / Pale Blue

Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 = 
Pale Blue w Red ctr / Red / Red w Navy ctr / Navy / Red w Navy ctr / Red / Pale Blue w Red ctr

Rows 3, 7 and 11 = 
Pale Blue / Pale Blue w Navy ctr / Pale Blue / Navy w Pale Blue ctr / Pale Blue / Pale Blue w Navy ctr / Pale Blue

The first 2 rows look like this....

  
I am using slip stitch to join each of these together, first I'm creating the rows and will then stitch these together.



Images of the completed blanket will follow soon... once I've finished it!

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,