Waves of Green: Addie's Blanket

Half the fun of crocheting and knitting (or any other handmade gift for that matter) is thinking of the person you're making it for. Last Christmas, Zion's sister Lilia and brother-in-law Johnson shared some exciting news: that they were expecting a baby! I was beyond ecstatic for them...so much so that I felt like my insides were going to burst out! We had two wonderful nieces already but spent more time missing them than hanging out with them since they live in B.C. so news of a little one a mere 7 minute drive away added another level to my already mountainous anticipation! After coming home from spending Christmas at Zion's parents' home, I started thinking of all the things I could crochet this little baby. For Hannah Grace, our now second youngest niece, I spent most of my free time the winter before she was born crocheting all kinds of things for her - headbands, hats, and matching headbands and diaper covers. Here are snapshots of her gifts that I pulled off my old phone:

After hanging out with friends who have had babies in the last few years, I realized just how quickly babies grow and how short of a time they wear their clothes for...it's crazy! I made a mental note during my brainstorming to make and give items that would last longer than 2-3 wears. During the 6 months of waiting for baby Addie to come out, I decided to crochet a blanket for her. After much anticipation and talking to her through Lilia's belly, we got to meet and hold our adorable niece, Adelyn Blair, for the first time on June 13 (:

For ease of care (ie. machine washable and dry-able, a must for anything baby!) and to prevent wonky warping/shrinking I stuck to 100% acrylic yarn for the entire blanket. And instead of choosing the typical baby girl pink and/or yellow, I decided to go with three shades of green, which is also Lilia's favourite colour (: Hopefully Addie still likes the boy-ish colour scheme if she grows to be a girly-girl toddler...I hope that the softness of the yarn will convince her to keep it until she has kids or grandkids of her own to pass it off to!


Yarn I used, closest to farthest from the camera in the picture below: Cherished Green, from the Canadiana line by Patons; Greek Sea from the Waverly line by Bernat; Fern, from the Impeccable line by Loops & Threads. Once I was done crocheting the green "waves", the blanket didn't look complete. The border was the finishing touch it needed, which was done in Birch White from Bernat's Waverly line.

Side note: if you haven't tried out the Waverly yarns yet, you are missing out! Go use your next 50% off Michael's coupon on a ball NOW! I wish I could've made the entire blanket with yarns from the Waverly collection; they come in rich, vibrant colours and are über soft! My favourites are Gypsy Gold and Tibetan Red - aren't the names great, too? The Waverly yarns are perfect for projects that call for ultra-soft and warm yarn, like earwarmers, mittens, and toques.

Waves of Green Baby Blanket, adapted from the Beachcomber Blanket pattern on Knit Culture

Suppies: 5mm hook, 100% acryclic worsted yarn. 

Colours: A = Greek Sea, Waverly line by Bernat; B = Cherished Green, Canadiana line by Patons; C = Fern, Impeccable line by Loops & Threads; D = Birch White, Waverly line by Bernat.

Final dimensions: 58 x 49 inches.

1/  Using colour A, loosely chain a multiple of 6 to desired blanket width. This is your foundation chain. 

2/  Ch 2 and turn.

3/  Sk the ch 2, ch 5 into the next ch (the end of the original foundation chain). Sk 2 ch, sc in next ch.  Repeat until row is complete (you should end with the sc in the last chain).

4/  Ch 2 and turn. 2 dc into the same (first) st.

5/  Sk 2 sts, sc into next st, sk 2 sts, 5 dc into next st. Repeat until row is complete, but only crocheting 3 dc in last st instead of 5.

6/  Ch 1 and turn. Sc in first st.

7/  Sk 2 sts, 5 dc in next st, sk next 2 sts, sc in next st. Repeat until row is complete.

8/  Repeat steps 4-7 with colour A so you have 4 rows of colour A. To minimize weaving loose ends at the end (my least favourite part), tuck the tail of colour A "into" the stitches of your current row with the next colour by placing it alongside the tops of the stitches of the previous row.

9/  Attach colour B and crochet steps 4-7. Repeat so you have 4 rows of colour B.

10/  Attach colour C and crochet steps 4-7. Repeat so you have 4 rows of colour C.

11/  Repeat steps 8-10 to desired length of blanket. 

12/  Using colour D, sl st into one corner of the blanket. Ch 1, 2 sc into the same st (corner stitch). Sc into each st around the entire perimeter of the blanket, ensuring to crochet 3 sc into each of the remaining corner stitches. Note: on the left and right edges of the blanket, there won't be precise stitches since they're the ends of the rows. Try to space your sc evenly along those edges.

(: