With most of our stuff in storage for the past six months, it was actually kind of fun to unpack and rediscover it all. I found a number of things I'd made for donations but had packed away during our temporary stay at the apartment. I had completely forgotten about them. The knitted hats for the local youth center will wait till this fall, but I'm anxious to get this baby blanket and a few others to the hospital in hopes they can be put to use.
This looks rather garish in the photo, but it's actually a pretty cheerful blanket that I think would appeal to a little kid. The yarn's from the Red Heart Kids line and I think it's called "Crayon." And the crochet pattern isn't really much of a pattern at all. Start with a base chain in any multiple of three, and then: sc, hdc, dc - those three stitches, over and over. Turn and repeat: sc, hdc, dc. In this and in each subsequent row, you'll be making an sc in a dc; an hdc in an hdc; and a dc in an sc. A lovely textured pattern will emerge before your eyes.
This blanket is about 36 inches square, and I can't remember how long my base chain was, but it's pretty easy to eyeball.
This is the blanket pattern (or, non-pattern!) that I fall back on every time I feel like crocheting and don't have anything particular in mind to do. It always turns out great, whether it's in a pale baby-weight acrylic or a double strand of wool. Sometimes for variety, I change the stitch sequence to sc, dc and trc -- which creates a more dramatic texture - but the basic idea is just the same. Occasionally I also make a few rounds of sc around the whole thing to finish it off, and a row of shell stitch looks nice, as well.
Dan and I are leaving for a five-day road trip tomorrow after work - so as I'm packing later tonight (oh, who am I kidding, it'll be tomorrow morning!) I think I'll toss some yarn and a crochet hook in my basket so I can get started on another one. Now that my yarn's emerged from storage, too, my stash is a really fun place to shop!
