Heart Baby Blanket

I finished the Heart Baby Blanket just one week before our niece gave birth. Baby Boy Wheeler arrived three days ahead of schedule Monday afternoon. His birth announcement was posted on Facebook for all to see yesterday. Baby Boy Wheeler looks adorable in the photos, much like our niece when she was a baby. I can hardly wait to meet him. 

As promised I took a few photos to show how this blanket turned out. I love how the teal heart pops against the light grey. I also love the soft fluffy feel of all those rows upon rows of little puff stitches. This is a blanket full of crochet love made especially for Baby Boy Wheeler. 

Technical details are listed below for the crocheters out there who might like to make one too. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed if you do.

Heart Baby Blanket

Follow instructions for Heart Baby Blanket found here.

Lightweight fingering yarn

Four hanks of Berroco Ultra Alpacca in grey 

One hank of Gems 100% Merino Wool in teal

Hook size = 3.75 mm

Starting chain 156

Total number of rows 130 

Finished size - 30" x 35"

Gauge - 4x4 inches = 11 puff sts in a row and 18 rows

Each row on blanket ~12 mins

Each round on border ~40 mins

Plus time to weave in ends
Total Time to Complete ~40 hrs

Washing Instructions
Machine wash in cool water. Lay flat to dry.

Note: I used different yarn than the pattern suggested because I could not find Loops and Threads Cambria Big Lightweight Fingering Yarn in Canada. To make a baby size blanket, I started with a chain of 156 instead of 148. I also added 40 rows to the length. With these changes, I worried about running out of yarn. A valid concern as I ended up running out of yarn on the final round 8. Luckily I was able to finish with a small amount of yarn left over by ripping out 3 rounds and working only 4 instead of 5 rounds of single crochet on the border.

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Puff Stitch Infinity Scarf

I recently finished a Puff Stitch Infinity Scarf using yarn from my stash. There are no ball bands on my stash, so I am guessing the brown yarn is wool and the grey and cream yarns are an acrylic wool blend. I picked this yarn based on weight as it's lightweight fingering yarn perfect for practicing the puff stitch using a 3.75 mm crochet hook. 

Why practice puff stitch? 

Well because I want to crochet this free pattern for a Heart Baby Blanket of course. It's for my niece who is having a baby this summer. The bulk of the blanket is done in puff stitch using lightweight fingering yarn and a 3.75 mm hook. This scarf is basically a simplified version of the blanket. It incorporates all but the border and the colour changes required to make a heart shape in the middle. I think the puff stitch looks and 'feels' amazing with its soft squishy texture. 

The photo above shows a closeup view of the puff stitch. The photo below shows the Puff Stitch Infinity Scarf stretched out - 29" long (58" circumference) by 4" wide.

This scarf is long enough to loop comfortably around my neck twice.

 

 

I have included instructions for the crocheters out there who might like to make their very own Puff Stitch Infinity Scarf.

Puff Stitch Infinity Scarf

Follow instructions for Puff Stitch Blanket found here.

Lightweight fingering yarn

Hook size = 3.75 mm

Starting chain 23

Row 1 - 10 puff stitches

Row 2 - 9 puff stitches 

Alternating rows of 10 and 9 puff stitches

Brown yarn - 85 rows

Grey yarn - 26 rows

Off white yarn - 47 rows

Total - 158 rows (even number for joining)

Finish off leaving a long tail to stitch last row to beginning row.

Note: The pattern calls for a starting chain number multiple of four. I used a multiple of four less one because I made the first puff stitch in the fourth chain from hook instead of fifth. Also I crocheted three chains at the beginning of each row instead of four. I found this made neater edges.

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