You may be sent a picture like this!

When you enjoy making things, I’m not sure that there’s any better feeling than seeing your finished item wrapped around a gorgeous little baby. This was a crochet star blanket I made for a friends wee boy.

It was made using Aldi acrylic yarn. It’s not quite up there with Stylecraft acrylic in my opinion however, it is a great budget friendly option, comes in beautiful bright colours and is machine washable. Something that I feel should be thought about when you are giving a blanket as a gift to a new mum or dad.

I’ve lost count of the times I have been asked for hand dyed yarn for a baby blanket and although I might miss out on a sale, I will ALWAYS give my honest opinion on this. Unless you are going to commit to hand washing the blanket on a regular basis (every couple of days if you have a refluxy baby like my lot!) then go for something that is machine washable. Budget is another thing to take into account as some blankets use a considerable amount of yarn.

So, what would I recommend?

Cotton! You get lovely vibrant rainbow colours like the Performance Cotton, it’s machine washable, only £2.20 for a 50g ball and it holds up amazingly well over the years…..

2. You’ll be making a treasured childhood memory

This Attic 24 Neat Ripple above, was crocheted while I was pregnant with my daughter almost 7 years ago. It has been used daily, trailed around supermarkets, parks, tents and has seen many more air miles than I have this year! ‘Blankie’ is a firm favourite and has given my wee girl comfort when I’m not there. I’m sure it has become a lifelong treasured memory. Also pictured is a simple granny stripe blanket that I made for a friend. It’s also from Lucy at Attic 24 using Stylecraft Classique Cotton and finally the Owl Obsession Blanket by The Hat and I. One thing that hasn’t been erased from MY memory was all of those ends to sew in!!

3. It is likely to be completely unique gift

In all honesty, I made the Owl Obsession Blanket difficult for myself as I changed colour after every round rather than use the recommended colour changing yarn but this made it completely unique. So much so that this one made it’s way back to us on several occasions when it had been left behind.

Gone are the days that you use the recommended yarn with a particular pattern. So go rogue and change it up. Just be careful that it doesn’t affect your gauge too much.

It will mean that the recipient will have something completely unique to them, much admired by others and easily identifiable in a busy toddlers group. ;-)

4. It could become an heirloom!

I recently repaired a couple of Shetland lace shawls for a lady who was expecting a grandchild. One blanket had been knitted by an Aunt over 60 years ago. No pressure for me then, trying to mend a few pulls in it! Luckily these were easy fixes and it gave this family a connection to the past that they can pass on for years to come. This stunning christening shawl was knitted with lace weight Shetland wool and is still in as pristine condition as it was when it was first completed all those years ago. It really is something special to know that this yarn ran through the fingers of an elderly family member and it can be used generation after generation.

I honestly don’t believe that the blanket needs to be as intricate and expertly made as this one though. Grab yourself some Chunky yarn and you could work up a blanket relatively quickly.

5. It might give comfort to more than just the baby

Recently, I received a message asking for my help with a knitted blanket. A mum to be had a blanket which her mum had started knitting for her baby but tragically her mum passed away suddenly and the blanket was incomplete.

I know that when I start a baby blanket for friends and family you think of that expectant child often while making it, and knowing that this woman is likely to have had the same thoughts and dreams for her grandchild to be, I knew I had to complete it and give that baby a little connection to Grandma.

We arranged for the blanket to be posted to me and I worked on this textured blanket over the next few weeks. This yarn is Peter Pan Flutterby yarn which is so snuggly and soft, but I’m not going to lie, it isn’t the easiest yarn to knit with. The fleece disguises your stitches so it is hard to decipher whether you have made any mistakes and it doesn’t have much ‘give’ in it making it a challenge. The perfectionist in me struggled to accept that my tension was a little different to Grandma’s but I felt it was important to keep that different piece so that the baby can be wrapped up in a wee bosie from Grandma.

xxx