Advice on making a granny baby blanket

[mowglik]

Hi - I'm a total crochet newbie, but I have had a go at making granny squares and sunburst granny squares following tutorials on youtube.

My SIL is having a baby and I'd love to make a granny square baby blanket by making lots of different squares and joining them.

The thing is it won't be following a pattern so I've no idea what kind or thickness of yarn to go for - so far I've just been using odd balls given to me to practice.

I'd like it to be quite a nice blanket so not acrylic so would Cashmerino or Baby bamboo be about the right type to use? What thickness? And how many balls of yarn to make a complete baby blanket?

Thanks for any help!

The wools used by Woolly Hugs would be perfect I think - they're all DK, Merino wool and washable. The Drops Extra fine merino is good value but has a limited colour palette I think. Across the whole range of Woolly Hugs yarn you'd get a good selection of colours though and they all work well together.

That said, I love Sirdar Baby Bamboo for a baby blanket.

I'd go for double knitting (DK), size 4 or 4.5 crochet hook.
The number of balls depends on the size of blanket, there are numerous websites that can help or ask the shop or website you're buying from (Deramores and Wool Warehouse are extremely helpful),
Good luck!

Thank you both!

I ordered a few balls of debbie bliss cashmerino and one of a woolly hugs to start making a few squares and see how they look and feel

I also bought the jan eaton 200 crochet blocks so will try and pick out a few designs to mix and match from them to make a complete blanket. Im still not sure about the number of balls needed so I think Ill just buy them as I go..

Buying as you go is fine for a "mix and match" blanket. if her doing something more "together" or plain, you need to check the dye lots of what you're buying. There can be a difference in shade otherwise, although if the two dye lots are not used next to each other I think no one would notice