Is anyone else making their own baby blanket or doing something similar?

[MrsHuxtable]

I just started yesterday. I had decided for a while that I wanted to make my baby a personal gift so settled on crocheting a blanket. I'm an absolute beginner so have used youtube for instruction videos.
Just wondering if anybody else is doing this while waiting for their baby to arrive..

I'm cross-stitching a Baby Sampler but it's slow-going as I'm still at work, I expect the baby will be about 5 by the time I finish it going by my track record.

I'm crocheting a blanket. It's Attic 24's granny stripes pattern. But I'm doing 10 rows of pale purple, the 2 rows of cream.
I'd love to do a bright one, I prefer bright colours, but I had a lilac cotton cardigan that I made years ago then decided I didn't like, so I'm using that yarn up. I need to use up my stash, and cotton seemed like a good choice for a baby blanket. So far it's about 1/3 done, and I've got 8 weeks left... I could get it done easily if I got cracking, but nesting is kicking in and I'm getting distracted.

For DD I made a purple and white sheep... hmmm just realised the colours are the same. I didn't work out my gauge though and it ended up huge and deformed. No wonder she's never been that bothered by it.

GrooveyRach 8mm needles will certainly make it grow quickly, but what thickness yarn are you using? If it's just double knit you'll end up with a very holey blanket. If it's a nice chunky yarn you'll be fine though and it'll be finished in no time.

You guys do know that mamas & papas sell lovely blankets and they're not wonky

I made a patchwork fleece-backed blanket for DD, but I did that when she was about 15mo. I thought it would be nice for her big-girl bed and would end up being the blanket she snuggled up with when she feels poorly.

DM and DMIL both made blankets for her when she was born. I expected one from my mum, but never in a million years from MIL, she's really not a 'craft' sort of person :) It's very wonky but every extra stitch was put on there with love.

Ah I dont know what thickness the wool is, i bought it a while ago and it hasn't got the label round it. I cast on about 100 rows and have been at it for a few hours. Will keep going and if it's looking too hole-y, I'll try get some thicker stuff. Thanks for your advice

Thanks mightyskim - I don't have the pattern unfortunately. It says it is in the '99 Granny Squares' book so I may have to track that down on ebay!

biblio oh I love the Attic24 blog, I can do granny squares so maybe I could do that one! I was trying to do the ripple blanket and just can't "get it". Very annoying.

Who was after cat patterns?? If you google Alan Dart and Jean Howe they both do great knitting patterns.

I'm doing this but in stripes.

I'm 18 weeks and have a blanket in mind to knit. Although I have knitted a baby cardigan previously (stressful) and a patchwork blanket with lots of different stitches, it was a while ago so I've decided to knit something simple to start off with. It's just a large blanket with a nice pattern, but it's using only knit and purl stitches, so nothing fancy. I can't be doing with any cabling etc. at the moment!

I'm doing this www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/buggy-blanket

and it's taking me ages! It's done intarsia (changing coloured yarns on the row) rathe than knitting squares and making up so that has been my excuse. Might not work as I'm starting the other stripey side, so no faffing about every row...

Was going to knit some cardis as I bought a pattern book but then I looked at the instructions plus my mum and gran are super knitters and gran is a crochet master (after approx 1 billion years in the WI doing crafts) so might have a bash and then hide the results... My cross stitch is pretty good tho!

Mrs Rhett the wonkiness unique character of a hand knitted item is part of its charm, esp if it turns out reasonably well... Memories of the ghostbusters 2 jumper my mum knitted for me at primary school loom large!

I'm not great at knitting so I'm sewing together some bunting made from material which matches the bedding we've bought. It's really bright and I'm hoping will make the nursery look cheerful! It's giving me something to do on maternity leave and I think personal touches look really cute. May even attempt the cross-stitch birth date etc if the bunting turns out OK!

I'm crocheting a blanket for my LO - who was due LAST WEEK!!! Got this ace wool that the colours change throughout it so the blanket is multi coloured without too much effort on my part. I also have another blanket that I did start but it was taking me too long to get anywhere with it. I reckon a couple of hours work on the one I'm doing now and it will be finished. LO however is showing no signs of that!

Missus Tulip you have inspired me. Mine is intarsia too - my first ever intarsia project and it does seem a bit fiddly! But now every time I look at a wonky bit I am going to think 'its wonkiness is part of its charm so long as it turns out reasonably well'.

The worst thing is that on Ravelry all these people claim the blanket I'm knitting www.ravelry.com/projects/soccermom/elephant-motif-blanket can be made in a couple of nights - I've been going for ten weeks off and on...

Wonkit makers of the world unite!!!! ( okay - I confess Mrs Rhett that I do have a Mammas and Pappas 'back up' in case the Wonkit takes a turn for the worse!!!!)

I'm in the middle of knitting two cardigans, a blanket and a jumper and making a mobile which is for my friend's baby, not mine. All of them have been on the go for ages and ages, since pre-pregnancy. I like the idea of knitting, so always start these things but then half way through I remember that I actually loath it and get bored stupid by it becuase I'm not good enough to be able to have a conversation whilst I'm doing it. I end up have to fight with myself to finish the blimmin' thing. I should give up really. Maybe take up sewing instead...

harassedandherbug Attic24's granny stripes blanket is even easier than doing granny squares, no corners to turn, just back and forth.
I made this ripple blanket too a few years ago, it's not the attic24 pattern. I'm supposed to be making another one using her ripple pattern but it keeps getting put to one side. I'm using 2 strands of double knit, so it's very warm, a bit too warm to do in the summer. I like ripples, especially because if you go through just the front loop you get a nice layered effect.

scepticalexpat Surely only a machine could make that blanket in 2 nights!!

I have no Mama's & Papa's backups if I don't get this blanket finished, but it won't go cold. The lady who runs the knitting shop/group I go to has made me a lovely Hungarian crochet blanket, and one of the nurses at work has told me she's made a red cable knit cardi this weekend for it.
But I will get it finished!!!

I am tempted by a mamas and papas backup as mine already looks a bit (ahem) unique BUT I have got sone red felt flowers off eBay (£1.99 for 20) and I am going to randomly sew them
Over the worst of the holes :o

I've finished my blanket :) the LO can come out now and very soon if she deems us worthy of meeting her :)

Will take a pic and put it up soon :)

100years are those the crochet squares for your blanket? Very cute!

I'm thinking of making my own sling/baby carrier. There are lots of patterns for a mei tai on the web.

No the ones on my profile at the moment are ones I made to go to the blanket for Magic8's children. But thank you :)

The one I've made is just a big blanket as opposed to lots of little squares.

I've put the pic up on my profile now. The colours aren't quite that dark, and the edges do match, it's just an oddly taken picture I fear, but I couldn't be bothered to do anything fancy to get a better pic! Lazy overdue and pregnant! LOL

That's really sweet! Is it knitted?

No it's crochet, if you crochet, it's basically a treble stitch into the space as opposed to into the stitch - think it's called offset treble. Thank you :)

100 years that looks fabulous.

bilblio thank you for saying that!

Thanks sceptical :)