Daisy Chain Blanket - the crochet version

Did you see yesterday’s Daisy Chain Blanket – the knit version? Well it’s got a friend, the crochet version!

Are you looking for a baby gift that is bright and bold, and can be finished in just a few days? The Crochet Daisy Chain Blanket is just the thing! The blanket uses mini-corner-to-corner crochet, which is really easy to learn and gives a satisfyingly speedy finish.

The pattern is written for the smallest size (a good car seat or Moses basket blanket size), if you want to make a larger blanket, you can make multiple panels, seam them and add the border at the end. This blanket isn’t just for babies, and could also be made as a throw or lap blanket. The blanket is crocheted in machine washable, aran weight yarn, making it quick to work up and easy to care for.

This pattern contains both a chart and written instructions for the multi-colour section (mostly because I hate reading charts diagonally, and I may as well do the hard work so you don’t have to!).

This pattern is written using US terms. Where applicable, UK terms are given in square brackets: US [UK]. Full photo tutorials for both the mini-corner-to-corner crochet technique and border, making this pattern suitable for advanced beginners.

If the Daisy Chain Blanket – the crochet version looks like your sort of thing, head to my Ravelry* and PayHip stores now. Fancy a discount? Use the code DAISY to get 15% off. Code expires 11.59pm BST, Thursday 12th August 2021.

If knitting is more your thing, you can find the knit version here.

*Ravelry link. May cause issues for people with photosensitivity; proceed with caution.

What's at number 1?! Vikki Bird Designs' Top 10

This week I'm bringing you the second half of my Top 10 patterns. Which one will be number 1? Missed part one? You can find it on my blog. 

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Let’s start with number 5? It’s… Fluffy White Clouds – the crochet version!

I am *not* a crochet designer, so this pattern was a bit of a gamble, but it’s one that paid off. My knitted Fluffy White Clouds pattern had been very successful, but I had had emails from crocheters asking whether it would be possible to put a crochet version together, so I wrote up this mini-corner-to-corner version. The pattern includes charts, full written instructions for all the colour changes, and a complete tutorial, which has made it one of my bestsellers.

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/p/fluffy-white-clouds-the-crochet-version-crochet-pattern-by-vikki-bird

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fluffy-white-clouds-crochet (Rav link, may cause issues for people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution)

 

At number 4, we have… Nature’s Way Baby Blanket!

Nature’s Way Baby Blanket was my first intarsia blanket and it’s where my love of intarsia design started. Each of the motifs in the blanket is something personal to me - my favourite is the snail, which is your favourite?

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/natures-way-baby-blanket-knitting-pattern-by-vikki-bird

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/natures-way-baby-blanket (Rav link, may cause issues for people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution)

 

Into the Top 3! At number 3, it’s… Elephant Parade!

Elephant Parade was originally published in Knit Now magazine (I am forever grateful to them for accepting my designs as a new designer), and is inspired by a book I had as a child that has a ribbon running through it with a family of elephants on. A lot of my designs are inspired by books – if I’m not knitting, I’m usually reading!

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/elephant-parade-knitting-pattern-by-vikki-bird

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elephant-parade-2 (Rav link, may cause issues for people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution)

 

At number 2, it’s… Fluffy White Clouds!

Fluffy White Clouds is my perfect baby blanket: clouds drifting across a perfect blue sky. The colour palette is soothing, and the knitting is so much fun. I love intarsia! I made this blanket for my eldest daughter, and my youngest got to use it too! I’m surprised this one is at number 2 as I thought it was number 1! There’s only a handful between numbers 1 and 2…

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/fluffy-white-clouds-knitting-pattern-by-vikki-bird

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fluffy-white-clouds (Rav link, may cause issues for people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution)

 

Finally, in top position, we have… Rudi!

Another pattern from early in my design days. I designed Rudi in the days when Christmas jumpers were a bit of a joke – think Mark Darcy in Bridget Jone’s Diary – the sort of thing your mum made you wear. Now everyone owns a Christmas jumper, and this one has become a firm favourite!

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/rudi-knitting-pattern-by-vikki-bird

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rudi (Rav link, may cause issues for people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution)

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Want to browse my patterns? You can find them all on Ravelry (Rav link, may cause issues for people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution) and LoveCrafts. Sign up to my newsletter to get 10% off on Ravelry!

Ideas for your yarn scraps

Opening a yarn countdown calendar every day leading up to an event can be lots of fun, but what do you do with lots of small amounts of yarn? Here are a few suggestions, and all of them will also work with yarn scraps, which, let’s face it, most knitters have in abundance! If you add a bit to your project every time day, by the day of the big event, you might even have completed your project!

Simple stripey socks 

This is my preferred way to use up scraps. I use a basic vanilla sock pattern, and alternate a main colour with contrasting stripes. I’m not a big fan of clashing colours, and I find that adding a neutral main colour really pulls all the other yarns together. You can use whatever basic sock pattern you like; I usually make a tube and add either an afterthought or Fish Lips Kiss heel.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fish-lips-kiss-heel*

 

Pixel rise socks by Kemper Wray

 

Pixel rise socks by Kemper Wrap - Image copyright Kemper Wray

A friend has made several pairs of these and they look great, and like they’re a lot of fun to knit! One thing to look out for though is that the colourwork portions will reduce the stretch of the socks, so you’d be wise to go up from your usual sock size.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pixel-rise*

 

Pixel rise cowl by Kemper Wray

Pixel rise cowl by Kepmer Wray - Image copyright Mari Chiba

If you’re concerned about how colourwork socks might fit, or have larger scraps, why not try knitting the cowl version instead?

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pixel-rise-cowl*

 

Sprocket socks by Megan Nodecker

 

Sprocket socks by Megan Nodecker - Image copyright Mega Nodecker

These socks were everywhere at the end of 2019 and I think they look great! Again, you might want to go up a size to compensate for the reduced stretch, but these socks are a great way to either use up leftovers, or a mini skein set.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sprocket-socks*

 

Mitred square blanket

I’ve had an ongoing mitred square blanket for a few years now. It spends a lot of time in hibernation, but occasionally I pick it up and add a collection of squares – last year I added one square for every day leading up to Christmas. There are loads of patterns, but I used the one by Georgie Nicolson and it’s totally customisable for your yarn weight and the size of size of your scraps. Georgie’s blog post also contains other ideas for making blankets with your yarn scraps.

https://www.tikkiknits.com/blog/knitting-blankets

 

Granny stripe blanket

Granny stripe blanket by Attic24 - Image copyright Attic24

This one is great if you have lots of tiny scraps – you can add scraps of any length and just keep crocheting. You can even join all your scraps together at the start and make a magic ball! Lucy from Attic24 is my go-to recommendation for new crocheters, and she has a great tutorial for making a granny stripe blanket.

https://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/granny-stripe-blanket.html

 

Another crochet option

Battenberg blanket by Sandra Paul - Image copyright Sandra Paul

Like the idea of crochet, but prefer squares to stripes? The Battenberg blanket by Sandra Paul might be the project for you. Made of lots of tiny squares that are joined using neutral squares, this is a good project if you have lots of yarn scraps that are roughly the same size. You don’t have to worry about having to sew all the squares together as the blanket is joined using a join as you go method.

https://www.cherryheart.co.uk/2018/12/battenberg-blanket.html

 

A chunky, scrappy jumper

Metropolis by Tanis Fiber Arts - Image copyright Tanis Fiber Arts

Maybe you want to go the whole hog and make a jumper with your yarn scraps? Tanis Fiber Arts has a free pattern for a top-down chunky weight sweater, and a blog post on how she modified it to use up scraps of yarn. You might want to plan your project out a bit before you start, but this would be a great way to use up lots of scraps or partial skeins!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/metropolis-3

https://www.tanisfiberarts.com/blog/2019/11/marled-metropolis

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What are you planning to do with your yarn scraps?

If you want tips on how to make your own yarn advent calendar, why not check out yetserday's blog post?

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*Ravelry links may cause issues to people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution.