The Granny Square Rectangular Blanket

After years of crocheting, I finally started getting into the granny style lately.  I recently posted a granny striped blanket I made for mom, but I hadn't posted anything with the classic granny square yet.  And then I finally made a granny square baby blanket only to give it away before taking my pictures.  So when I found myself in a pinch recently thinking of what to make for a lovely little boy I finally got to make something, take pictures of it, AND post it.  And that miracle comes to you today in the form of this granny square child's blanket.

Several months ago I was commissioned to make an American Flag Blanket for a newborn baby.  It took me longer than expected, and then after anticipating a few trips back to Ohio that didn't happen I ended up not sending it promptly at all leaving me feeling terrible about it.  I figured the way to fix this was to make them something extra to make up for the delay.  

the American flag blanket I ended up making (quite different from my original)

The little baby mentioned above has an older brother, so I figured he could certainly use a blanket as well.  Plus then he won't feel snubbed about not getting such a lovely surprise.  This blanket I thought should be big enough that a preschooler could curl up in it on the couch and be cozily tucked in- bigger than a lap blanket, but smaller than a throw.

What ended up was that the square I made got as wide as I wanted it to be, but I thought it should be a little bit longer so that his little toes wouldn't get cold.  I added some extra stripes to both end to lengthen it out without ruining the look.  

Of course, before we get to something that big we have to start with your basic little granny square.  For a helpful step-by-step on granny squares, I like this one by Bunny Mummy that is chock full of pictures.  Extra info for the stripes comes from here at Attic24, the source of my inspiration.

To Start:

Ch6, sl st into first stitch to make a ring.

Ch3, 2dc, ch2, (3dc, ch2)x3.  slip stitch into top of the chain to finish row.

This will give you that first inner row of four clusters.

Round 2:

To change colors I bound off at the end of each row and started my initial ch3 by slip stitching around one of the bars between clusters.  There are a number of ways to change colors and work in your ends, so feel free to experiment or use your own go-to method.

Sl st around bar, ch2, 2dc, ch2, 3dc.

In each of the other 3 bars, (3dc, ch2, 3dc). Sl st into top of initial chain.

Round 3:

Sl st into space on side (i.e. not a corner).  Ch3, 2dc.
In corner spaces, 3dc, ch2, 3dc. On flat side spaces 3dc.  After final cluster, sl st into top of initial chain.

Repeat round 3 for the remainder of your square, making a cluster in each side space, and 2 clusters separated by a 2 chains in the corners.

So you're ready to make it a rectangle:

With your next color, sl st into the right corner with the blanket side up.  Ch 3, dc into corner.

In each of the spaces along that side make a cluster of 3dc.

In the leftmost corner, make 2 dc.

With next color, start again on the right side.  Sl st between chain and dc in previous row, ch3. 

Make clusters of 3 dc in each space across the row, and at the end make 1 dc between the last 2 treble stitches.

Continue these two rows in alternating colors as long as you like.  Repeat on other end.  

Be sure to have your final row in the stripes be the same color as your last row in the square.

Final Touches:

Make a border around the entire blanket using the same pattern as the original granny square (clusters of 3dc in each side space, 3dc-2ch-3dc in each of the corner spaces.

When it comes to making clusters over the granny stripes portions, I stitched around the color I made the single dc with on each end (the color of your second stripe).

Finally, I did a row of dc in each stitch to give is a more solid edge.  There are many ways to edge a blanket so feel free to do a little googling or improvise!

I hope you enjoy this pattern!  

FYI: I used a size J/10/ 6mm hook and Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn,  but granny patterns are extremely flexible , so play around with whatever you like!  

As always, thank you for reading and sharing.  Feel free to check out Charm Hour on Facebook to see more updates on my various projects and adventures!

Garfield Park Conservatory

Joe and I have been living in Oak Park for about a year and half, and we take the green line nearly every day. It goes right past the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory and we tell each other all the time that we'll go there one day.  We've even sent friends and visitors there but still haven't made it ourselves.  We even have a friend who works there!  And we still never made it out.  Until now!

We were having a lazy Saturday morning, and the weather had finally picked up to something sunny and 60's.  Joe was milling around on facebook and saw his friend's post that there was a plant sale going on at the conservatory.  As soon as he said it I jumped on it- it's beautiful out, we can appreciate the weather and finally go! So we walked our little Oy, boxed him up, and off we went!

Prepare yourself for an overwhelming number of pictures!

it's that pretty and we haven't even made it inside yet!

 tulips!

Knit Hexagons

I have this thing where I don't buy knitting or crocheting patterns.  I don't understand why I should pay for one when there are so many amazing patterns for free on the internet.  I get really irritated when I find an adorable picture, click on it, and find out they want me to pay $5 for it on Etsy or Ravelry.  It usually ends up in a little bit of cursing like a sailor as I attempt to peruse the World Wide Web for a comparable version that's free. And 9 times out of 10 I find one.  Or at least one I can alter enough to make it work.

It's not just that I'm cheap.  And for Pete's sake I'm in graduate school and am living off of loan money so I seriously need to be cheap. It's also that I don't understand why a PDF should cost that much money.

Those 1 out of 10 times when there is no better alternative I get super disappointed.  But I haven't given in yet and I am damn stubborn, so I'm thinking I'll hold out until my pattern-making skills catch up to my desires.  My inner biologist is obsessed with realistic animal stuffed animals (like this iguana) on PlanetJune and by jove one day I will make my own.

Just this week I was riding home from school and sat next to a lady knitting something itty bitty, so I asked what she was making.  She told me all about these little stuffed hexagons (or "hexipuffs") she was making from scraps and how they very neatly get put together to make a puffy little quilt.  I have tons of scraps! and I love projects I can do in class or on the train! Perfect!


But then I came home and found it on Ravelry and realized that the very cute Beekeeper's Quilt pattern costs $5.50.  I got very grumpy and spent two days mulling over whether it was worth buying it.  Was this pattern really worth caving in for?  And seriously, over $5?!  It's very small and simple.  Plus from what I read on the few blog posts I read (there are hundreds) many people ended up modifying the cast on, the increase/decrease, or the bind off.  I'm definitely not paying it if I'm going to have to change it anyways.

So my decision was made- I was going to make it up.  And if I'm  making it up then I can change it!  So I made mine a little bigger so that I can make fewer of them. Because 450 of those little buggers for just a lap blanket is insanity.  It should be easily changeable for those who want to make it smaller or bigger.