New Project: Crochet V-Stitch Baby Blanket

[EDITED TO ADD: See the finished blanket with pattern details HERE!]

I have started a new project!  And - despite my goals for a stash-busting, WIP finishing year - I have bought new yarn for it.  However, it was yarn for a purpose, rather than just to stock pile!

Let me back up... last year a friend of mine and Rob's from work (we work for the same company) announced that him and his wife were expecting a baby.  In a moment of goodwill and enthusiasm, I said that I would make a blanket for the baby.  Well, the little one arrived five weeks early on 8th February (a completely well and healthy boy weighing 7 lb 1 oz!) and was there a blanket to be seen?  No, there was not!  I can't blame the early arrival, I hadn't started or even bought yarn.

I nearly didn't bother, but after chatting to our friend I felt he actually would really appreciate the blanket, even though he didn't expect it.  So, fuelled by a big dose of my own guilt, I have been spurred into action!

Below was my inspiration, it is the border version of the wallpaper they have in their nursery.  So I wanted blue, green, orange, yellow and a soft red.

I made a yarn order late on Wednesday night from Love Knitting which arrived on Friday - lovely and quick!

I didn't get a picture before I started using the colours, as it was too dark when I got home from work on Friday.  I think the colours work - they are not as muted as the wallpaper, but I like the brightness.  I think it'll give a pop of colour, whilst coordinating with the nursery theme.  (I hope they'll agree!  It's always a bit nerve-wracking!  But without taking a swatch of wallpaper into a yarn shop, it would have been a difficult to get a perfect match... I'm actually starting to worry about whether they'll like the colours as I type this...!  Must stop worrying!)

Colours are:

Paintbox Simply Aran:
Paper White
Sky Blue
Daffodil Yellow
Mandarin Orange
Spearmint Green

Stylecraft Special Aran:
Pomegranate

I've never tried Paintbox yarns before, so I decided to give them a go after hearing good things.  I wanted a soft red, though, and they didn't seem to have what I wanted, so I went with the Stylecraft Pomegranate which I've used before and knew was the colour I was after.

I decided to go for a v-stitch design, with 6 rows of colour separated by 2 rows of white.  The red was in a bit of a shadow in this picture, it's not as deep as it looks there.  This shows it better...

Looking at that picture, I do love the colours.  I think they make a lovely cheery baby blanket.

As you can see, I am doing rather well considering I didn't get the yarn unil after work on Friday evening!  This is by far the quickest I have every progressed with any crochet blanket.  I've been working my fingers to the bone on this one - guilt will do that!

I still have plenty of ends to sew in, as you can see.  But... I have tried running the white yarn up the side of the blanket rather than cutting it off, to minimise on the ends.  I'm planning to go round the blanket with a row of white single crochet, so the white carried yarn should be hidden away.  I will let you know how it goes!

Anyway... I haven't got time for blogging - I've got to get this blanket finished!!

Check out my completed crochet items here.

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