Saturday 1 July 2023

KANGAROO n JOEY BLANKET

The full KANGAROO n JOEY BLANKET - a free crochet pattern from Sweet Nothings Crochet

KANGAROO n JOEY BLANKET

Start with granny square idea and then add the adorable motifs.. and spread smiles when you present this to a cute baby .. how do you like it?

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Come along then and let’s work on this beautiful creation together.

Materials used : Today I’ve used ~ 400 gms in 3 different colors of Spotlight (Semco) acrylic yarn with a 4 mm crochet hook ; embroidery needle & fabric glue to seal ends 

This yarn is not specific for this project.
You can use any yarn with a suitable hook to make this project to any size.

For Indians : You can use Oswal 4-ply, Vardhaman Millennium for a light blanket or Ganga Alisha for a slightly warmer/heavier finish
You could use Anchor , Red ros ; Red rose metallic ; Laura or unbranded  knitting cotton as well as  acrylic yarns
International yarns :  Among the international yarns I have used, I’d suggest Aunt Lydia Cotton 10, Aunt Lydia Bamboo-Viscose 10, DMC Petra, Sullivans knitting cotton (Australia), Milford Soft, Hilaza Rustica Eclat , Alize cotton yarn and Alize bamboo yarn.

Size made : 30" x 30"
This is only given to you to get a general idea of how much yarn you may need.  
You can make this to any size to just use up your yarn.

Difficulty level : Intermediate to Advanced Skill level. 


Stitches used :
How to hold your yarn in crochet : https://youtu.be/FwOlCbGdbqY
Starting slip knot :  https://youtu.be/lJcqsVcs8cw 
Starting slip knot 1 or the Sloppy Slip knot :  https://youtu.be/YfC7KmGpifs

Abbreviations used :  (Using U.S terminology)
lp(s) : Loop(s)                  sc : Single crochet
dc : Double crochet         sp : Space                                           
sl-st : Slip stitch               ch : Chain
st(s) : Stitch(es)               hk : Hook
yo : Yarn Over

Instructions : (Using U.S terminology)
Please note that I start all my rows with a ch 1, turning chain for ease.
Please check the top of this blog for easy video tutorials on all stitches used in today's pattern.
Please read through all my notes before you pick up your hook, so you know just where we're heading in our pattern.
In my patterns I work with the principle of stitch count and body measurement.  
This means that you need to work the stitch count in pattern, till you get the measurement (length and/or width) that you need for your project. 

What do you need to know for today's project
What is a chain stitch ?
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXx5ukBjKkY
Double Crochet : dc : yo, insert hk into st ; yo (3 lps on hk); [yo, draw through 2 lps] twice.  One dc made.  Check out the video at https://youtu.be/xdnjB27zpYo
Chainless start for Double Crochet : I dislike the ch-2 / ch – 3 start, and this is what I do to start my row of dc.
Check out the video at https://youtu.be/wskv3iTjRx0

There are two parts to this creation.  
Part 1 work a granny square.Go here for the blanket pattern
The only difference is that at the end of every round I turned and I feel that this made this a perfect square.
For advanced crocheters : So basically we are using the linen stitch and this is the stitch https://youtu.be/ui2s0V-dGPg


Detail of the linen stitch

I added in colors as I went around and got a nice pattern automatically
And here is how I work with 2 colors https://youtu.be/-nfw19DeOjU

Detail of the 2 colorsBorder detail

Part 2 : Add in the adorable kangaroo motif.
I used this pattern here.  I tweaked it a bit to suit my requirement as I wanted it a bit larger (especially with the slender yarn I was using). So my tweaks were just to start with more stitches and then work more rounds around.  
For the ears (again for advanced crocheters), rather than make them separate and then attach, I decided where I wanted them (placed markers for ease of finding them as I worked around), and then when working the head with sc (for a neat finish round), I worked 6 chain ; sc in the 2nd st from hk , hdc in the next 2 sts, dc in the next 2 sts and we're back at the head ; sk the next 2 sts on head and sc in the next st till you reach the 2nd marker for the 2nd ear
Kangaroo motif detail
and once you've done the motif, attach it to the centre of your little blanket

Joey motif detail
The link for the kangaroo motif has a pouch - but I added in a little joey too - following the same pattern and making sure it was small enough to fit into the pouch. Cute eh?

Another idea is using that complement the kangaroo (maybe brown and green? along with white or off-white) - I've done this before and I think it really makes all the difference.. (and for Indians : Ganga Alisha yarns have some lovely solid and multi colors that complement one another)

I added pompoms to the ends of my blanket.  You could do tassels (nice fat soft ones) too.  Here is a video on how to make tassels (the video makes slender ones - you just add on loads more yarn to make this squishy ones)
Photo showing the edges with pompoms
Have fun and do remember to share my blog post when you show off your creation.
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If you're visiting me here for the first time, and have liked the experience, do add me to your mailing list (for your convenience) , and all my future free patterns will come straight to your mail box.  

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Have a great day and see you soon. 


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