Maybe Matilda: FAQ :: Ruffles and Dots Crochet Baby Blanket

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

FAQ :: Ruffles and Dots Crochet Baby Blanket

Without a doubt, I get the most comments and questions on my Ruffles and Dots Crochet Baby Blanket, which I originally made and posted HERE back in April.


I've made this blankie quite a few times now, so I feel pretty well-prepared to tackle a frequently asked questions post about making this blanket.

(This yellow one is my most recent version--a customer at my etsy shop requested it in yellow, and I love it in this bright, cheery lemon shade! Up until her order, I had only made it in green over and over, so it was pretty exciting to try a new color.)

Q: What yarn do you use?
A: I've used quite a few different brands of yarn to make this blanket, and would recommend any of them. The original blanket, posted about here and pictured above with my little chubster atop it, was made using almost exactly 2 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky in, I think, Grass. That yarn claims to be bulky weight, which I heartily object to. It's no more chunky than the Olsen twins. I have also used Sensations Rainbow Classic yarn from Joann, and I liked it, with one minor annoyance--both times I've used this yarn, it has inexplicably broken. Like, I'm crocheting along, minding my own business, and bam, the strand of yarn just breaks in two, completely unprovoked. It's not a huge deal, since I just rejoin the yarn and weave in the ends where it broke, but I do feel slightly concerned that it might just be cheap quality yarn, although it does have the benefit of being super soft and comfortable, which I'm sure any baby would appreciate. I have also used Red Heart yarn, which I know some people get a little snooty about because it's, for lack of a better term, Walmart yarn, but I really loved the blanket I made using this brand. And although it's not quite as soft, it didn't go around crumbling to pieces on me like the stupid Sensations yarn did. Seriously, Sensations, go find a new friend to fall apart on. We're through.


Q: Did you follow the tutorial exactly, or did you make changes to it?
A: Yes to both questions. Since I've made this blanket a handful of times, I've sometimes followed these instructions from Tales From Cuckoo Land precisely as written, and sometimes made a few changes by increasing the number of stitches between bobbles to 8 or 9, or increasing the number of single crochet rows between bobble rows. I've loved the outcome both ways--play around with it and see what you like best! 

Q: How do you make the ruffly border?
A: This is also covered in Tales From Cuckoo Land's instructions--you can find the "frill" instructions in the second full paragraph beneath the last instructional photo. It's so easy to do, but is a bit time consuming--I swear, the border always feels like it takes just as long as the blanket itself.

Q: What size hook do you use?
A: I've used anywhere from a G to a K hook, and have liked the results every time. The smaller the hook, the tighter weave your blanket will have (and the longer it will take for you to finish your blanket); a bigger hook will mean you finish your blanket faster but will have a slightly looser weave. Personally, I prefer using a larger hook (a J or K) because it works up more quickly and is a little more breathable.

(Babies sure love playing with the little bobbles!)

Q: How long is your starting chain?
A: Want to hear something part funny, part humiliating? I don't think I've ever yet, in all the times I've made this blanket, had a starting chain with the correct number of stitches--I always (I'm not joking! Every dang time!) have to drop at least one stitch, or add at least one in as I go. Theoretically, getting the correct number of stitches to start with should not be all that difficult--just figure out how many stitches you want between each bobble and how big you want your blanket, and do the math--but I have never once gotten it right on my first try. Embarrassing, right? My excuse is that I was an English major . . . I haven't taken a math class since I was 16 (so, like, a million years ago. Have I mentioned that I'm old as dust?). But math deficiencies aside, to end up with a baby blanket about 35" square, I use a starting chain of about 90-100, depending on what my embarrassingly terrible math skills came up with as the number I'd need, and fix any errors in length when I get to the first row of bobbles. No biggie.


Q: Would this blanket be too hard for me? I just learned to crochet.
A: Nope! This is a great beginner pattern! If you want something that you'll be able to finish really quickly, it might not be your best bet--it's easy, but it is time-consuming--but if you don't mind a bit of  a time commitment, you'll love working on this blanket, even if you just learned to crochet. My sister-in-law visited us a few weeks ago while I was working on the yellow blanket pictured at the top of this post, and she wanted to start one, too . . . so she made one herself, and it was her first crochet project ever!  The only thing to remember as a beginner is that the instructions are written using UK crochet terms, so you can reference this chart for a translation to US terms if you'd like, although the pattern would still work and look great even if you didn't mentally switch every one of her dc's to an sc, and worked it up just as written.

I can't say enough good things about this blanket--I think it's such an adorable, modern look; babies love to play with the stitches, and it's a simple pattern to follow. There's also a tutorial right here for changing the color of your bobble, which would make for a really cool blanket, too. So, three cheers for Tales From Cuckoo Land for writing up the tutorial and instructions!

27 comments :

  1. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You know I have commented on this blanket already, I absolutely love it! It is my next big crochet project, and I can't wait to get started. I am going to use Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn, not sure what color yet, we will see what sways me at the store! Thanks again for posting this :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah, I absolutely love this blanket! If I ever get rolling with crocheting this will definitely be on my future-crochet-project-for-my-future-baby list.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this blanket (which I think I have stated before) - and I plan to make it. I had thought about changing the bobble colors so thanks for the reference for that!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't taken on a new crochet project in...well...forever! I only ever did things with completely straight lines ;) This blanket is SO seriously cute...you might have just inspired me to find my hooks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So fun to hear your process on this cute blanket! I love it!

    I have had the SAME THING HAPPEN TO ME with Sensations Rainbow Classic yarn!!!! I'm kinda glad to hear I'm not the only one!!

    ~ Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  6. I too LOVE this blanket. Thanks for the post!! Just went to Joann's today and got some yarn in a pretty, soft purple to make for my 2 year old girl, or maybe my girl-on-the-way (I'm about 6 months pregnant now, should be able to finish before she's born, right? :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is so adorably cute - I know two pregger ladies who will love this in the next 6 to 7 months!!!

    Thanks for the links!

    scrapproject365.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well I did wonder why I was suddenly getting a lot more traffic from you! Aren't you sweet.

    I never thought in a million years that I'd ever be writing a tutorial that spawned a heap of blankets! Utterly bonkers and makes me smile every time I think of it.

    I have to say that soon as I saw your green one many moons ago I had total colour envy. But the brown works well in my little old cozy 200 year old snug so I guess it was the right colour for me to choose, but oh how I LOVE that green. Did I say I love it?

    I never managed the maths either so I got out a piece of graph paper and plotted it out pictorially. Just a sample bit not the whole blanket you understand!

    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  9. I do love this blanket. Will have to give it a try. It is so very cute.

    I have had trouble with the Sensations yarn, too. I really hate when that happens.

    Ruth

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love this blanket -- super cute! I made a hat that kind of goes with it. I should post the pattern and send it over to you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hahaha... Old as dust. You crack me up! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh My Gosh!!! That is the sweetest blanket! You are so craft with that crochet hook!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Such a beautiful and fun blankie! I'm not a huge fan of making blankets, but this one makes me want to dive in! And I love your suggestion of making the bobbles a different color. I'm a huge fan of dots so that's right up my alley! Thanks so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Rachel . . . I continue to love the sweet yellow blanket you made for me. THANKS AGAIN for doing such a good job (and so quickly too)!!!

    Bethany

    ReplyDelete
  15. So still working on making a bobble stitch blanket for my upcoming baby. Almost done with the bobble-ing, and I have a question. Is the ruffle created right on the existing blanket, or is it made and then stitched on? If created right on the blanket, when you go up the sides, is each "hole" considered a stitch? And about how much yarn did you use for the edging? I'm trying to guess how much I need to save to do the border, I'm using Bernat Softee Chunky. Thanks!!
    My blanket has turned out pretty awesome so far, if I do say so myself :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Melisa--great work! Yes, the ruffle is created right on the blanket. And yep, when you go up the sides, just work into each "hole" at the end of the rows. The nice thing is, with a ruffly border, you don't have to worry about being too precise--since it's so compact and ruffly anyway, no one will ever, ever notice if you skip spaces, or put too many dcs too close together--it'll just make a slightly looser, or slightly tighter ruffle. As for how much yarn the edging will require . . . that's a tough one. When my sister-in-law made her blanket recently, she asked me the same question and I told her to save about half a skein for the border--and she barely made it around. So maybe shoot for saving more like 3/4s of a skein for the border, and hopefully that'll do it. I've sometimes run out of yarn after just one round of the ruffly border and have left it at that because I didn't want to go yarn shopping for just one more round of border, and that looks cute, too . . . just not as wide and ruffly.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks Rachel!! You're so helpful, you're like my personal (virtual) crochet teacher :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Rachel, I am a new crocheter and LOVE it! This is my second project ever, and I'm having trouble aligning the bobbles. I'm counting nine stiches in between each bobble and every other row starts with 14. yet, no matter what, the bobbles don't line up. Any advice?
    thanks! love your blog
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is the cutest blanket. Do you sell the pattern? I have tried to make it by beginning with 100 chains but it's not coming out right. (I don't know how to do the math) Any help would be appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I ADORE this blanket! Unfortunately, the links you gave for the instructions and for the "translation" page don't work anymore. The cuckoo land page just goes to their current front page, not to the instructions. The "translation" page gets a 404 error message. Sigh.

    Got updated links, perchance?

    THX!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Silly me! Found it the instruction! http://talesfromcuckooland.blogspot.com/2011/03/bobble-stitch-tutorial.html

    but not the "translation"

    ReplyDelete
  22. AND, found the other one...

    http://www.garnstudio.com/terminologyandconverter.php

    ReplyDelete
  23. I have a question about the Bernat Softee Chunky yarn you mention using for this blanket. I recently purchased it in a pretty eggplant color and began the blanket using a size "J" hook. After 4 rows it is so stiff it looks as if it could stand up at attention! Is it the yarn? Is it me? I tried switching to a "K" and get the same results. Any advice?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My first instinct was to tell you to use a bigger hook so you wouldn't end up with such a tight dense weave, but it sounds like you've tried that . . . have you gone any bigger than a K? You might give it a shot. It could be the yarn--maybe it's just too bulky. I crochet quite loosely, so bulky yarn works well with my loose stitches. Have you noticed if you crochet tightly? That would certainly make it much denser. You could also try altering the pattern a bit to create looser stitches--for instance, instead of using single crochets throughout the pattern, you could try using doubles; then, for the bobbles, instead of using doubles, try using trebles. Granted, I haven't made one like this, so I can't guarantee results, but it should give you a very similar finished look, but looser than what you've got now. If all else fails, try saving the Chunky yarn for another project and go with a worsted weight for this blanket. It is a bit of a dense blanket anyway, but of course, you don't want it to end up feeling like cardboard. I hope it works out for you!

      Delete
  24. Thank you for your reply! I'm guilty of being a "tight" crocheter (is that a word?)! I may play with using an even bigger hook, but I like the idea of going with the double crochet and triple too. One more question...after checking my gauge I calculated that it will take 9 skeins of yarn to complete the baby blanket where you used 2. Is that a tight vs. loose issue?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That could definitely contribute--if you're crocheting tighter, you'll probably use more yarn per row than a looser crocheter would, and pack more rows into your finished blanket whereas a looser crochet will have more stretch and openness. But I'm looking at the Bernat chunky yarn online and these skeins don't look nearly as big as I remember mine being. I'm positive that this is the yarn I used, but I remember my skeins being pretty large . . . like soccer ball sized. So maybe I used 2 mega-skeins or something! So my 2 skeins used might not be super accurate based on the size of the skeins online--mine were certainly much bigger than the ones on their website!

      Delete
  25. I think they come in a mega size skein. I bet that is what you used...but still, I've got to get "looser" or I'm going to break the bank!
    Thank you again for your quick replies!! I love, love, love your site and that precious baby of yours. I'm a new empty nester...no grand-babies yet, but I'm hoping the pretty baby blankets will get a certain daughter and her husband thinking...:)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...