New baby on the way? What better time than to crochet a beautiful matching gift set for the precious little one with these 6 gorgeous baby blankets and matching accessories. We’ve made a slight change, we’ve swapped Grass (825) for Fern Green (603) and Light Grey Mix (814) for Grey Marl (592).....delicious combination! Next you are working granny stripes. Which are just like the stitches used to make a classic granny square. Your finished blanket, in soft, washable Bonus DK will be about 120cm x 160cm, perfect for picnics or to give your sofa a Spring makeover. Sue Rawlinson of Sweet Pea Crochet has designed 6 beautiful, coordinated bundles for every occasion, from bringing the baby home to that all-important first outing.

My career had been such an important part of my life that I found it difficult being at home all day, so I started reading lots of creative blogs and then decided to dip my toe in the water and set up my own. That is such a hard question, but I think it is a traditional granny square. You can sit and watch the world go by without thinking too much and yet produce a beautiful piece of timeless crochet. I would say to just give it a go, it doesn’t have to be perfect at the beginning. You can always work on improving your photographs and you have to start somewhere. My brief was to design a blanket with a spring-like feel that was suitable for a child. It had to be a pattern that would suit a beginner who can work double and treble crochet stitches.row: 1ch (this is not counted as a stitch (st) throughout the pattern), work 1dc in every st to the end of the row, turn. You will still have 120 sts, now and throughout. A little while ago I was commissioned to design a spring crochet along and it was such a pleasure to be asked. I have had a busy few months crocheting samples and finalising my design, and it has accompanied me everywhere. It has been a lovely project to work on during the cold grey, wintery days. Many of the smaller projects such as cozy beanie hats can be finished in an evening, so they are satisfying to make and even more satisfying to give away. Eighth round: Join cream and work 3ch, work 1tr in each st to corner, work 3tr in corner st. Repeat referring to the pattern. Sl st in beginning 3ch.

Far too many influences to list but since my early days of blogging I have always been inspired by these three amazing, creative women Sarah Shrimpton, Kate Eastwood and Mandy O'Sullivan. I think my proudest achievement was taking wonderful woodland creature illustrations by Posy + Petal and turning them into crochet designs for amigurumi figures (pictured). I was so pleased with the little family of four creatures, Posy, Petal, Maple and Clover.

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Along with illustrated crochet techniques, there are also suggestions for gifting and finishing touches such as crocheted ties to keep your blanket folded when you give it as a gift. The blanket ties can be embellished with mini pompoms, crochet hearts or crochet flowers. row: Work 3ch, then work 1tr in the st at the base of the beginning 3ch, *work 3tr in the space between the next 2 tr-groups; repeat from * to the last 2 sts, skip 1 st then work 1tr in last st, turn. When you come to the end of your 6th row, start to work the first part of your last tr until there are 2 loops on your hook and instead of using your current yarn to pull through the last 2 loops on your hook, change to Cream, take the yarn round the hook and pull through the last 2 loops.

First round: With cream, work 3ch, then work 1tr in each st to next corner, work 3tr in corner st, 1tr in each dc row-end and 2tr in each tr row-end to next corner, then work 3tr in corner st. Repeat referring to the pattern. Finish with slip stitch in beginning of 3ch. row: Work 3ch, skip the st at the base of the beginning 3ch and then work 1 treble (tr) into the next st. Work 1tr into each st to the end of row. My favourite fibre is cotton. I love the stitch definition but it's not great for beginners so I would always advise a good quality acrylic to start with. I always have lots of projects on the go at any one time. I especially love blankets and have baskets full of them for my grandchildren to snuggle under. Over the past year, I have also started to design and write my own crochet patterns.I also wanted it to be a blanket that could easily be popped in the washing machine (an essential requirement for a child’s blanket). The yarn I chose was Stylecraft Special DK which is a favourite of mine. It is hard wearing and easy to wash. It also comes in a great array of colours and is very economical.

Work sl st in next st, then 1tr in next st. Continue referring to the pattern. Work sl st into top of first tr. Row 80 and 81: Work 1ch, and then 1dc in each st to end. Change to dark pink on last yrh of last tr.Each bundle includes a baby blanket plus 2 or 3 other gifts such as a soft bunny to cuddle, a pretty garland to hang, snuggly mittens, a baby bear comforter and matching cushions.