Crocheting Blankets With Holes: Playing with Color and Line Patterns

Crocheting a baby afghan with a familiar and easy pattern allows me the freedom to play with different combinations of color and line.  I crocheted my first "blanket with holes" in March, 2017 as a baby gift for a friend of my husband's.  The mother was delighted to receive the blanket as the crocheted piece allowed for breathing holes while keeping her son warm.  As a matter of fact we met the same family at a recent recent party,.  She told me that she still packs the blanket everywhere her family travels, even on their long distance visit from Israel.  To find the original pattern with directions, please see http://www.lilcreates.com/lillians-blog/blankets-with-holes.  Since that first crocheted blanket I have made several others, including diagonal granny stripe,  mitered box, and V-stitched designs.  Some of my blankets have scalloped edges, others have picot trim, but most have a simple row of half-double crochet to neaten the lines. With all of the changes, I still return to my basic pattern, the extended  Granny Square, that incorporated the charm of the granny square, without all of that joining and weaving in of ends.

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Since I don't have to concentrate on complicated stitch sequences,  I feel free to concentrate on changing the colors for pleasing contrasts and patterns.  I generally crochet my baby afghans with thicker worsted yarn  and a J Hook.  The house yarn from Joanne's (The Big Twist) and A.C. Moore(Studio Classic by Nicole) are soft yarns at a reasonable cost.  I also like to add in Red Heart's Baby Hugs or Caron's Baby Cakes when they are on sale.  I want to achieve a colorful and huggable blanket that is pleasing to the eye and a delight to touch.

The blanket pictured in this article is 34'x 34".  It works works well in a crib, but is not overly bulky for a car seat or stroller.  At 19 months, my petite granddaughter, is still covered by her blankets.  To produce the extended Granny Square Afghan, you  will be crocheting from the center out.  To recreate the design in this blanket, follow the following sequence listed below.    When you change colors leave a 4-5 inch tail for weaving in end and clip off extra yarn.
For my blanket, I used the following colors:  A:  Rose,  B:  White,  C:  Heather Purple
Rows 1-6:  Color A
Row 7:  Color B
Row 8:  Color A
Rows 9-13:  Color B
Rows 14-17:  Color  C
Row 18:  Color B
Row 19:  Color C
Rows 20-24:  Color B
Rows:  25-28:  Color A
Row 29:  Color B
Row 30:  Color A
Row 31: Color B Fasten off, but do not cut off yarn.  Continue with same color to Row 32.
Row 32:  Crochet a round of Half Double Crochet around the blanket.  Make sure to make 3 stitches in each corner space.

As I received the rose and purple yarn from my Threads of Love group,  I will be donating this blanket to a child who has been hospitalized at Yale New-Have Hospital, in New Haven-Connecticut.  I have truly enjoyed making this piece, and am glad that it will bring comfort to an unknown young girl.

I just received an order from my BFF who wants to give one of my afghans to the grandson of one of her friends.  I have not decided on the pattern and number sequence yet.  However, I do know that I will be working with Light Blue, Dark Blue, White, and Varigated Blue and Gray.  With four colors, there are even more combinations for line count and sequence.  What a challenge!   I promise to post my creation when finished.