A set of baby blankets with animal characters worked into them – kitty, puppy, bear and angel designs, each with a head and paws that extend beyond the blanket body.
All are crocheted in worsted weight yarn.
Sizes
The kitty blanket finishes at 26 x 28 inches without the head or paws. The puppy is 31 x 32 inches, and the bear is a similar size. Those measurements are the blanket body only – with the head and paws attached, each is noticeably larger.
These are pram and crib sizes rather than cot blankets. That is the right size for the purpose: a blanket a baby can be wrapped in and carried, not one that stays on a bed.
Yarn
Worsted weight in a soft, machine-washable fibre. This is not negotiable for a baby blanket – it will be washed constantly, and anything requiring hand-washing will be quietly retired within a month.
Check the yarn against your wrist rather than your fingertips before buying. Something that feels fine to adult hands can be scratchy against a baby’s face, and a blanket with an animal head is going to end up against a face.
Safety
Embroider the eyes and nose. Safety eyes are quicker and look neat, but a blanket is chewed, dragged and slept on, and no attached component should be assumed to stay attached forever. Embroidered features cannot come off.
Avoid long loose strands anywhere on the piece. Weave every end in thoroughly and trim it close.
Working the shaping
The heads and paws are worked separately and sewn on. Pin them before stitching and look at the whole blanket laid flat – a head set slightly off centre is very obvious once the piece is finished and much easier to fix while it is still pinned.
Sew them on securely, all the way round, with the same yarn.
