Babettes and Klimtchen; crochet inspired by patchwork and/or Klimt.

There's the Babette crochet blanket, famously inspired by a Kaffe Fassett quilt...

 
...which you can buy at the Interweave online store:
http://www.interweavestore.com/babette-blanket

and view on Ravelry here:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/babette-blanket
(don't forget to check the projects tab for photos of finished versions).

It's not a cheap option to make, 22 skeins of very beautiful  Koigu KPM @$15AU/skein or so...but there's nothing to stop you being inspired by this idea.  At all.

....and if you want another crochet take, try the Gingerbread Lady's Klimtchen - little Klimt blankets (with a free tutorial and pattern/planning pdf, thank you!).

http://gingerschatz.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/tutorial-klimtchen-baby-blankets.html

Lovely!

Gingerbread Lady Klimtchen blog link to her brilliant tutorial on these blankets - photos and diagrams and info, oh my!:
http://gingerschatz.blogspot.de/2011/09/tutorial-crazy-patchwork-klimt-blankets.html

Gingerbread Lady Klimtchen pattern pdf:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/33097845/The%20Klimtchen%20Baby%20Blanket.pdf

The Gingerbread Lady is obliging enough to provide both UK and US crochet terminology (Babette would be in US, I'm guessing).

Whichever way you go, it's a great way to play with colour, from a baby blanket on up.

Note: links are in UK crochet terminology.

Note: links are in US crochet terminology.

Circles in squares pattern

This fun blanket (great colour choices!) was shown on Facebook then sold on Etsy (and made by Patchwork Heart, blog entry about it is here).  This pattern could make a simple sweet/bright baby blanket, or work for a child or adult.  It's got a lovely graphic quality.

Hand made crocheted blanket

				Hand made crocheted blanket A beautifully soft unique childrens blanket measuring approximately 100cm square and 660g in weight. With the attractive shapes and vibrant
				View on www.etsy.com	Preview by Yahoo

She sourced the pattern from the excellent tutorial on Just Do/Made by Do blog, which has clear step by step photos:

Just-Do: Circle in Square, a Tutorial

				Just-Do: Circle in Square, a Tutorial Hello ladies! Thank you for joining me today. On my last post I received a question about the pattern I used for the circles. I’m sure it must already be out there ...
				View on madebydo.blogspot.nl	Preview by Yahoo

http://madebydo.blogspot.nl/2013/02/circle-in-square-tutorial.html

Note: links are in US crochet terminology.

Slouchy crochet beanie in camel stitch

This one cleverly provides the rib and slouch of the many knitted beanies you see, but using crochet stitches (none difficult). It's from Sheepishly Sharing, and is called Camel Stitch Slouchy.

Image source: Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/camel-stitch-slouchy

You work the band (instructions are supplied for lots of sizes from littles to large), join it and then work the rounds of slouch to the size you require.

Camel stitch was a new one to me: but in UK terms it's simply a half treble worked into the back loop (US terms: half double crochet worked into the back loop).

It's another example of how exploiting front and back loops - easy to do -  can create interesting textures in crochet.

The pattern on Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/camel-stitch-slouchy

The pattern on Sheepishly Sharing:
http://sheepishlysharing.com/2016/01/02/crochet-camel-stitch-slouchy-tutorial/

The pattern on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/1PPc2ldR9Gk

Note: links are in US crochet terminology.

Pink Hat

As I told you back a little while in the blog entry about V-Stitch Chevron Beanies, that's a cool pattern.

And then a friend of mine became a grandmother, to the first girl born in their family in a while.  Cue  a sweet pink hat...

Pattern link: http://pinssneedles.com/free-crochet-pattern-quick-and-simple-chevron-hats-preemie-through-child-sizing/ (US terminology: instructions for various sizes) with photos and step by step instructions.

Pattern modifications: I crocheted the baby size in cotton/acrylic mix 8 ply yarn with a 4mm hook.  Didn't 'chevron' but had three colours of pink for a flowery effect (I hope).  Added several rows so it would have a brim, and added a picot edging which you can see in the detail brim photo.  Kinda invented the leaves.  Abandoned crochet for knitting for the i-cord 'stem', because knitted i-cord is faster and easier (and well-explained in many YouTube videos if you don't know how to do it).

Lucy at Attic24 has some tutorials on making crochet leaves, like this one.

(I've given it to them now, so I don't have it to hand any more to count rows or check any other details).

It's a bit of fun. I hope to see a photo of the little one wearing it.

UPDATE: and I have, and she looks very sweet.  And has some growing room in it...

Note:INSTRUCTIONS in UK crochet terminology.

Note: links are in US crochet terminology.

Interlocking Crochet

So I saw these pictures and thought, hmmm, interesting - how do you do that?

Maybe you make the background mesh first, a treble/chain/treble/chain etc, (the pink here) and then do the other coloured rows?

Tried that.  Nope.

Didn't know what it was called - not filet, as I couldn't find an example with two yarns, not overlay...

So I asked on a couple of Facebook crochet groups, and bingo!  A lovely person pointed me at this YouTube video:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9dm_bD-e78

The YouTube instructor, Tanis Galik, calls it Interlocking Crochet, and has a website with the same name demonstrating a bunch of interesting ways to create interlocking patterns.

http://interlockingcrochet.com/ic-technique/ is the link to where she explains the technique in words and photos.

As you can see in the video, it's different front and back: rows on one, columns on the other.  An opportunity to play with colour.  The video uses two colours, but I also like the stripes of the first picture I found. That picture is a close cousin of the interlocking technique demonstrated above, but not quite the same...

It's also cousin of front and back post crochet and the textures those stitches can create.

There would be a certain weight to the final product due to the density and doubling: a larger blanket in 8 ply wool wouldn't be light for its size.  Maybe better in 4 ply for a larger blanket, or if it's for a baby.

Something new to try.

Note: links are in US crochet terminology.

V-stitch Beanies

The knitters' and crocheters' guild I attend decided to supply the local NICU with Christmassy beanies this year.  I went hunting for a crochet pattern and lucked onto this excellent one:

http://pinssneedles.com/free-crochet-pattern-quick-and-simple-chevron-hats-preemie-through-child-sizing/ (US terminology: instructions for various sizes)

V-stitch has the advantage of having some stretch (some crochet can be more rigid than knitting) and the cheery chevron adds to the effect (I carried the colours up so only had four ends to work in).

Here are two I made:

Two more were made for newly-grannied friends.  The baby size only took a couple of hours to make.  I made some in soft merino wool and some in cotton blend yarn, all 8 ply, 4mm hook.

Our group gave over seventy beanies - how lovely to think of those little ones with warm Christmassy heads.

Note: links are in US crochet terminology.

Moss stitch

The background for the blog( at present anyway) is a moss stitch blanket I'm crocheting.  I'm using a wide variety of colours and brands in 8 ply cotton and cotton blend yarns, and a 5mm crochet hook.

I was inspired by this tutorial:
http://madebymriek.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/moss-stitch-tutorial.html

And if you want to try it, she has instructions in English and step by step photos.

In UK crochet terms, once you've started it's just dc, chain, dc, chain.  Lovely easy mindless chugalong crochet. The random colours add to its charm.

If you work it in one colour, then it's the same both sides.  As I'm starting a new colour for each row, one side is different to the other as I'm always starting at the same end (as opposed to turning and carrying on with the same colour).

My plan is a blanket around 60 inches square (100dc in each row). Colour choice for each row is pretty much random; sometimes I'm asking someone nearby to pick the next colour when I get to the end of the row.  At a social gathering the other day I had plenty of people to ask; and even ended up showing one of the other people how to crochet - she thought she'd forgotten. And remembered, and thought she might try it again...

In a smaller size, this has excellent scope as a baby blanket using odds and ends of yarn.

Note: links are in US crochet terminology.