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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Lined Granny Lovies






These are so fun!  The granny stitch makes for a fast workup, and these are easy to line with fabric!  I made these and lined them with a fat quarter.  :)  The size makes them perfect for a Lovie blanket for any little one to carry around the house.  You could easily make these larger to bigger quilts.  My husband loves crocheted blankets, and I think the next one I make for him will be lined this way!
Lined Granny Square Lovies

Materials Needed: This really depends on you.  Any yarn will do, and you just need the appropriate hook size for the yarn you choose.  I used up some leftovers of Caron Simply Soft and an H Hook.

You will also need thread and either a sewing machine or a needle and some patience.  :)

Basic Granny Square Instructions:
R1:   Ch 4.  Join with sl st in 1st ch made to form a circle.  Ch 3.  2 DC in center of circle.  Ch 1.  3 DC in circle.  Ch 1.  3 DC in circle.  Ch 1.  3 DC in circle.  Ch 1.  Join with sl st in top of ch 3.  Turn work.

You may change colors here if you choose.

R2:  Sl st in ch 1 sp just made.  Ch 3.  2 DC, ch 1, 3DC in same space.  Ch 1.  *3 DC, ch 1, 3 DC, ch 1* in each sp around.  Join with sl st in top of ch 3. Turn work.

You may change colors here if you choose.

R3 and beyond:  Sl st in ch 1 sp just made.  Ch 3.  2 DC in same space.  In each ch 1 space (except corners) you will made 3 DC, ch 1.  In each corner, you will make 3 DC, ch 1, 3 DC, ch 1.

Make the square as big or small as you like.  You can even make a group of smaller squares and stitch them together to make one big square or a rectangle or whatever shape you like!

To Line Blanket/Lovie:
Choose a large enough piece of fabric to line one side of the blanket while leaving a border.  I purchased a fat quarter (18" x 22") for my blanket which measured about 19 1/2" square.  Iron your fabric flat.  Trim fabric to desired size and pin to your crochet work.  Sew using thread to match the yarn color you are sewing through.  For example, I chose pink thread and sewed through the layer of fabric and the crochet work through one of the pink lines.  This way, when you look at the blanket on the crochet side, the thread isn't easily noticed.  You can hand sew this as well, but my sewing machine is much faster.  :)  I also sewed a bit in the center.  I would recommend doing that by hand if possible.  Just sew the center circle to the fabric.  I used my machine and needed more space, so I have a square in the middle of my fabric - which is fine with me as I plan to cover it with an applique.  That is a tutorial for later!  ;)

11 comments:

  1. Your "lovies" look great! When using your sewing machine, did you have the crochet side down or the lining side down? Did you have any issues with the feed dogs on your machine and the blanket? Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

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    1. I would put the lining side down, knowing my machine anyway, it wouldn't get far otherwise! I would go slowly and sort of finger-feed the yarn on top through the feed dogs. You could also put a piece of tear-away tissue paper on top but it might be difficult to see if you were stitching evenly along the row.

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  2. R2 seems like too many stitches? Is this correct?

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    1. Be sure you are working the clusters in the spaces only (sp), not in each stitch (st) around.

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  3. Do you have to line the blanket? Or can you just leave as it is? Thank you in advance. It's a very beautiful blanket

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  4. Do you have to line the blanket? Or can you just leave as it is? Thank you in advance. It's a very beautiful blanket

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    1. I don't think you would have to line it, but I think that's what makes this special-looking. It is basically one big granny square and if you don't line it, it would be fine, but possibly a baby would get their hands or fingers stuck through the spaces between clusters.

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  5. Thank you that's very helpful advice I really appreciate your help. ☺

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  6. I've already finished the blanket but I have a question about the fabric. Do you double fold it so it doesn't unravel?

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