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Published on March 30th, 2015 | by Merion

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Crochet with Kate: Darling Daisy Blanket

Join in with Crochet Club’s tutorial this week, where Kate Eastwood from Just Pootling shows you how to make the most fabulous baby blanket sprinkled with daisies!

Daisies are one of my favourite flowers – there’s something so symmetrically pleasing and simple about them so the fact that this blanket allows them to last all year round makes it just about perfect in my eyes ! The white flower works well in so many colourways but I particularly love it made up in pinks for this cot sized baby blanket.

For a finished blanket measuring 71cm x 82 cm (made up of 42 squares), you will need:

Drops Merino Extra Fine

• 16 x Pink
• 2 x Natural
• 1 x Cerise

A 3.5mm crochet hook and a tapestry needle for sewing the flower middles.

Stitches used UK:  chain (ch), slip stitch (sl st) double crochet (dc), half treble (htr), puff stitch, treble (tr)

Stitches in UK terms:  Double Crochet (dc), Treble Crochet (tr), Half Treble (htr), Chain (ch), Puff stitch, Slipped Stitch (sl st).  (In the US, a single crochet is a UK double crochet; a double crochet is a UK treble, a half double crochet is a UK half treble. Please click here to see a helpful crochet stitch conversion table!)

Each square is worked in half trebles (htr) around a circle shape for the flower . There are a total of 6 rounds to each square with a final edging round of double crochet.

To begin, we make a small white circle.  Chain 4, and slip stitch to make a circle:

Chain 1 and extend the loop to roughly the height of a TR stitch.  Next, * ( YRH, insert hook in central ring and pull up loop ) x 3 times, YRH and draw through all the loops on the hook. CH 1.  *

Repeat from * to * 7 more times, and slip stitch to join to the first chain.  You should now have a flower with eight petals:

We are now going to join in the main pink and begin to build up our rounds of half trebles (htr). Join your yarn in by pulling a loop through one of the petal spaces, from the back to the front,  and Chain 2. Then work 2 htr in to the same space.  Work 2 htr into the next space, and we reach the first corner.  Ch 2, and then work another 2 htr all in to the same space.

In the next space work another group of 3 htr. The next space is your second corner so work 2 htr, 2 ch, 2 htr all into the same space. Continue working around the square and join together with a sl st in the top of your first ch 2.

After joining your first round together ch 2, and work 2 htr into the same space.  In the next space work 3 htr, repeat in the next space, and then work the corner of 2 htr, 2ch 2htr.

Continue working round and close the second round by joining with a sl st.                                    Chain 2 and begin Round 3.   The basic pattern for each round is:

• Corners: 2htr, 2 ch, 2htr
• Spaces along the side: 3tr

Work 6 rounds for each square, and then edge each square with double crochet, working three dc into each corner stitch.  Finish each square by carefully sewing in the ends.

Make 42 squares.  Now you’re ready to sew French Knots in the centre of each daisy with the Cerise shade yarn.  Use double threaded yarn, and push the yarn up from the back of the square, back down through the centre of the flower again and hook it through the loop to make it fasten securely.

Then thread your needle and yarn back up through the centre of the flower again, wrap the yarn around the needle twice and thread it back down through the middle again.

Once all your squares are complete, I cannot recommend enough that you take the time to block them. It really does make all the difference and you’ll be pleased you took the trouble when it comes to sewing all the beautifully flat squares together !  Simply spray all of your squares with water so that they are damp and then spread them out on to your blocking boards, easing them in to shape as you go and then pinning them to hold them in place.  Then just leave the boards somewhere at room temperature to dry – normally overnight does the trick.

Now for the really fun bit of sewing them altogether! Take all of your blocked squares and lay them out as you want your blanket to be.  Pin three strips of squares together from top to bottom, and then working in dc,  crochet the squares together all the way along from top to bottom.

The double crochet gives a really neat join all the way along – and when joining each set of squares together just crochet across from one to the next.

Once you have crocheted all of the three strips together  pin the last two seams together and crochet from top to bottom in dc.  This will leave you with all of your squares sewn together lengthways and gaps where the squares need to be joined widthways. Carry on joining your squares together in exactly the same way but this time working from side to side.

Once you have sewn all of the strips of squares together, it’s just the finishing off border to do! Work two rounds of dc to start with, one in pink and then one in white, remembering to work 2 dc into each corner stitch.

Then work one round of dc in pink but this time, work into the back loop of the stitch only. You will see as you do this that it gives a good definition between this row and the last row, which works well for the base of the final ruffle edging.

At the end of this round ch 3, and then work 2 tr into the same stitch.  Continue working your way around the blanket working 3 tr in to each stitch and in no time at all you will see the ruffle beginning to form!

For a gorgeous final touch, work one last round of sl st in white, working into the back loop only to create a lovely flat finish to the stitch.

You’re finished!  Make the Darling Daisy Blanket and show off your finished crochet in our Projects section, where you can inspire other crochet lovers and look at a fabulous array of gorgeous crochet garments, accessories, motifs and homeware!

Loved this? Discover even more:

Bella Coco’s Sunburst Blanket Tutorial Crochet Club: Poppy and Daisy Garland by Kate Eastwood Crochet Club: Baby Star Blanket by Kate Eastwood Crochet with Kate: Meadow Picnic Blanket!

About the Author

Merion Merion dreams in colour and adores crochet! From glorious granny blankets to ethereal shawls and lace cardies, she's never very far from her hooks! She loves cake, knitting, heavy horses, books and Mozart. Her favourite colour is duck egg blue.