Adding Ribbon to Crocheted Blankets (Blanket Stitch Blanket)

This post is sort of a two for one. I showed how to do the Blanket Stitch in a post, now I am going to show you the results of that stitch and a modified version of it. Also, I will show you how to add ribbon to a project.

Finished Product for a friend's Wedding

This blanket has a funny story behind it. I started doing the blanket stitch for it and suddenly life got in the way. I put it aside for a while, focused on other projects and wedding gifts and when I picked it back up I forgot how to do the stitch! I thought I had it right but I forgot a small detail. You have to chain 2 before starting the next round of stitches! 

So I may have invented a new stitch. I have never seen anything close to this before so not sure if it goes by a different name but for now I will call it the "Little Blanket Stitch", it is done the same way as a blanket stitch with one less chain. (The Little Blanket Stitch will turn out bumpy, the normal Blanket Stitch will be flat). 

When the blanket is done (I worked a chain of 150 for 100 rows), You want to add the border for the ribbon. Chain one after the last row, in the first chain from the hook place two double crochets. Next chain three and then place two double crochets in the next spot. (Spot being where you would have placed the blanket stitch). It should come out looking like the picture below. Make sure you repeat the process all the way around. On the corners you will place two  double crochets, chain three and place the next two double crochets in the same corner before continuing.

Before adding the Ribbon

There are a few ways to lace up your blanket. I did mine the hard way since it was my first time. I started at one end and tried to work my way back around. This was very difficult because once you make the turn (and even before) the tension will pull the blanket tight together (the way a drawstring bag would close). I suggest trying to unravel the whole spool of ribbon, finding the middle and work from the middle out. (Or you can start at the 3/4 mark and do three sides and then meet the ends up that way). To me this sounds easier because you will already have enough slack to go around. 

Cautions and Tips: 

I got a spool of ribbon from Michaels, it was about $7.99 (CAN), and it was a good size spool. It just to say went around this blanket, there was enough to tie a bow and that was it so be careful when playing around with the size of the blankets. 

Me and My Big Ideas - Lacey Charm Album

I usually buy albums in person but I found it is cheaper sometimes to order them online. At a craft store like Michael's the albums can go for $40.00 (CAN) if not more I've also bought some albums at "Dollar Stores" or variety stories for about half the price but that is still just the book. I found some wonderful books on amazon including this one. For just $34.99 (CAN plus free shipping), I got the beautiful album, 20 pages (12 x 12), three sheets of stickers and a spool of black lace. These sheets are designed very nicely (with a lace look to most of them) and there is enough to fill up the album. In my experience most scrapbooking sheets with designs on them are at least $2.00 if not more so for the price this is a good buy.

Lacey Charm Album

K and Company Classic Wedding Scrapbook Kit (12 x 12)

As I said in a previous post scrapbooks can get expensive. At Michael's the cheapest you can find would be $30.00 dollars give or take unless there is a really good sale or you have a coupon. I one was gifted a scrapbook that cost close to $50.00 so they can get really expensive. The paper can get expensive also, even at a "variety store" they cost at least $1.50 each with the books being around $20.00 and stickers anywhere from $2.00 - $5.00. So this kit for around $33.25 is a good deal. It comes with the book, 12 pages, and four pages of stickers. And they are all very beautiful.

Wedding Scrapbook Kit

Mel & Vince's Wedding Graphgan

I have been teaching myself new crochet stitches and trying new projects out. I had always seen beautiful graphaghans but never thought I could make one. Until one of my friends sent out her wedding invitations it never even entered my mind that I could make something like that! So I started searching the internet for a pattern I liked, that was also wallet friendly. I couldn't find anything that I really liked so I took on the task of making my own! (I used: Stitchboard.com) The graph I made was not perfect but after printing it out I could make the changes I wanted and could see the pattern and where little imperfections would be.

Their wedding colours are blue and yellow so I made a blue blanket with the yellow details (replaced white in the pattern with blue and black with yellow). I also decided to make the birds all yellow (so i had to replace the white inside the outline with yellow instead of blue). The pattern worked from bottom to top so I started with the date.

I started with a few double crochets in yellow and in blue (10-30), and then I did 10 single crochets in blue before starting the pattern.  This is the date finished, as you can see I sewed in the ends on the front but not on the back yet. You can sew in the ends whenever you want, but try not to do them close to the row you were working on or it may make the stitches too tight. 

Between the date and the birds I did 11 rows of white (blue in this case) to space it out. You need to make sure that you follow the pattern. for example because the called for lets say 15 rows of white you must make the number you change to an odd number also. If you do not, say if I would have done 10 or 12, I would have started on the opposite side of where the pattern should be. (Patterns work from left to right, so you must follow them or you will end up working right to left when you should be working left to right). 

Here are the birds, all done, the ends are sewn in on the front. After this I did 13 single crochets in white (blue), to space the birds out.  

I only had the name left after the birds, and once the names were done I finished it the way I started, with 10 single crochets in blue and 10 - 30 in blue and yellow (repeating what I did to start the blanket). 

This is the final product! 

I am very happy with the way it came out. Not too bad for my first graphgan! The Pdf file for this pattern is available on our facebook page! 

I can not post the pdf file here or I would.  To finish off the gift I made a cute picture with a nice poem called Saying I Do.