Snugly Baby Nest Blankie

You KNOW I had to call it a 'nest', right?! I mean - this is the essence of nesting! How great - my insides are singing I'm so excited! (I probably shouldn't sing, but it's okay if my insides do.) If I were a dog, there would be puddles everywhere! I just finished my little project and now all I need is a little baby to snuggle. Or what I should say is that I need "a baby to BORROW." I love sleeping all night long - I don't want to mess with the good thing I've got going on.

This is going to be the new baby craze - you wait and see! A snugly, warm nest blankie (appropriately named because I love all things birdie and nestie) which completely contains those tiny legs and toes that always escape and kick off regular blankets. AND...during the winter months, these crochet blankets keep babies so warm and toasty - you never have to worry about them getting cold on account of the fact that they kick everything else off. Another thing I like about this blankie nest is that the top is extra wide and taller in the back, so you don't have to worry about the baby's face becoming covered up. And... it's reversible, too! Whatta deal!

SO...the way I'd use this would be to roll it up in my palms like a sock and slide it over the baby's clothing - or bundle a baby in a very thin receiving blanket and then slide this over the top of that.

Of course, I have NO idea what I did here because I never follow a pattern but I can give you the general idea. This is a pretty easy project - beginners should do just fine but feel free to email me if you need help.

So if you crochet, here's the basic concept:

First of all, I used two strands of Lion Brand yarn - one was "Fiesta", the other was "Olive," and I used a size "P" hook.

Start as if you were making a hat. Chain 4, join the first one with a slip stitch, do a single crochet in the center of your ring. Then single crochet into your first chain, chain one, single crochet into the next loop, chain one, etc. Do this until you get about 4-5 circular rings. Then, only single crochet, adding one chain every 4-5 stitches. Once you have the base as round as you need it, single crochet around and around, gradually adding one stitch (chain) every row or two, which will add a tapered width to the blanket. As you get closer to the top of the blanket, add 2 chains in each row (in any random place but not one after the other) in order to make it a little wider. If your blanket is TOO wide, undo what you need and add fewer chain stitches to your rows. (otherwise known as increasing or decreasing)

Once you get it as wide and tall as you want, you'll want to extend the back part of the blanket, so decide where you want the back to be and single crochet 4-5 more rows on the back half of the blanket. Then , for the ruffled edge, single crochet 3 stitches in one space, continue around, and tie up your threads and weave them with a needle through the blanket to hide them.

(Here are some photos of one without the ruffled edge.)

Don't forget that you have to either hand-wash or use the gentle cycle on your washing machine, and lay flat to dry. You could gently tumble them in the dryer, but I would be careful with that.