I’ve just finished this crochet giraffe baby blanket project and wrapped it up in a pretty box.
Feels wonderful to reach the end!
When we found out we were going to be first-time grandparents, I had a hard time not asking one question…
“What colors are you going to use in the nursery?”
As an avid crocheter, I could not wait to make up all kinds of baby items – and a blanket was first on my mind.
It took a few months before I’d get my answer – gold, silver, and white.
Knowing that Mommy-to-be loved giraffes I started hunting down ideas for patterns I could use both for a blanket and for an applique giraffe.
I am so thrilled with the end result thanks to a few designers who shared just what I needed.
The Baby Blanket Pattern
I’m not the most organized crafter but for this project, I kept detailed notes as I laid out my plan. It was the first time I intended to combine multiple patterns.
After browsing through multiple (and I mean probably 30 or more!) blanket patterns I settled on the free Marshmallow Clouds modern heirloom blanket from OneLittleHook.
I went with this one for two reasons. First, I loved the ruffled edge. Second, the stitch combination looked fun.
And it was!
The directions were excellent and the finished result was just the right weight.
I wanted something that was fluffy-ish and warm as my step-daughter lives in North Dakota and it gets incredibly cold in the winter.
But it’s not so heavy that it would be uncomfortable for a baby. I wouldn’t use it in the summer but it should be perfect all other times of the year.
The Yarn
I happened to have a collection of Joann gift cards and started planning out the project just before Thanksgiving.
Out of sheer luck, I went to Joann’s online site on Cyber Monday when they were running a big sale. I didn’t even realize what day it was at the time.
Lion Brand Basic Stitch yarn was about half off and it had just the colors I needed. Plus, it’s anti-pilling which I hope helps it hold up over time. It should be easy to wash, too.
I used White for the body of the blanket and the middle ruffle. I used Mustard for the two outer ruffles.
I also used Mustard for the body of the giraffe with White and Silver Heather for accents.
This yarn was really easy to work with. It didn’t split, there were no knots or tears in the yarn, and it feels nice and soft.
I did end up ordering too much but am now making matching scarves to gift to Mommy & Daddy.
Creating the Giraffe Applique
Making the giraffe applique was the most challenging step in this project.
You know when you want a certain level of “cute”? There were lots of available patterns online but I struggled to find one that was just what I was after.
The first pattern I settled on was for the head only and when I finished it, even hubby – who already knew what I was making – couldn’t tell that it was a giraffe.
I found a second pattern on Etsy for a complete head and body and liked it much better.
It took me longer to make the giraffe than it did the blanket and I had a baggie of giraffe parts sitting on the kitchen counter for a good month before I forced myself through the assembly.
Attaching crochet applique is not my favorite kind of work but this went pretty smoothly and took about an hour.
Wrapping the Gift
Once the blanket was finished I toyed with different ways of wrapping it as a gift.
It didn’t seem right to stuff it into a gift bag or bundle it into a squishy mass with wrapping paper.
I wanted the blanket to be something special and memorable to let our little angel know how much she was loved.
I found this sturdy, white, and gold gift box by Oxfrd & Comma on Amazon that was large enough to hold the blanket. I figured the box could be used as a memory box later or to store hair bands and other baby items.
I chose some gold heart tissue paper and butter yellow tulle to use for a bow around the box. (I had come across an elephant and heart-themed baby outfit with a matching headband and included that, too, because, well, it’s hard NOT to buy everything you see for a new grandbaby!)
At the same time, I happened to be making crochet flowers using the Never Ending Wildflower pattern by Yarn + Chai for another project.
I whipped one up using the same Gold yarn as I’d used for the giraffe, gave it a white center, and attached it to the tulle bow on top of the gift box.
In Time for Her First Birthday
Because I have more works-in-progress than I have finished projects, I was so worried I might never get this done.
I had visions of Grandbaby turning 18 and me remembering this partially completed blanket still buried somewhere in my craft room.
However, our granddaughter was born in December, the blanket is done, and she’ll have it before her first birthday. Yay for me!