Grandma Sally's Bitty Afghan ~ Free Crochet Instructions

I love combining my crafting inspiration for my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes with my memories of the past.  This crocheted lovey is a perfect example.  Years after learning to crochet from her teacher on her lunch hour in a one room school house, my grandmother made her 21 grandchildren and dozens of great grandchildren many crocheted gifts in her lifetime. One of her favorites was a granny square slipper which she made in various colors--changing the color every
row or so.  She never made anything for herself, but one year she took all of her scraps of yarn and made a giant granny square, or rectangle actually, where she picked up a new color whenever one of her scraps ran out.  It turned out beautiful--every one who saw it wanted it.  It looked like a woven design.  Just like her, it was one of a kind.

Baby Bellamy is testing out the bitty blankets.  
Yarn for these was inherited from my mother-in-law.

I designed this simple granny rectangle bitty blanket for shoe boxes in her memory. One day I will make one with all my small scraps, like she did.  I love to include a little, mini blanket in the 2 to 4 years old boxes.  I can picture a child cuddling a blanket for comfort--they usually just hang onto the edge of it, holding it near their face, often with their thumb in their mouth. These loveys are plenty big enough to accomplish that and provide comfort.

Grandma Sally's Bitty Blanket Afghan 17" x 12"

Supplies:

Approx. 3 1/2 oz. of worsted weight yarn (I used Simply Soft which is a lightweight worsted)
H crochet hook or size desired

Instructions:

Chain (ch) 20  TIP:  Use a hook one size larger for the chain--helps keep it from pulling too tight and is easier to work in.

Never turn your work.

Up-close shot of center (click image for a larger view).

First Row:

Work 3 single crochet (sc) in second ch from hook.

Work sc in top loop only of each chain across until you reach the last chain (17 sc).

Work 3 sc in last chain.

Work sc in bottom loop only of each chain across (17 sc).

Join with slip stitch (sl st) to first sc.

Second Row:

Make a **starting corner (see below) in same stitch as sl st

Skip one sc in row below and work *corner (see below) in next sc.

Up-close shot of first shell row corners (click image
for a larger view).

Skip two sc, work ***shell (see below) in next sc. Across (5 shells)

Skip two sc, work corner in next sc, skip one sc, work corner in next sc.

Skip two sc, work ***shell (see below) in next sc. Across (5 shells)

Join with sl st to top of ch 3 in starting corner.

Sl st in top of next two dc and in corner space.

Third Row:

Make a **starting corner (see below) in corner space.

Work shell between two corners in row below.

Work *corner (see below) in corner space of row below.

Work shell in space between each shell of row below. (6 shells)

Up-close shot of corner (click image for a larger view).

Work *corner in ch 1 corner space.

Work shell in space between two corners in row below.

Work *corner (see below) in ch 1 corner space below.

Work shell between each shell of row below. (6 shells)

Join with sl st to top of ch 3 in corner.

Sl st in top of next two dc and in corner space.

Rows 4 thru 12:

Make a **starting corner (see below) in corner space.

Work shell between each set of shells in row below.

Work *corner (see below) in corner space of row below.

Work shell between each shell of row below.

Work corner in corner space.

Work shell between each set of shells in row below.

Work *corner (see below) in corner space below.

Work shell between each shell of row below.

Join with sl st to top of ch 3 in corner. [Finish off after last row]

*Corners:
(3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc)

**Starting Corners:
[Ch 3 (counts as first Double Crochet [dc]), work 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in same stitch]

***Shell:
3 double crochets in same stitch

This blanket can be enlarged easily by continuing to add rows until it is as large as you would like.  If you want the balance between width and length to be different, add chains in sets of three (one shell) to add to the length.

My favorite is this one with a different color every  two rows.
I did not block this so it is a little crooked. 

You can find more mini blankets at this page:  Simply Shoe Boxes Mini Blanket Tutorial of the Month Club.

Check out all of our Crochet Tutorials for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.

Design and instructions copyright Simply Shoe Boxes.  Please enjoy using this design for your personal use and for gift giving.