baby afghan patterns

[RIPdotty]

Is there a good place to look for baby afghan patterns?  (I don't have kids and not a fan of being around the little ones)  I've been looking around a lot but many of the ones I see are kinda 'eh'.  Not sure if the mom would appreciate it or look at it like "this is hideous".  Much like the afghan my grandma gave me as a kid that I thought was so ugly and never used until recently (brown, pumpkin, and gold stripes).   I did just come across a granny stripes color-burst blanket crochet pattern, which i like, but it would be nice to have a few other patterns to decide between.  I have a closet full of yarn leftover from my color spectrum afghan so I'm trying to use what yarn I already have before buying anymore.  I attached pics of the colors I matched up and thought would look nice for a little girl's blanket.  Any thoughts or help?

[Granny Square]

The top photo's skeins, and the bottom 6 in the second photo I think go together nicely, there's a tertiary color wheel relationship between them.  The 2 at the top of the second pic clash a bit with the rest.

I think, with all of those colors I'd go for stripes or maybe Granny-type squares if you don't mind piecing squares together.  If you did squares with the last round all 1 color, it would bring them together and you could join as you go. I'd choose a simple stitch pattern with all the colors involved.

Is this the pattern you liked? I think this would work great, would be a simple-to-do but striking blanket.

http://www.ouicrochet.com/2015/02/granny-stripes-color-burst-blanket-free.html

Or, you could just go with a giant striped granny square; most patterns don't tell you to turn, but if you do (1) it won't skew, which is a problem with grannies that get too big (2) it would be completely reversible, no 'wrong' side.  Or the color burst but more than 1 row in 1 color. Or a center-out rectangle, same advice to turn https://crochetagain.com/2012/06/27/a-better-granny-rectangle/  You can vary the dimensions of a rectangle by figuring out what size you want, and what the difference of the length of the sides are - example, if you want a blanket 3' x 4', the difference is 1'.  The center 'spine' should be 1'.  Make a chain slightly longer than 1', work back on that chain until it looks about right, and pick out any extra chains (it won't unravel from the beginning end).  The reason: you are making stitches around the top, side, bottom, other side, and the stitches are all the same height, so if you've added 6" on one side after a round, you've added 6" to the other 3 sides too, so the difference between the length of opposite sides is still 1'.

Another thought is a granny ripple in the round http://www.treasuresmadefromyarn.com/2012/07/round-granny-ripple-pattern.html  or a striped granny ripple http://www.yarnspirations.com/bernat-ripple-waves-crochet-blanket/BRC0202-001810M.html?cgid=crochet-patterns-baby-afghans-blankets#start=7

[RIPdotty]

Are you talking about the 2 Teal-ish yarns?  Those just happened to be there, i was testing some peacock color schemes for an adult afghan. 

These were just colors I liked and hadn't locked in any color choices, since patterns can make you decide on different colors than you originally had planned.  I'm a guy, and over critical/ocd about anything I create, so I'm just not good looking for something considered to be a really cute baby blanket that someone would want.  Id be devastated if someone thought what I made for their baby was hideous and didn't use it.  Ive done research on the color combinations that work well, but i'm always stuck on the pattern portion. I did come across a few with animals in squares and such, but they were charging for them.   I realize there are simple stripe patterns I could use I just wasn't sure if that would come across as 'lazy' compared to the other afghans i've made.  Also since it's for a baby I had read you need to be careful on the yarn or stitch you use, and use softer stitches so it's easier on the babies delicate skin.  I was also planning to use to the hair conditioner soaking technique when the afghans complete to help soften it up.

I'll mull over your suggestions while checking out the links you provided.  Thank you so much for taking the time to help!

[Granny Square]

Yes, I meant the teal ones.  I couldn't quite put my finger on why, I was thinking they were too blue, but there are blues in the variegated...

I commented on this post before realizing it was 'you' with the gorgeous zig zag rainbow finished blanket.  I almost came back here and suggested that pattern might work too, but thought you might be sick of doing that pattern by now.

IMO, I think a fancy (lacy, cabled, etc) stitch pattern is spoiled by variegated yarns, or too many colors.  Multiple colors need a simpler stitch pattern.  Your other blanket worked because it was a blended rainbow look--and was basically stripes (very cool looking stripes).  That's why I was keeping the pattern suggestions sort of simple, also the one you were thinking of was granny-like.  Think of simple as elegant, not lazy.  Maybe some sort of stitch pattern where the color pattern and the stitch pattern repeats at the same time, if that makes sense.

As far as the colors, I personally think they'd be great for a baby blanket, not at all hideous!  Re: the softness and stitch thing,  I'm sure there are LOTS of babies happily cuddling in acrylic blankets right now, and over decades past.  Even ones with granny square holes.

[RIPdotty]

Thanks again for the help and encouragement.  I may try a baby apache's tears blankets, but not for a little whilte.  Are there any patterns that are particularly well suited for variegated yarns?  I know about planned color pooling (argyle) if the color change isn't too fast, but not sure of other ways to really make the variegated really shine.  I'm eventually going to try one using tunisan stitch, but that's another slow going stitch so i'm holding off on it for now. 

[Granny Square]

I'm the wrong person to ask about variegated yarns as I mostly avoid them as don't like the unexpected pooling.  I've mostly used it in knitting self striping sox or for 'faux isle' (phony fair isle) -- this pattern faux isle was my second knitting project  (yes I'm a glutton for punishment), but I prefer the type that's mostly 1 color with a blip of other colors here and there (no pooling), or has loooong gradual blended color changes (not the abrupt changes of most of the "cake" yarns).  

This pattern gives you an idea of how alternating solid with variegated rows with the granny 'stitch' like original pattern you suggested would look which is a nice way to 'tame' the color riot   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-granny-square-5

Re the faux isle, I tried to find something similar in crochet (but failed), that might be interesting/challenging to try using a tapestry technique (but might be thickish for a blanket)  Either 'borrow' a small knitting colorwork motif or a simple shape, like a diamond).

 

 

[bgs]

I find I get very frustrated working a whole baby afghan or lapghan with variegated yarn.  I rarely like the way the colors pool and if I get it started and like the way it looks I often cant get the next skeins joined to continue the same effect.  I have literally spent hours and hours on some projects crocheting and pulling them apart trying different sized hooks and starting at different points of the color sequence in the yarn.   I have finally learned that it does look good if you only use a few rows of it at a time between solid colors especially in granny squares or round ripples.  

See what happened here.  Its pretty typical.  I can tell you I tried for hours to get those skeins joined to match the pooling pattern on the first part.  

This one is about the only time I was happy after using multicolored yarn.  I really liked how the sc edge turned out.   That was just dumb luck as I was just trying to use the yarn up and there was just exactly enough to get around it in sc.

[Granny Square]

I like that maroon one!  The first one looks like one of those op art things, but I know that wasn't the intent!  Poor baby will get dizzy,  

[bgs]

Yep I have developed a great dislike for multi colored yarns.   I can tolerate it for potholders and even then I find myself wasting a lot of time trying to get the pooling tolerable.  After struggling with it for years I finally learned that it really only looks nice when you only use a few rows of it between solid colors.