Crochet Blanket with initials

[ToniPain]

Hello I would like the make a blanket for my sons. I want to incorporate the first initials of their names in each corner, which are R and F but I am u sure how to go about it. I have made baby blankets before but this is my first big project. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can plan this out and get the letter shapes right. 
 

thank you 

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the ville!

First of all, you're going to have to know what your stitch gauge is.  Well, actually that's second, first you are going to want to plan for the portion of the blanket with the initials to be in sc, because that's the easiest and most common stitch to work with for colorwork.

There are a lot of graphed alphabets free on the internet - how big were you thinking?  Your stitch gauge + the typeface graph you pick will determine the size.  Example, making up numbers, let's say you found a free typeface that is 20 pixels (graph squares) high, and your sc stitches are 0.2" tall -- the letters will be 4" tall.  Since you were talking about 'in the corner', I'm going to guess that is plenty big (and there are lots of smaller typefaces).

I know the Antique Pattern Library has tons of free graphed alphabets, not all of them are strictly for graphwork - some are meant for needlepoint and aren't strictly grids, it's grids and embroidered lines, you probably want to avoid those.  There are lots of 'frilly' old fashioned typefaces but also plain ones.  They also have monogram style lettering, that might be an interesting idea for the below technique.

A second way to do this is planned freehand with surface slip stitch crochet, sort of embroidery with a crochet hook after the crochet fabric is done.  It is basically just slip stitching thru the fabric; the source yarn is held under the work, you pick out a 'hole' between stitches and stick your hook down thru the hole, pick up a loop of yarn and pull it to the surface, pick another hole, repeat.  This is planned freehand, you would probably want to plan it out on graph paper too - I would put a dot on the intersection of a grid, assuming the grids are stitches and the intersections are gaps between the stitches.   The surface slip stitch looks like a chain on the top side, and dashes on the back side.  You do have to cut the yarn every time you 'pick up the pen to write the letter' so to speak, so a cursive sort of lettering works well.

Edited June 6, 2020 by Granny Square

[Granny Square]

Forgot to say earlier if you don't have a pad of graph paper lying around, you can find printable graph paper on the 'net. 

Also, on the Antique Pattern site I linked, it might be a better idea to search under just crochet to weed out the alphabets meant for embroidery.  On the homepage, under a big lace graphic, there are categories in red boxes you can click (Battenburg lace, beading...crochet...etc.) 

Edited June 6, 2020 by Granny Square

[ToniPain]

@Granny Square thank you so much for your help I will have a look at the link you have posted. The surface slip stitch sounds like a good option but I would like to do it in one piece if I can, problem is I’m such a perfectionist and if I think I haven’t done something 100% right I’ll pull it all out and start again. I can see this project taking me a while lol my boys will probably be in their teens by the time I’m finished 😂

[MaryPat]

This site has patterns for each letter of the alphabet and a graph to accompany it.   You can select the yarn in which to do them.  You'd be making an applique.

https://www.mooglyblog.com/the-moogly-crochet-alphabet/

I have seen advice to never stitch an applique to an afghan using thread because the thread will cut through the yarn eventually.  I made an afghan in 1990 using good old Red Heart and stitched the 30 hearts on it with thread and it's still fine.  Maybe the durability of Red Heart ... who knows.

 

[ReniC]

This site has several pattern links for different styles of the alphabet that can be sewn or crocheted onto the finished project.

[ToniPain]

Thank you everyone for your help. So I’ve got my graph paper to plan and I have my yarn, I’ve had a look at the links that were posted and they have been a great help. I was wondering if there is a certain stitch that would be easier to work with when doing a project like this. 
 

thank you all again 

[Granny Square]

Upthread you said you wanted to do it 'in one piece', so I'd interpret that to mean 'stitch the letters as I make the blanket stitches'.  I should have emphasized that the surface slst embroidery is added after the fabric is made and you'd to have that part of the blanket in US SC stitches, possibly HDC but not taller.  The pattern graphed alphabets that I linked have you stitching it in as you make the blanket, but again that would have to be a dense square stitch, usually SC.  If you have never done colorwork in crochet, there are you tubes that show you how to most cleanly change color; I would probably do this in tapestry stitch (normal sc except you carry the other color by working over it - tapestrycrochet.com has videos, it is super easy, and clean looking on both sides.

The links that Mary Pat and Reni C suggested require you to crochet the letter shapes separately with the stitch the pattern suggests.

edited to fix odd wording

Edited June 10, 2020 by Granny Square

[ToniPain]

@Granny Square your right I do intend to do it as 1 piece. I have watched a few good YouTube videos on graphghans to get a better idea of how best to go about it. 
 

I have graphed out an idea for my letters and am feeling fairly more confident after my YouTube binge and your help.  I think I will go with SC as I don’t want to over complicate things for myself first time round lol 
 

thank you so much 😊