Originally posted on September 4, 2018 on our previous website platform.
The idea for this blanket started when my husband’s long time friend and his wife announced they were having their first child. I knew I wanted to make something with a classic Canadian feel as we live in the picturesque Muskoka Parry Sound region of Ontario, Canada. I searched Pinterest for something gender neutral, something classic yet modern and something with a Canadian feel. I came across the Hudson’s Bay Baby Blanket by Tiffany at Daisy Farm Crafts. I had already pinned a bunch of their gingham blankets and I have developed a love affair with the plaid stitch after making some items from Bethany at Whistle and Ivy.
In Tiffany’s post on the Daisy Farm Craft blog, she shares how her bassinet sized blanket was inspired by an old wool blanket the customers’ parents had for camping. Little did these ladies realize that the Hudson’s Bay blanket is a staple in Canadian history and culture. Tiffany even admits she is slightly embarrassed she did not do more research on the history of the blanket and pattern.
I knew instantly that our friends would love this blanket. It’s classic, with a modern feel with the large colour blocks. It has that Muskoka cottage style.
Look how lovely the blanket looks draped over a Muskoka chair.
For those of you who have never had the pleasure of visiting Muskoka, these wooden chairs are made to slightly recline, making them perfect for relaxing outdoors, preferably at the lake, once the blackflies have gone away.
I wanted to make this blanket large enough to fit a crib, rather than a bassinet. So for the first time, I attempted to do the math, using the stitch gauge, to increase the size of the blanket to a standard crib.
Also, as lovely as the original Daisy Farm Craft blanket is, the colours were a bit more muted than I recalled. After a lot of late night google image searching and comparing to yarn websites, I was fairly sure I had the right yarn picked out.
Living in the north, I have access to a limited number of store selling yarn without driving for over an hour. Luckily, my local Walmart sells Bernat Premium which is a premium worsted weight yarn. It is very soft and the price point is fantastic. Click here to see the Bernat Premium collection available online from Walmart.
I posted the progress of this blanket to our Facebook and Instagram and received so much love and positive comments about each step of the project. Its amazing how we as Canadians love all things with that Canadiana flare.
For all of those friends and followers who liked, commented and shared my progress, thank you for your support and love. It has inspired me to publish my first pattern in a PDF format and sell it on our Etsy page. This is a huge step for me, as I have only been crocheting for 2 ½ years thanks to the insistence and guidance of my Grandma and my Auntie Karen.
To Tiffany and Hannah at Daisy Farm Craft, thank you for your stitch tutorial for the Herringbone Half Double Crochet stitch. I could not have created this beautiful blanket without your assistance. If you need help with this stitch, please use this tutorial.
Click here to purchase a PDF of the Hudson’s Bay Inspired Baby Blanket.
So here goes, for the first time, my own pattern:
Hudson's Bay Inspired Baby Blanket
Finished size:
Approximately 36” wide by 52” long
Materials:
3 skeins of Bernat Premium in Aran
1 skein of Bernat Premium in Navy
1 skein of Bernat Premium in Gold
1 skein of Bernat Premium in Red
1 skein of Bernat Premium in Green
Size 5.5mm / I hook
Tapestry Needle
Scissors
Abbreviations:
Pattern is written using US terms
Ch = Chain
HHDC = Herringbone Half Double Crochet
Pattern:
**Ch 2 at the beginning of the row does not count as a stitch
Chain 127 (36” wide) in Aran
HHDC in the third chain from the hook. HHDC across in each stitch. (125 HHDC stitches). Turn your work. Ch 2.
HHDC in the first stitch and in each stitch across the row. (125 HHDC)
The blanket is made with 9 blocks of colours.
Each block is 125 stitches wide and 16 rows high.
| The colour blocks are as follows:
· Aran · Navy · Aran · Gold · Aran · Red · Aran · Green · Aran
|
 |
To create the border, complete 3 rows of HHDC in Aran, with one HHDC in each stitch and 3 stitches in the corners. You will work 16 stitches on the side of each colour block (1 stitch per row). Do not turn your work after each round. Continue in the same direction for all 3 rows. The border will look different than the stitch in the blanket but this creates a nice, distinct border.
Here is the blanket with the border completed.
We hope you enjoy this pattern and creating your own Hudson’s Bay Inspired Baby Blanket. Thank you for supporting our family blog. Please tag us, using #3generationcrafters in any photos you post of your finished projects from our pattern.
You are welcome to sell blankets made from this pattern. However, you cannot use our photos. Please support our blog by citing 3 Generation Crafters as the designer of this pattern.