7 crochet blanket ideas you’ll love: granny squares, paw prints, and sunflowers—see the stunning projects!
Looking for crochet blanket ideas? Anu’s blanket took its hues from Portuguese plants, Merja’s flower blanket glows with daisies, and Teija turned leftover yarn into a playful paw-print design. Seven skilled crocheters showcase inspiring blanket projects—big and cozy for adults, full of captivating details for babies.
Anu took her palette from wild plants
Portugal-based Anu Patrakka’s plush granny-square blanket has stunning colors. She dyed the yarn herself with plants.
“I’ve always been fond of doing crafts, and a few years ago I fell for plant dyeing. The yarns piled up and up, and I made it my mission to work every yellow and orange wool I had into this blanket.”
The brown used in the centers of the squares and for joining them was bought ready-dyed. The other shades come from, among other things, onion skins, avocado leaves, various yard plants, weeds growing by the field, and madder root.
“I joined the squares one by one as each was finished. I wasn’t aiming for perfect symmetry—just something along those lines. I lightly felted the finished blanket in the washing machine and brushed it at the end. It turned out big, soft, and warm.”
The blanket is folded double on the sofa, where I sometimes work with the computer on my lap. I’m working on another, blue-toned blanket that will end up on the bed as an extra warm layer. Here in Portugal the winter is cold and damp, and I don’t heat the bedroom, so wool is just about the best material.
“I did decide that if I start another blanket project, I’ll weave in the ends as each square is finished. My neck has been put to the test these past few days.”
Kirsi made a bedspread for her brother
Kirsi Puntalo crocheted a bedspread from granny squares using the "7 veljestä" yarn by Novita.
“I crocheted the bed spread for my brother and his partner who live in Sweden. I want to surprise them with a bed spread crocheted in shades of green and natural white wool. I was originally making ‘just’ a blanket, but decided to keep going.
The bed spread now measures 180 × 200 centimeters (71″ × 79″). It’s made up of 210 squares, each with a side length of 13 centimeters (5″). Crocheting the bed spread took a little over three months. My brother is coming to visit us with his family for New Year’s, and they’ll get to take the surprise bed spread home.”
Teija crocheted more than 200 paw prints into a gift blanket
Teija Lotvonen made a paw-print blanket as a 50th-birthday present.
“I’ve made lots of granny-square projects, and a dog-loving family member tipped me off to a similar blanket they’d seen. By chance, their 50th birthday was coming up, so I decided to turn the idea into a gift.
I started by crocheting the paw prints and then made the small, round connectors. I used the "7 veljestä" yarn by Novita and worked in as much leftover yarn as possible—my yarn basket was already overflowing. The result was a cheerful, colorful blanket. In total, there are 208 paw pieces and 180 connector pieces—quite a lot!”
Merja’s blanket is like a flower meadow
Merja Hacklin crocheted a wonderfully colorful flower blanket from cotton yarn.
“The blanket is made from a total of 15 different colors, and the yarn is 8/4 (super-fine) cotton. The square pattern is called Retro Daisy. The colors are my own, as is the color layout.
The finished blanket measures 140 × 200 centimeters (55″ × 79″). It took a couple of months to make. I crochet up to six hours a day, but this is my first blanket of this kind.”
3 × for the baby, with love
Juulia Juva made a sweet animal blanket for her daughter born in August.
“I got the inspiration for the blanket from Pinterest, but I put my own spin on it. I made up the pattern entirely off the top of my head. This blanket was a great way to use up little leftover bits of yarn.
I crocheted the squares first, then made the animal figures on top of the squares. The baby has just started enjoying tummy time, and it’s fun for her to fidget with and explore the raised animal figures. That’s exactly what I made the blanket for.”
Elina Aromaa’s baby blanket is like a miniature farm with its animals and tractors.
“The blanket was a baptism gift for my little godson who lives on a farm. My first thought was that I’ve got to make a farm-style blanket for the little man.
I bought the pattern for the blanket on Etsy. Working to a tight schedule, the edges ended up a bit different from each other, but everyone still loved the blanket. Hopefully it will last for the next generations, too.”
Virpi Rautanen-Hakenberg made the sunflower blanket for her daughter’s first child.
“A square blanket is handy to use in the stroller and over the car seat. I used the Sunburst square pattern. The yarn had the right colors and is warm and durable. Each square’s side is about 10 centimeters (4″).
It was lovely to crochet the blanket piece by piece. I started it at my daughter’s baby shower, and the project even came along on our summer trip.”
“The blanket went straight into use as soon as it was finished. I’ve made a few blankets before as baby gifts, for grandchildren, and also for a colleague’s baby.”
