Flowers and Blocks Baby Afghan

My soon-to-be granddaughter's nursery is beginning to take shape. The walls are a lovely shade of pale robin's egg blue, the furniture white, and the main decorative color is lavender with accents of green. To keep baby cuddly and warm I made a soft afghan picking up the nursery colors. The construction was simple: Using four colors of soft, acrylic, worsted weight yarn I knit alternating blocks of seed stitch and stockinette bordered by seed stitch. Each strip is five squares long, with five strips sewn together. Then I made an assortment of crocheted flowers to accent the stockinette blocks.

Flower and Blocks Afghan Pattern

With No 5 straight needles cast on 27 stitches (or any size to achieve gauge of 27 stitches = 6 inches.)

Strip #1 - * knit in seed stitch until the block measures six inches long. Change color and continue knitting in seed stitch for one inch. Next row k1, p1, k1, p1, k across to last four stitches, p1, k1, p1, k1. Next row k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, purl across to last five stitches, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1. Continue knitting in seed stitch and stockinette pattern until block measures 5 inches from the beginning. Next row knit in seed stitch across. Knit in seed stitch for an inch. Change color and repeat pattern from *. Finish this strip with a seed stitch block. Create 2 more strips like this mixing the colors as you choose.

Strip #2 - Create another five block strip starting and ending with a seed stitch/stockinette block alternating with a seed stitch block. Create another strip like this mixing colors as you choose.

Sew strips together with an invisible seam. Sew flowers to centers of stockinette blocks.

Flowers: With No 6 hook, chain 6 and slst to form a ring. Chain 3, then in first stitch make two triple crochet, chain 3 slst to ring. Continue working around ring to form 5 petals. Secure yarn leaving a long tail.

Five weeks to due date!