My four-year-old son LOVES sea turtles. He really like all ocean-things but there’s something special about a baby sea turtle.
For months, every time we took the (chicken) egg carton out of the fridge he would want to come play with the baby sea turtles (tv shows always show baby sea turtles hatching from their eggs). It was a bit hard to bake with him during that phase. Usually we like to make cookies and cake but it was hard for me to keep the eggs safe from his quick, but not-so-nimble hands.
This little blanket will be for him. I used my preferred technique, interlocking crochet (also called Locked Filet Mesh or LFM) because I can crochet it much quicker than when I do mosaic crochet. This blanket took me a week – I am sure some of you will be much quicker and many of you will take much longer for a blanket of this size. That’s ok!
I used a discontinued yarn for my sample. It was on clearance and I love a good bargain. The fluffy yarn I used (Premiere Pixie Dust) is considered a worsted weight yarn but the labels suggests you use a 5.5 mm hook. I really like the stitches to be quite small with interlocking crochet because it keeps those chain-gap-squares small and then the other color doesn’t show through too much, so I used a 5 mm hook.
Because it is so fluffy it does make the details of the design a bit less defined. And even though I used a 5 mm hook instead of my favorite 4.5 mm hook, I still used less than 500 yards per color. My finished square, including the simple single crochet border, is 33″ square.
You can use any weight yarn for my blankets, just make sure you use an appropriately-sized hook.
I titled this pattern “Baby Sea Turtle”, singular, but then I drew it with 3 little turtles swimming in the sea. 😬🤷♀️ I did the same with the dolphin pattern. The title is singular but the image shows more than one animal. One of my weird quirks, I guess.
And, as always, the pattern is written up for interlocking crochet and overlay mosaic crochet. The two files each include written instructions and an appropriate chart.
The chart that is attached to the mosaic instructions has X’s where you need to do your dropped double crochets. I hope to make my own tutorial video for using the chart with X’s soon. But for now it is mostly useful for people who are already familiar with that style.
Natalie Caruso has been amazingly helpful in creating these charts with X’s for you guys. Thank you, Natalie!
If you’ve seen the previous patterns in this series, then you already know I created an eBook on Ravelry called “Baby Ocean & Others“. All of the patterns in this eBook have a chart size of 121 x 121 and have an ocean theme.
These blankets – when matching the gauge stated in the pattern – will be about 30″ square. My sample with the fluffy yarn and large hook came out to about 33″ square.
All of the patterns in my Baby Blankets section on Etsy and Ravelry are the same size.
You can get “Baby Sea Turtle” on Etsy or Ravelry. Use code, “BABY21” to get 20% off* all my baby blanket patterns!
*20% discount is valid in my Etsy Shop on Preemie Love Blanket, Feline the Deer, Many Hugs, Baby Ocean, Baby Dolphin, Baby Crab, Baby Sea Turtle, Baby Whale, Baby Fish, and Baby Ocean & Others eBook; use code “BABY21MORE”.
And in my Ravely store on Preemie Love Blanket, Feline the Deer, Many Hugs, Baby Ocean, Baby Dolphin, Baby Crab, Baby Sea Turtle, Baby Whale, Baby Fish, and Baby Ocean & Others eBook. Code “BABY21” must be used at the time of purchase, and is not retroactive. Offer ends 11:59 pm CST July 31, 2021. OFFER EXTENDED TO AUGUST 10, 2021.
And, sorry for the delay in adding Baby Crab to the list of sale patterns – I forgot it doesn’t happen automatically!
