Month by Month Milestone Blanket

Make a soft crochet blanket for your baby's first-year photos. Twelve numbered squares, 1 to 12, run clockwise around a clear cream centre. Take a photo of your baby in the middle once a month and that month's number is right there in the picture. Month 12 sits just under month 1, so the year closes where it began.

One design, two sizes: a 36 by 36 inch Keepsake and a 40 by 50 inch Backdrop whose clear centre is about 22 by 32 inches. Each size has its own chart and written rows, with the stitch count checked on every row. The numbers are part of the fabric, not sewn on. It is all single crochet in three colours, worked in flat rows from the bottom up and finished with one round of edging. There are no closures, ties, tassels or fringe.

The centre is yours to change. Chart a name, a birth date or a picture there, swap any number for your own design, or clear the outlines for a simpler blanket.

You'll need:

• Soft, smooth, washable DK weight yarn (category 3) in three colours: sage, cream and slate blue-grey
• A 4.5 mm crochet hook, or the size that gives you the gauge
• A yarn needle and scissors

Gauge: 16 single crochet and 18 rows = 4 inches, washed and blocked. Make and wash a swatch first. Sizes: Keepsake 36 x 36 in (clear centre about 17.75 x 17.5 in); Backdrop 40 x 50 in (clear centre about 21.75 x 31.75 in). Finished sizes are within half an inch at gauge.

Important Safety Notes#

Not for the sleep area: Keep this out of the crib, bassinet and play yard with a baby under 12 months, and do not use it for sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises a "firm, flat sleep surface" and a "fitted sheet only", with nothing else in the crib.

Photo use: Lay it flat on the floor or a firm, flat surface, stay with your baby for the whole photo and take the blanket away afterwards. Do not wrap, swaddle or cover a baby with it.

Yarn and care: Use soft, smooth, washable yarn that does not shed or fuzz, and wash a swatch first. Weave in every end and check inside the finished item for loose strands, which can wrap around a baby's fingers or toes. Wash inside out.

Close stitches: Work a firm, closely stitched fabric. Gaps and lacy openings can catch small fingers and toes.

Nothing dangling: Do not add pompoms, tassels, fringe, ribbons or bows.

If you sell what you make: Children's products sold in the US must meet CPSC rules, including testing, a Children's Product Certificate and a tracking label. Start at cpsc.gov.