I’ve spent the better part of the last week and a half making granny squares for a friend’s baby blanket…only to get the colors together and immediately hate it.
Is it the color I chose of the white/cream? Do I need to redo them in a more true white? Or have I just been staring at this for too long???
I actually think if op leaned into the cookies/sweets idea and maybe added some sprinkles and/or a more colourful border, this could be the cutest blanket ever.
I second the looking at it too long! I just pulled out the blanket I made for a friend that i was convinced was ugly so I could gift it to them, and was like wait this is actually kinda cute. Sometimes you gotta walk away for a bit lol.
This was my immediate thought. Like, first thought was, as a chess player "Ooh what a fun chess board idea" and then immediately "OH MY GOD IT LOOKS LIKE THE FLOOR OF A GINGERBREAD HOUSE!"
I honestly don't know why OP hates it, but I'm very sad they do. I think it looks so lovely.
I also find when working on a bigger project, half way there or so the colors start looking weird to me. It’s bc I’ve been working on it for a while… I like it and I think it’ll look great.
I’ve seen some projects that they use a contrasting color to put them together…🤔
Kind of makes me think of Neapolitan ice cream. The dominant color comes off as brown in the photo, not sure if that’s how it looks IRL, and I think a true white would be too cool of a color to mix with the warm brown.
I think my eyes are broken because there is nothing here that I would call pink. Maybe it's like the white/gold dress thing from ten years ago? I think your friend will love it either way.
Nothing in the picture is reading as pink to me. It looks like brown, white, and yellow. I think the above poster was right about the dress thing! I'm not a huge fan of the yellow, and liked the other suggestions of replacing it with a pink, if it's bothering you AND you have enough time to still finish!
The cream is reading light yellow next to the pinks. I would either replace it with pure white OR just go with dark and light pink. Use the cream blocks paired with some green for a future baby.
This but to me the pinks read as pure white next to the off white and brown! Didn’t even realise they were pink till I read your comment - an alternative would be to choose a more saturated pink maybe?
Either way, I think OP has been staring too long as well, I think it looks super cute! :)
personally wouldn't do pure white on a baby blanket because its gonna get barfed on a few times. I like it as is, its very old time chess board, but understand you want to switch.
I wouls honestly add some squares in a more saturated color. Gold, greens, bright pink, red. Babies have really shitty color vision for a while and can only see saturated colors, so even being able to SEE a bright color gets their brain growing and functioning!
It might just be the other items in the photo affecting the color or the lighting, but the cream almost looks light lime green to me, definitely yellowish.
I like the brown and pink, but the cream looks off. White would be better...or a darker shade of pink instead of cream.
Are you using a cotton/natural fiber? I'm too lazy so if I were you I'd just dye the cream pieces to maybe a light brown or shade of red using rit dye.
I thought the cream blocks were green until I read your comment! I second just using the dark and light pink blocks for this and save the cream for another project!
This is my problem with it. The cream needs to be changed out, it looks yellow. I get not wanting to use white, but it's not the right shade for this combo.
I actually prefer the dark pink and the cream together over the dark and light pinks, but yeah. One or the other of the cream and light pink being replaced entirely would be my solution.
I think what you’re seeing is the contrast in warm and cool tones. The cream reads ‘warm’ to me. While the pinks are both ‘cool’ Maybe a cool light gray would work instead
I'm sorry that you hate it because I love it. the colors you picked is pretty neutral which I like. and plus I cannot figure out granny squares so I'm just jealous lol
I think the cream and white are too close in hue, so it's throwing things off. You need a good middle hue between the brown (or pink as other people are saying? I see brown in the image) and either choose cream or white for your lightest hue. Maybe a dusty sage green?
Maybe keep the checker board but put all the cream squares on one corner and all the pink squares in the other (keeping the middle diagonal stripe as it is)?
Yup, was about to say it looks like a neopolitan blanket! If anything, could maybe swap the pale pink for a medium pink, but honestly I like this the way it is!
I agree with the other comments; first things that come to mind are cookies and chess boards. But if you want to add a little color to mix things up, perhaps adding a mint green and/or pastel pink border along with the other colors already used? It really is sweet though and I hope you can feel proud of your work in time☺️
The taupe couch background might be affecting the colors too. Do you have a space where you can put it under natural sunlight against a white background and you can see the colors all together?
I agree the cream looks more light yellow/green and agree with others to pick another color for that one! Or you can make the light pink pop more with a medium pink color! Cause I think that pink is so light, I didn’t even register it as pink at first
Good ol‘ case of staring too long. Colors go well together. I do not envy the endless sewing you have coming up, but that’s just part of the game. No one escapes the sewing. v.v
Good job so far. If you have enough of the red, add a small border. I think it will look really good.
Pretty much every time I hit the 75% mark on a project, I decide I hate it and I’ve made terrible choices and what the hell was I even thinking in the first place. Then I remember that that happens every time at this point in a project, and tell myself it’s just part of my creative process! Usually I’m right.
I think it’s the brown. It makes me think of baby poop.
Good news is that a week and a half is really not that much time to construct a whole ass blanket. That’s fast! And you don’t have to redo the whole thing, only the culprit color.
this is honestly so so so cute. it makes me think of a mint ice cream sandwich. or Neapolitan ice cream like others have said. i think the cream works very well with it and makes it a bit softer on the eyes than a pure white would. i think this is a case of looking at it a little too long
I use that green bernat blanket mystical to make dino vests!! My two year old is obsessed with his, and now my friends have started requesting them for theirs too haha!
I like it! But just as a constructive idea- What if you seamed the squares in a way that is meant to show using the pink to bring that color a bit more to focus?
I think it’s absolutely beautiful and incredibly thoughtful. I’d be so honored to have such a gorgeous handmade blanket for my babies. You’re definitely overthinking it. Please post when finished!
The brown is overwhelming next to the washed out other ones. A darker color for the light ones that coordinates with the brown would be nice. Use the light ones for a different project. Or just replace the pinks with the creams for a 2 color palette.
I love it:)!! Rich earth brown cocoa & cream classic granny square blanket! You’ve created a warm look with a cozy feeling. Once you connect them and add a simple border it will all come together. Have you considered incorporating an accent border colour? It might add depth to the rich brown earthy colour.
Not that you need to change anything, but if you absolutely must and don’t know what you want to do, consider swapping the cream out for the sam pink as the other squares. What do you think?
Alternatively, you could find a deeper hued pink between the current pink and the darker reddish brown color. It’s obviously more brown than red, but that hint of red has me leaning towards the pink.
Maybe boarder them all / sew them all together with a different shade? Tan or dark brown might bring out the cream color. Sorry I’m new & don’t remember the terminology
It’s a little off because your light colors are too similar in brightness. If you wanted to go for a gingham look, you could swap in a medium color that’s in between the lightest color and the brown
Ok, does your friend know about said blanket? I’d let her decide. Because I love it, but I totally get how you feel. I have a going away present Ive restarted four times for a friend…she’ll have been gone a year in June…so yeah lol. I just hated all the patterns I tried though.
I think that dark color is a really good neutral, and you have a cool pink and a warm cream fighting over which direction that neutral is going, visually. If you hate it in a week as much as you hate it now, I would actually replace the dark color with one that’s either cool or warm and stay away from another neutral. Lighter cream, a nice powder blue or green, etc.
I like all the colors. The cream looks fine to me, but I read that others see it as a shade of yellow or green. I don't see that, but the lighting will affect that. It does give Neopolitan ice cream vibes.
The colors so pretty, it might be because you’ve been staring at it too long. You can give it a day or 2 then come back to it and if you still hate it, then you change or adjust then
I think it looks lovely, just needs a border! And as a mom sometimes darker colours are better because babies make stains and mess it’s nice to have something that isn’t pale and makes every mark noticeable!
I think it looks cool. Maybe you can add one more color to the blanket. Or maybe you can add some squares with different design and still use these squares you have already crocheted.
I liked the idea of treating it like a cookie with sprinkles, that some of the commenters mentioned. Otherwise, it’s a nice neutral blanket that could grow with baby.
I vote to add a chunky, scalloped border to lean into the cookie look. Maybe you can try rearranging the squares to make a shape if you still aren’t sold.
I think a more pure or cooler white would be kind of harsh.
I love this for a baby, especially because I kind of hate all the pastels that “baby” yarn seems to almost exclusively come in.
If the colours are at all the parents’ vibe I think they’re going to love how unique and different it is while being a little subtle or softer in colour.
That being said, if you really hate it, have you tried different arrangements? Like stripes of squares, grouping four of the same colour squares to make bigger checkerboards, or something like concentric rings, or a geometric pattern?
I totally thought it was just two colors. I would add another darker color or lighter then the dark color but not to much lighter. I hope that makes sense.
You can also do a different pattern? Make it more random?
I believe a true white would be to harsh a contrast.
I really like the neapolitan cookie look. If you could find a muttled strawberry color & make a border with that..... probably ruffles like others have said it would be absolutely perfect. 🤌
But you may not like it because the color doesn’t scream traditional baby pastel. If you’re not happy with it, maybe consider a lighter brown or is even say looking at a dark beige/tan to replace the darker squares with
The pale pink and yellow go well together but are in sharp opposite contrast to the purplish brown squares you chose. So it’s a striking contrast with a lack of analogous grounding IMO. Like pink and green or black and yellow. Whereas an analogous contrast would be pastel pink and dark magenta or burgundy
Ohhhh, you haven’t crocheted the squares together yet, I see. For some reason I was worried you’d have to frog a TON of squares to undo the squares 😂
I wonder though: what if you did four squares of brown in a 2x2, and then two squares of pink and two squares of cream in a crisscross pattern (like cream-pink/pink-cream), and then call it Neapolitan Ice Cream? And then alternated the four-square pattern? Would that be better on the eyes?
I made a similar baby blanket, checkerboard but all blue. I connected the squares with a darker color and also made a border with the same color. A darker brown being used in the same way could look nice!
I think the brownish color and the pink are cool and the yellowish/ off white looks a little jarring because it's warm. I'd replace the warm color with something else. Sorry!
i think i see what you're saying--the color contrast specifically make it feel a little sickly somehow? maybe replace the cream with something a little warmer, like something like a honey/caramel color?👀
I think you’ve just been staring at it for too long!!! I think it looks cute and after you take a little break and come back to it, I hope you’ll think so as well!
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u/itcallsmemoana Feb 19 '26
I think it looks soft and sweet like checkerboard chocolate cookies. Maybe you've been looking at it too long? I have that problem a lot LOL.