Welcoming the Bomboloni Babette Kit — A Modern Heirloom

Some of our fondest and earliest memories of craft involve a family blanket. Picnics, winter storms, sick days, and sweet afternoon naps — the family blanket is a constant companion for all the big and little moments that make up a life.

This is a story about just such a blanket. The story begins nearly 20 years ago. Or maybe further back. The blanket is Kathy Merrick’s Babette Blanket, which was designed in the mid-2000s to be a modern heirloom. But its inspiration — the storied creative relationship between Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy — took root two decades earlier, when the pair began working together in the mid-1980s.

Colour is front and centre in both Kaffe and Liza’s work and in the Babette Blanket. It was that colour play that first inspired us here at Loop to make a sample Babette Blanket in our classic Loop palette of dreamy pinks, exquisite neutrals, and visually stunning retro pops of colour. The blanket remains one of our most popular shop samples, and many visitors over the years have admired it.

Now it’s time for the next chapter in the Babette Blanket’s journey: the chapter all about you. Thanks to the love of so many customers over the years, we’ve decided to compile a super special limited edition kit for the Loop version of the Babette Blanket. The Bomboloni Babette Kit is your ticket to an extremely special family heirloom that will bear witness to so many joys and provide so much comfort for years and even generations to come.

The kit contains a whopping 11 different colours of yarn in generous quantities that will allow you to complete your very own blanket — all the yarn you’ll need as well as a Loop project bag and the printed pattern. We’ve worked with some of our favourite dyers to construct this palette, with yarns from Spincycle (whose “Bomboloni” gives this kit its name), Qing, La Bien Aimée, The Uncommon Thread, Quince& Co, Madelinetosh, Life in the Long Grass, and Lang Jawoll. You could even make the shape of the blanket slightly different, for instance a longer rectangle rather than a square. And if you wanted to make it bigger you could supplement the yarn provided with more from your stash to make it a bigger piece.

The pattern itself is straightforward to follow. Each of the squares is constructed the same way but is worked over a different number of rounds, giving the blanket its unique look. Just pick your colour combinations and you’re off! Once you have all the squares you need in each size they’re straightforward to assemble using a tapestry needle. The finishing touch is a scalloped edge worked around the outside of the assembled blanket.

We are so grateful to Kathy for giving us permission to bring this kit to life, and we can’t wait to see all the beautiful Bomboloni Babette Blankets out there in the world!

Floral Crochet Workshop with Claire Montgomerie

Claire Montgomerie’s Granny Square Crochet Card Deck has taken the stitching world by storm, and now she’s set to delight us all again with her new Floral Granny Square Card Deck debuting this May. As a very special treat, we’re welcoming Claire to Loop to teach two Floral Crochet Workshops just in time for the launch of her floral deck. Join us on the morning or afternoon of Saturday 17 May for a tutorial with Claire on all you need to know to make the most of her new designs. Our hosts at Frequency Coffee (just next door to Loop) will provide a complementary coffee before you settle in for a few hours of crafting. This class is intended for crochet improvers, so make sure you’re familiar with UK double crochet, half treble, and treble crochet. All the materials will be provided, and each participant will leave with a 4mm hook and a copy of Claire’s new Floral Granny Square Card Deck to keep!

Ricorumi Baby Booties

If you’re looking for a crochet project on a smaller scale, why not try your hand at a pair of baby booties for spring arrivals? Rico’s kits for Hedgehog, Bumble Bee, and Bunny baby booties are a super sweet way to keep the tootsies of your favourite little one nice and toasty. Each kit contains all you need to make a pair, including the yarn, a crochet hook, an embroidery needle, and an instruction booklet. You’ll be on your way to cuteness in no time!

Happy crafting!