Crochet 24 Hour Baby Afghans Book by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss

Do you need patterns for crocheting a super quick baby shower gift or charity crochet donation? Check out Crochet 24 Hour Baby Afghans by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. This book offers you a variety of FAST, easy crochet baby blanket patterns plus some intermediate-level designs that are also quick to crochet.

The Details You Need to Know About This Crochet Pattern Book:

Crochet 24-Hour Baby Afghans Book by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss; There was an older edition of the book which had a different cover. My review is for the older edition, but it appears that the newer edition's contents are the same.
Crochet 24-Hour Baby Afghans Book by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss; pictured here is the newly updated edition. There was an older edition of the book which had a different cover. My review is for the older edition, but it appears that the newer edition’s contents are the same.


Book Title: Crochet 24-Hour Baby Afghans

Authors: Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss, with contributions from other well-known crochet pattern designers including Darla Fanton, Darla Sims and others

Book Publisher: Leisure Arts

ISBN 13: 978-1-57486-338-3

ISBN 10: 1-57486-338-X

Book Formats: This book is available in 2 different formats that I know of: now out of print. It was originally available as both a Trade Paperback With Staple Binding and a Kindle e-book. However, the link I previously built to the Kindle e-book now leads to a “page not found” error, so it has apparently been discontinued.


However, this was a popular pattern book in its time, and there are still bunches of copies of it available out there if you don’t mind buying a new copy from a smaller book dealer that still has it in stock, or buying a used copy on the secondary market. I just checked Biblio, and they have both new and used copies of the book available for sale.


Number of Pages: 49, including the inside back cover of the book

Crochet Skill Level Ratings: 9 of the baby blanket patterns in the book are rated as “easy” and 7 of these blankets are rated as “intermediate.”

The Focus of This Book

The authors claim that each of the 16 baby blanket patterns included in Crochet 24 Hour Baby Afghans can be crocheted in 24 hours.

About These Crochet Patterns:

Here you can see project photos for some of the baby blanket patterns that are included in Crochet 24-Hour Baby Afghans by Jean Leinhausre and Rita Weiss, published by Leisure Arts.
Here you can see project photos for some of the baby blanket patterns that are included in Crochet 24-Hour Baby Afghans by Jean Leinhausre and Rita Weiss, published by Leisure Arts.

I think Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss have done an outstanding job of putting together this collection of baby blanket patterns. There’s an excellent variety of different types of designs here: several textured patterns, a cabled pattern, a ripple pattern, a round baby afghan pattern, a couple of hexagon patterns, a granny afghan pattern, and a couple of baby afghans made with joined panels.

I think the patterns in this book range from genius to mediocre, with the majority being lovely patterns.

In the Genius Category:

One of my favorite baby blankets featured in this book is the “Spring Song” afghan by Jean Leinhauser, which is remarkable for its beautiful texture and easy design. I don’t know how she did it, but with this pattern, Jean managed to make Red Heart Super Saver look like the chic-est, most sophisticated yarn you could use for crocheting a baby blanket. If you’re trying to crochet baby afghans that look amazing, but you’re working within a short time frame and a tiny budget, I’m thinking you can’t go wrong with this particular pattern.

The “Pretty Pastels” blanket designed by Darla J. Fanton is another of my favorites from this book. It’s a classic design, and it looks like it would be an interesting project to make.

Another favorite: the “By the Sea Round Afghan” by Deirdre Eyles. This playful design features a whirlpool of crocheted ocean waves, cute little fish, and even a few sailboats. This just couldn’t get any cuter. Another bonus: I’m thinking this fun little blanket could accompany a child well into childhood, and wouldn’t be outgrown the minute the baby outgrows his or her crib.

Also in the genius category: The “Blissful Baby Blanket” design by Darla Sims. I confess that I don’t care much for the color choices used in her sample blanket; she used vibrant green combined with a variegated print, and the result looks a bit busy for my taste. But overall, I think the pattern itself is fantastic. I could see making zillions of these in different colors for charity crochet projects, baby shower gifts, etc.

Is This Book a Good Value for the Money? I Say YES!

Overall, I think this book offers you outstanding value in exchange for the money you’ll spend on it. If you pay the cover price, that means you’re spending less than a dollar per pattern, and you’re getting a fantastic variety of patterns for the money you spend.

Can You Really Crochet These Baby Blankets in 24 Hours?

I haven’t yet tried crocheting any of these baby afghans, so I can’t comment with certainty about whether these afghans really can be crocheted in 24 hours. However, I’ve been giving some thought to whether or not I think they could, and for the most part, I think it could probably be done; there are a few designs I’m skeptical about, but I think most of them do look like pretty quick patterns.

I confess to being skeptical about the time frame needed to complete the “cute kitties” afghan. While I do think the crochet work could probably be completed in 24 hours, it’s the detail work that would get you with this design. This design features bunches of cat faces; to create the details, you need to sew on buttons and work some embroidery. Looks to me like I’d be sewing buttons for a good chunk of the 24 hours, if not longer. Don’t even get me started on how long the embroidery would take me; it’s just not a fast process.

Your Comments, Please:

So now I’d like to open the floor for comments from readers. If you’ve actually crocheted any of these designs, tell us how it went – were you able to get it done in 24 hours? How’d it turn out? Thanks in advance to everyone who comments.

Update 5-26-2021: This book review used to be posted at a different website that accepted user reviews via an online form. The following review was submitted by a reader of our website at that time. If you have a user review to add now, please use the blog comment form available below to submit your review. Thank you so much for your contributions to our website!

Beverlee’s Book Review of Crochet 24 Hour Baby Afghans

Reader Reviews: 24 Hour Baby Afghans Book by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss


User Rating 5 Star Rating


From beverlee {erez


Crochet 24-Hour Baby Afghans


My Review:


I have made the afghan on the cover and the variegated ripple. Both turned out beautifully according to friends. Please let me know if you have any questions. l used the yarns it called for as well as the hook.


Would you recommend this to a friend?


YES!

Where to Buy Your Own Copy of Crochet 24 Hour Baby Afghans:

24 Hour Baby Afghans Book by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss
24 Hour Baby Afghans Book by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss

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