12/06/2005
FO: Grace's Baby BlanketI cranked out this baby blanket in 4 weeks to be exact (I started a couple days after I received a baby shower invite, and the baby shower is this Saturday).
Laid out on my blocking board:
Details on the ruffles:
Draped over my couch (excuse my sucky photography skills):
Pattern: "Eyelet Baby Blanket" by Blue Sky Alpacas
Yarn: Sirdar Supersoft Aran #859 (Oatmeal); 100% acrylic
Needle: US #10.5
Blanket Size: 31" x 34"
Additional Notes
Yarn
Ok, so I was VERY tempted to get a luxurious yarn for this blanket - DB's cashmerino, some very ultra soft options at my LYS, even the recommended yarn for this project (Blue Sky Worsted or Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted). But because of budget reasons and the fact that I didn't want this baby completely sweating under 100% alpaca (remember, we're in sunny California here), I opted for Sirdar. It isn't exactly SUPER soft as I've felt other yarns, but it's ok for the purposes of my project. It's warm too - as I was knitting it up, I had it draped around me to keep me warm. Very snuggly. But the best thing that caught my eye about this yarn is that it is machine washable. And that's perfect for a baby item. Don't you think?? None of this handwash, dry flat, extra care, blah blah blah. Grace is going to be a first time mom, and she'll appreciate the fact that she can just throw this blanket in the washer and dryer without a care. Right? =)
Pattern
Simple pattern. Stockinette throughout the body, with yarn-overs in neat rows. The ruffles, on the other hand, got me scratching my head (the pattern wants you to pick up stitches, and start knitting facing the right side, which means you have to pick up stitches in a very weird way - either picking up on the wrong side, which causes unslightly puckering on the right side, or picking up counter-clockwise if you're facing the right side). If the mother of this baby looks closely at this blanket, she'll notice that not all the ruffle sides look identical - one of them I actually knitted the ruffles backwards (I picked up stitches and started knitting on the wrong side). But who's telling? Shh! =)
I also didn't listen to the pattern (or gauge) and used a 10.5 needle instead of a size 11. And I consciously knitted more tightly. I know, my mistake. So when I finished the body of the blanket, it was a bit too short. So I added 30 more rows of blanket body to make it work the way I wanted it to look.
Next, let's see if I can make a homemade tag for this gift. =)
