Creating the Perfect Baby Blanket
I need to knit a baby blanket. I haven’t knit a baby blanket in a long while, and I don’t have a go-to baby blanket pattern. I’m enjoying thinking through the elements that would make the perfect baby blanket for this baby (and this baby’s mother).
General Vibe
This blanket needs to be practical, not fancy. The co-worker who is growing this new person is not a fancy woman. She is smart, and fun, and brash, and a little loud. She already has a house full of boys and dogs. An heirloom-quality, cream-colored, lacey christening blanket is not the ticket here.
It is my hope that this blanket will become the one the child drags around long past toddlerhood. With any luck, it will be so well-loved that it develops tattered edges and permanent stains. Is there any greater complement to a knitter than having the blanket you make become a beloved source of comfort for a child?
Color
I think this blanket needs multicolored stripes. The colors should be cheerful, but sophisticated. Not bold primary colors, and certainly not traditional baby pastels. The expectant parents may know the genetic gender of the new baby, but I haven’t asked. I’d rather not reinforce gender stereotypes before the child is able to express their own preferences. So, the overall color combination won’t say “It’s a Boy!” or “It’s a Girl!”
Yarn
Practicality is the overriding factor in my yarn choice. The family lives in New Jersey, so I’m going with wool, and it’s going to be superwash. It makes no sense to knit a baby blanket in a yarn that requires hand washing. It will just end up on a shelf or in a drawer, unused.
I’m going to pick worsted weight yarn. I think a lighter weight blanket won’t be as durable as I’d like. Also, this project needs to be a quick knit. The new baby isn’t due until Spring, but I’m expecting more design commissions to come in and I’ll need to have my needles and hands available.
As you may have guessed, I’ve already ordered the yarn. (Yarn shopping is, after all, a favorite activity.) It hasn’t arrived yet, but I’ll show you a photo and give you all the details next week.
Stitch Pattern
I want to knit this blanket in garter stitch. This might surprise you. After all, I’m a knitter with a reputation to uphold. But the simplicity of garter stitch will highlight the stripes of color. It will make for quick and easy knitting. And garter stitch in the yarn I’ve selected will make a satisfyingly cushy fabric.
But I still need some challenge to keep this project interesting (and to uphold that reputation.) I don’t like the way the cast-on and bound-off edges of a simple garter stitch rectangle disrupt the stretchiness of the fabric. I’m going to make this blanket with no cast-on or bound-off edges; all four sides will have selvage edges. I’ll be playing with provisional cast-ons, picking up stitches, and a little bit of grafting.
Doesn’t that sound like fun? I think so! Stay tuned for regular updates. (I know for a fact that the expectant mother does not read this newsletter, so there is no risk of spoiling the surprise.) If I’m happy with the finished baby blanket, I’ll publish the pattern.
Speaking of children, I recently finished reading Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. Although it is classified as a middle-grades book, for children 9 and over, I loved every page.
This is a classic tale of the hero’s journey set in the Archipelago, a hidden group of islands where a wide variety of magical creatures live side-by-side with humans. But the magic that keeps the Archipelago and its inhabitants alive is fading. Christopher, a boy from our world, teams up with Mal, a girl of the Archipelago, on a quest to find someone who can explain what has gone wrong and how to fix it.
Rundell’s writing is as vivid and energetic as the cover illustration. The people and creatures our heroes meet along their journey, both helpful and otherwise, vibrate with life. Impossible Creatures is a glorious adventure.
I highly recommend you read this book on paper. It is rich with illustrations by Ashley Mackenzie, including a map of the Archipelago and a Bestiary which describes the various magical creatures.
I was reading this book sitting in the waiting room at my physical therapist’s office. When someone asked me about it, my response was “I want to read this book aloud to a 10-year-old.” It brought back warm memories of reading the Harry Potter series aloud to my son, with all the delights of sharing a good book with a child. Impossible Creatures deserves a place in every home occupied by children.
The book title is linked to bookshop.org, a non-profit that supports independent bookstores. It is an affiliate link. If you make a purchase using this link, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
The Elephant in the Room
I wrote most of this post on Tuesday, election day here in the US, in a spirit of optimism and hope. Now, it appears our government will be dominated for the next four years by misogyny, bigotry, fear, mean-spiritedness, and threats of violent retribution. I am devasted.
I cannot live each day in a place of darkness. I choose to continue turning toward the light. I choose joy, love, kindness, inclusion, and hope. Yes, the next four years may have far reaching consequences. But four years will not define our future. In 2028, this nation will again have the opportunity to make a different choice—a better choice.
“…the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As always, I’m grateful that you chose to invite me into your world this week. Continue the conversation: Do you have a favorite baby blanket pattern? Are there essential elements of a great baby blanket which I have overlooked? Leave a comment and let me know what you’re thinking.
One funny thing about baby blankets is that I can actually remember the time when I was making each of them. Not that there have been that many and some were crocheted. Maybe it is their size that makes them stand out. The last one I made was crocheted in pastels in a stitch of my own creation. (In my world boys can wear pink and girls can wear blue, or any other color they choose.) I worked on it while watching the local baseball games on tv with my father. He would be stretched out on the couch watching every pitch and every movement on the field. I would be seated on the floor resting my back against the couch and looking up when I heard the name of a favorite player or the crack of the bat! The baby blanket was meant to be for the grandchild of friends if Alaska. As the baseball season ended and my fathers health declined, I put the project away and sent another gift to my friends. A few years later my niece was pregnant with her first child and my parent's great grandchild. Though both my parents were gone, they would have showered her with love. So out came the baby blanket. When the body of the blanket was complete, I added a 3 inch wide rippled edging around all four sides. In my world, one still wraps little babies, papoose style!
Love your thought process - garter stitch makes perfect sense for a blanket that is unlikely to be blocked with every wash. (FYI I’m a personal fan of mitered squares for blankets myself; they’re neat and versatile.) Can’t wait to see your creation!