Knitting Diary Day 3 :: My First Completed Piece

A baby blanket.  A beautiful, sweet, soft, baby blanket.  I used a self striping yarn by Encore Plymouth and purchased a pattern - the Encore 8 Hour Afghan mentioned here, from my LYS. I have since learned about the many wonderful sites on the Internet which provide free patterns.  And books, precious books.  They are worth their weight in gold because they are filled with patterns.


After I completed the blanket I thought I would save it for a baby girl, believing eventually someone I know would have one. Once it was finished I felt so proud, it was beautiful and I made it.  I just couldn't give it away.  The husband said to keep it, give to A to use with her dolls.  This way you will always have it.  So that is what I did.  The blanket has been folded at the end of  A's bed, lain across a chair in her room, and has mostly kept her Itty Bitty Baby warm while she goes for walks in her stroller or sleeps in her cradle.

In the end, I'm glad I kept it, even if it is only used by a doll.  It means so very much to me. And maybe one day A will use it for her own child.  One can dream, right?


Here is the pattern I used.  Although it is an 8 hour blanket it took me aproximately 2 weeks to complete.   The pattern calls for two strands held together using worsted weight but I used 4 skeins of bulky weight, holding one strand.

Pattern:

Size:   Approximate finished size: (29" x 33"0
Materials:   4 skeins of worsted weight yarn, size 13 needles or those needed to obtain gauge.
Gauge:   21/2 stitches = 1"

Holding 2 strand together loosely CO 75 stitches
Work in seed stitch pattern for 8 rows as follows:

Seed stitch pattern: * (P1, k1) repeat from * to last stitch, end with p1

Row 9: P1, k1, p1, k1, p1,  knit to last 5 stitches, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1
Row 10: P1, k1, p1, k1, p1 Purl to last 5 stitches, p1, k1, p1, k1, p1,

Repeat rows 9 and 10 until piece measures desired length - (about 32")

Work in seed stitch pattern for 8 rows as before.  Bind off loosely on the next row in seed stitch.  Weave in ends.

(Plymouth Yarn Company. Designed by JoAnn Turcotte.)

Next - my creations between baby blanket #1 and my most current project.