DRAFT PREVIEW – pre test knit and tech editing

HUSH LITTLE BABY PLEASE DON’T CRY

In 2013, I fell in love with two baby blankets; one the Yarn Harlot’s Baby Blanket Oct 2013

and the second was blanket Prince George was wrapped in when he left hospital

Sadly neither had a pattern: the first was a special gift and SPMcP didn’t publish her design, whilst
the second was a mass produced manufactured blanket.

So, in Jan 2014, I decided to craft my own. My blanket took approximately 1645 yards of
fingering. I swatched then washed and blocked a square of the centre panel pattern and got :

Needles : 3.5mm
My blocked gauge : 24 sts by 32 rows

My blanket took:
Yardage: 1640 of ColourMart Cashmere/Merino fingering wt. "Duvet"

Even if you used the same yarn your gauge would probably different. However, you will probably
want to choose your own yarn, so your gauge will definitely be different. Does this matter? Not a
hoot. You may have a slightly larger blanket, you may have a smaller blanket. However, my blanket
almost blocked to the size of a queen size bed, babies are a lot smaller than that. I wanted
something to fold and drape; to wrap and snuggle a baby in, but size isn’t too important. However,
if you are a loose knitter perhaps best to scale down on pattern repeats.

So you have needles, yarn, this pattern - what else should you know?

1. Do not knit this if you don’t like purl. There is lots of it. Lots and lots and lots of it.
2. Do not knit this if you are unhappy with lace. There is lots of it. Lots and lots and lots of
it.
3. This is not a quick win baby blanket: it is in fingering and it takes forever!
4. The lace edging takes forever and will make you lose the will to live.
5. I’ve put all abbreviations at the end, so you can print it out as a separate page. Charted
patterns will follow soon.

OK: If you wish to continue, then I’ll begin

Cast on 207 stitches – or give up now and go do something simpler.

Knit 3 rows of moss stitch k1,p1 ending with a final k stitch. {This is UK single moss
stitch, and equivalent to single seed stitch. The knit stitches and the purl stitches
alternate along the row and up the rows}

I then completed 224 rows of pattern (14 repeats of 16 row pattern) – however,
you could give up now and go do something simpler. The Fern Row lace is adapted from
Barbara Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

Each row starts with K1, p1, k1 and ends with K1, p1, k1. The pattern is basically an 8
row repeat, but moved over half a pattern repeat for the second 8 rows. Additionally all
wrong side rows (apart from the first and last 3 stitches) are purl, so it does become
very easy to memorise. Therefore, the pattern (including those stitches) is:

Fern Stitch (and don’t say I didn’t warn you about the purl … and the lace)

Row 1: (and all wrong side rows) K1, p1, k1 Purl to last 3 stitches K1, p1, k1
Row 2: K1, p1 ,k1, K3 *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k5* repeat between * * until last 12
stitches, then k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k3, then the K1, p1, k1 moss stitch edge.
Row 4: K1, p1 ,k1, K2 *k2tog, (K1, yo)x2, k1, ssk, k3* repeat between * * until last 12
stitches, then k2tog, (K1, yo)x2, k1, ssk, k2, then the K1, p1, k1 moss stitch edge.
Row 6: K1, p1 ,k1, k1 *k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, ssk, k1* repeat between * * to last 3
stitches, then the k1, p1, k1 moss stitch edge.
Row 8: K1, p1, k1, k2tog *k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, s2k1pso* repeat between * * to last 12
stitches, then k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, then the k1, p1, k1 moss stitch edge.
Row 10: K1, p1, k1, k1 *yo, ssk, k5, k2tog, yo, k1* repeat between * * to last 3
stitches, then the k1, p1, k1 moss stitch edge.
Row 12: K1, p1, k1, k1 *yo, k1, ssk, k3, k2tog, k1, yo, k1* repeat between * * to last
3 stitches, then the k1, p1, k1 moss stitch edge.
Row 14: K1, p1, k1, k1 *yo, k2, ssk, k1, k2tog, k2, yo, k1* repeat between * * to last
3 stitches, then the k1, p1, k1 moss stitch edge
Row 16: K1, p1, k1, k1 *yo, k3, s2k1pso, k3, yo, k1* repeat between * * to last 3
stitches, then the k1, p1, k1 moss stitch edge

Repeat 16 row pattern a total of 14 times – yes that’s 224 rows. You may do more or
less, but then you will have to adjust the stitch pick up and the later patterns (although
that’s not too difficult).

knit 3 rows of moss stitch (As above)

Now you need the longest 3.5mm needle you can find. Mine was 150cm and at the end
of the edging was barely long enough.

Next, instead of turning the work back, turn it 90 degrees and start picking up and
knitting (at the same time) stitches evenly … approximately 183, then 207, then 183
then the 207 on the needle so that’s 780 stitches around the edge of the blanket and we
are going to knit in the round!! You may wish to mark the start of the round – or you
can live dangerously and guess where the start of each round is/

Each corner stitch will be knit, but with a yarn over increase before and after it on the
right side rows, to mitre the corners neatly. You may need to mark the corner stitches
for the first few rounds, but they soon become apparent. However, as we are now
knitting in the round, that means we increase every other row. So:
knit 5 rows of garter stitch, increasing and mitring at the corners on the first, 3rd and
5th rows. (As you know, I’m sure, garter stitch is knit every row. However, when
knitting in the round, it becomes knit rows 1, 3 and 5, purl rows 2 and 4)

knit 4 repeats of bee stitch. Bee stitch is an easy four row pattern, in which the
pattern is moved one stitch over every even row; but because we are increasing every
other row, it means it now becomes a 2 row pattern. So; here is the 2 row pattern bee
stitch (which only works if you are increasing, so if you need to use bee stitch for
something else, this version won’t work unless you move it over every 2 nd row, so it
reverts back to a 4 row pattern).

Bee Stitch
Row 1 : purl all stitches (Don’t say I didn’t warn you about the purl!)
Row 2 : k1, k1b – repeat to end.

This should stagger the pattern repeat nicely and make the whole thing a rhythmical
knit. Don’t forget to knit the corner stitch and yo either side of it.

knit 5 rows of garter stitch, increasing and mitring at the corners on the first, 3 and
5th rows. (see above) BUT STOP 5 STITCHES BEFORE THE LAST CORNER

Now we are going to bind off and knit a lace edge at the same time. This is
accomplished by knitting a pattern at right angles to the work, and on every wrong side
row knitting the last stitch of the new pattern with the next stitch of the main body of
work. Sounds complex, but actually it’s easy once you get used to it. The lace edging is
again an adaptation of a Barbara Walker pattern – her Wave Edging. (And don’t say I
didn’t warn you about the purl … and the lace)

So, turn the work and using the last two stitches, and the cable cast on method, cast on
12 stitches. The edging will be worked back and forth at right angles to the main body,
and will bind off one stitch every purl row. All wrong side (purl) rows are the same,
except for the middle number of stitches. So they all start with knit 2, then purl, then
the last two stitches are k1, k2tog (using one edge stitch and one main body stitch).
Every right side row starts with a sl1 and ends with a K2.

Wave Edging
Row 1 : K2, p9, K1, K2tog
Row 2 : Sl1, K3, yo, K5, yo, K2tog, yo, K2
Row 3 : K2, p11, k1, k2tog
Row 4: SL1, k5, s2k1pso, k2, (yo, k2tog) x 2, k1
Row 5: K2, p9, K1, K2tog
Row 6: sl1, k3, ssk, k2, (yo, k2tog) x 2, k1
Row 7: K2, p8, K1, K2tog
Row 8: sl1 k2, ssk, k2, (yo, k2tog) x 2, k1
Row 9: K2, p7, K1, K2tog
Row 10: sl1, k1, ssk, k2, (yo, k2tog) x 2, k1
Row 11: K2, p6, K1, K2tog
Row 12: k1, ssk, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, yo, k2
Row 13: K2, p7, K1, K2tog
Row 14: Sl1, (k3, yo) x 2, k2tog, yo, k2

Repeat this until you need to go do something else for sanities sake! The only change is
at the corners. When you get close you need to count and mark 4 main body stitches
from each corner. Then on row 4 and row 2 before the corner, you need to work a purl
row that doesn’t k2tog with a main body stitch. That is, you knit the last two stitches
both as a knit without picking up a stitch from the main body. This is to allow fullness at
the corner, and by doing this you add two rows either side of the corner stitch to mitre
the corner. This will need to be done four times … the last time being at the last corner.

I wish I could tell you it’s a speedy process, it’s not. But it does become gentle,
rhythmical knitting.

Finally, when you have reached row 5 after the last corner, you should have used up all
your main body stitches. So you cut a long tail of yarn and then graft (Kitchener stitch)
the live stitches on your needle to the cast on edge at the start. Mine is shown below. If
you are lucky the pattern should match up … let me know!

Finally weave in ends, wash, block and (obligatory) do a happy dance that the thing is
ended! Good luck.

Abbreviations:

K knit
P purl
K2tog knit two stitches together as one stitch
Ssk slip two stitches, then knit through the back together as one stitch
Yo yarn over
s2k1pso slip two stitches, knit the next stitch, pass the two slipped stitches over
the knit stitch to make one stitch
k1b knit one below, that is instead of knitting into “leg” of stitch on needle knit
into the already completed stitch beneath the “leg” on needles