Logan's Half Blanket
I am surrounded by people having babies. To be precise, I'm surrounded by women having babies. Anyhoo.
The latest small-scale baby blanket is this little cutie, knit for my cousin's third daughter (born in the spring; I'm a little behind. It would help if people stopped procreating). At approximately 19" by 25" (48cm by 63cm), it's a good size for the car, a doll, or just snuggling with. As you can see, I'll have to pry it out of the paws of Milton Bear before it can be shipped off to Connecticut...
The yarn is Phentex Chunky, which can be somewhat difficult to find and which is not my favorite yarn. It took just over 2 skeins to complete this blanket. You can substitute a chunky-weight yarn(CYCA 5) without much trouble - especially since gauge is not important in the grand scheme of things. The borders will curl, so leave time for blocking. I think the pattern (which is named "little flowers" or some such) looks like little hearts repeated across the cloth. It's a very sweet but also fast pattern, sure to be popular with mom and baby (and knitter!).
Finished dimensions: 19" by 25" (48cm by 63cm)
Materials:
3 skeins Phentex Chunky (100% acrylic) Colorway: Creme Menthe. [3oz/85g to 135yd/123m]
US 10 (6.0mm) 26" circular needles (or, if you prefer, really long straights)
Darning needle
Instructions:
Cast on 63 sts.
Knit 4 rows.
Pattern: Note: there were serious errors in the pattern, so I recharted it and have corrected the instructions, below. Many many apologies if you had problems!
Row 1 (and all WS/odd rows): K3 P57 K3
Row 2: K3; (K3; YO; SSK; K1) 9 times; K6
Row 4: K3; (K1; K2tog; YO; K1; YO; SSK) 9 times; K6
Rows 6 and 8: K all sts.
Row 10: K3; (YO; SSK; K4) 9 times; YO; SSK; K4
Row 12: K3; (K1; YO; SSK; K1; K2tog; YO) 9 times; K1; YO; SSK; K3
Rows 14 and 16: K all sts.
Work these 16 rows 8 times total or to 0.5" (2cm) short of desired length.
Knit 4 rows.
Bind off.
Weave in ends.
I've had quite a few people ask for directions on how to make this a standard size (approx. 30in by 40in, or 75cm by 100cm). Here are my calculations:
Cast on 99sts.
Knit 4 rows.
Row 1: K3; P93; K3
Rows 2-16: Work as above pattern, except there are 15 repeats, instead of 9.
Work 16 pattern rows 13 times total, or to 0.5in (2cm) short of desired length.
The original blanket used 2.25 skeins of the Chunky (about 300yds) ; this full sized version will use about 6 skeins (about 800yds).
27 comments:
Hi there! I was really excited to see this pattern as I have two new grandsons to knit for and just happen to have lots of Phentex Chunky in my stash. I've done 2 repeats and Rows 2 and 10 weren't coming out right on the stitch count, so I just checked back on your blog this morning and saw your corrections to Row 2. That makes more sense now. If you could look at Row 10, it seems to be off by 2 stitches somewhere. Thanks so much for any help you could offer! Deb in California
Ok, I think all is fixed now! Sorry for the confusion - I blame it on Mickey...
Hi! I love the patterns of the blanket but could you tell me how to make it wider? Maybe not double but how do you increase the pattern in width?
Thanks,
Judy
Hi! I, too, love this pattern and would like to make it as a "Logan's WHOLE Blanket". How many stitches do I need to CO to do this?
Thanks!
Hi
I love this pattern, but I've got a stash of double knit yarn I'd like to use rather than chunky. Do you think it will work and can you perhaps suggest how I can translate it to dk from chunky?
Many thanks.
I like how this pattern looks (thanks for the picture!)--I'm trying to figure out if I can use some yarn that I have. In the original half blanket instructions, you list skeins [3oz/85g to 135yd/123m]. but in the modified 'whole' blanket instructions, you said that "the original blanket used 2.25 skeins of the Chunky (about 1700yds) ; this full sized version will use about 6 skeins (about 4500yds)." this would mean each skein would be 750 yds then (rather than the 135yds originally listed)? sorry if I've missed something obvious. my gauge is rarely on (thus, the beauty of baby blankets), but I need to figure out if the weight of my yarn is too heavy for this pattern and/or if I have enough. thanks!
Yes, sorry, my basic math skills were obviously not functioning that day... it should be approx. 300 yds for the half blanket and approx 800 for the full blanket, using chunky weight yarn (note: this is slightly heavier than worsted but not as heavy as a true bulky).
I just finished this in light pink for grandniece born day after Christmas. It's a lovely blanket, and I love the "half blanket" size. You are so right about just right for car seat, toddler lapghan, or babydoll blankie later. I know the new Mommy will love it! thanks for sharing.
Hi. I'm trying to knit this blanket but Row 2 for me isnt coming out correctly I end up with 65 stitches ( a few left over after row 2). Im not sure what I am doing wrong and cant get much advice!!! Thank You....
Ashley In Wyoming
The most common problem people have with this step is not knowing what a "SSK" is. It's a decrease stitch: you slip two stitches, then knit them together. Here's a help page from KnittingHelp: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/decreases. If you're ending up with too many stitches, it's probably because you're not decreasing every time you have a yarn over.
Thank You so much I appreciate the help :)
Ashley
I'm wondering also if you're adding a yarn over at the edges with the border - you should only have nine yarn overs in that row. This occured to me b/c you've only got two extra stitches, not nine.
Good Job! :)
Wow, another beautiful blanket! Great job - I'm glad I found your blog just to see your blankies. :-)
Hi KT!! I love this blanket pattern and made it even LARGER by casting on 135 stitches & following the rest of the pattern as written. It is for my daughter's 5th grade teacher, a first time dad. I am using variagated baby yarn (blue, mint and white) on size 8 circulars. Oh, I am from Roanoke, Virginia - we are practically neighbors!!!
I just finished row 4 and now I only have 57 stitches. What did I do wrong? I don't want to keep going if I royally screwed up. Thanks!
Kristen
Hi Kristen,
Either you've got too many decrease stitches or too few yarn overs - I'm betting on the too few yarn overs. Make sure you do a YO on each side of the middle K1. Good luck!
KT
I'm confused. I'd love to make this blanket, but where are the instructions for rows 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, and 15?
Hi Kathy -
All odd/wrong side rows are the same:
Row 1 (and all WS/odd rows): K3 P57 K3
This is done in knitting patterns to save space and make things a bit more concise/elegant. Sorry it was confusing!
- KT
Hi! I'm fairly new to knitting so forgive me if this is a 'dumb' question. I'm doing the half blanket and have cast on my 63 stitches (using Bernat Softee Chunky 100g/3.5 oz yarn). I know this blanket is supposed to be approx 19 in wide but my 63 stitches only measure 11 in (18+ if I stretch all the stitches out). I do have the correct size needle. Is this right??? Thanks in advance! Charmaine
Hi Charmaine,
Not a dumb question at all! It sounds like you are a much tighter knitter than I am - I do tend to knit a bit loosely. Your blanket should be pretty drapey, but if it's only 11 inches wide with 63 stitches, I'd guess that it's pretty firm. You're knitting at about 5.7 stitches per inch, and the pattern is about 3.3 stitches per inch.
Bottom line? I would go up to a size 13 needle and see if that gets you better results. I think you'll be happier with the feel, too.
Thank you! Using the size 13 needle did the trick. I am a tight knitter (perhaps a testament to my stress levels ;o)) so it took a couple times to get the right length but I did! I'm excited to see the finished product after reading the other blogs! Thanks again, Charmaine
You have beautiful patterns, and I really appreciate your posting this one for free! Very nice of you!
I think I am missing something in Row 12. On all the other even rows, the repeat section seems to total 6 stitches, which are then repeated 9 times, right? On Row 12, the repeat section seems to total only 5, and that throws off the total number of stitches, doesn't it?
The YO SSK results in 2 stitches, right?
Thanks for your help--and patience!
Actually, Row 12 is still 6 stitches in the repeat:
1: K1 Knit one
2: YO: Yarn over
2: SSK: Slip two stitches, then knit them together
4: K1: Knit one
5: K2tog: Knit two together
6: YO: Yarn over
You are a patient person! Thank you for the step-by-step instructions for row 12. Somehow it makes more sense when you write it out like that! :-)
Thanks so much!
Help! I knit the first four rows. Next K3, P57 and K3. But, when I try and do the next row (row 2) it isn't working. This is making me crazy... I read where this was fixed on your blog, but I don't know where your blog is? Thanks for your help.
Hi Sandra, This is the blog - and the line you're reading (in red) is the fixed line. What are your symptoms? KT
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