Christie C. When a close family member or friend is having a baby, it gives me an excuse to fashion up some soft and cuddly baby gear. I used to be all about the baby booties and hats, but my recent “baby obsession” (fur babies included) is making blankets for the precious human and fur babies of my social circle.
I recently designed a simple yet gorgeous baby blanket that I call the Wooly Lamb Baby Blanket. It is a light and soft piece knit in seed stitch and secured with an optional single crochet border. Any color can be used, but I did use a combination of colors since my local craft store ran out of the primary yarn I wanted to use. We’ll make do with what we’ve got! The blanket turned out to be a woven beauty of seashell colors, and preciously soft with a combination of acrylic, wool, and alpaca.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS PIECE
- Easy to knit and crochet
- Requires only knit and purl stitching skills
- Knits up quickly (25 to 30 hours)
- Super soft
- Crochet detail is optional
Inspiration
I was inspired to create this blanket after a close friend of mine who is like a father to me finally had a daughter. He and his wife had been trying for nearly a decade, so we were all surprised and excited when she was finally born.
I wanted to create a blanket that matched the swaddle set that they had for her, with a spring theme that reflected the absolute joy in their new family pictures. And, I needed it to be done in two weeks before my drive from Virginia to New York to go visit them.
So, I decided to design this blanket to be thick yet durable and soft with crochet-like qualities, but with the drape and softness of knitted fabric.
I settled on (my favorite stitch again), the seed stitch, as the primary pattern, reinforced with a single crochet border. It is knit with US size 19 (15mm) with 6 Super Bulky yarn.
Yarn Used
A combination of Lionbrand Wool-Ease® Thick & Quick® and Buttercream Luxe Craft Alpaca in Sage was used in this project. Both yarns have the same gauge of 9 stitches per 4″ and a weight of 170 grams per skein. However, you can choose to use all Lionbrand Wool-Ease or all Buttercream Luxe Craft Alpaca. Use whichever color combination or yarn combination you wish.
The main color used in this pattern is this Seashell color. It caught my eye since it’s variegated—and I love myself a variegated yarn!
Most importantly, however, it matched the swaddle set with its mixture of pink and blue. This yarn reminds me of the iridescent insides of sea shells. There is a lovely mixture of cream, cherry blossom, sage, and sky blue.
Sage was chosen as the secondary color. It looks more like an eggshell color, but it matches the Seashell perfectly. This yarn has alpaca mixed into it, giving it a slightly softer texture than the Wool-Ease yarn. However, the color worked the best.
Rouge was chosen as the tertiary color. I didn’t want the blanket to be overwhelmingly pink, so this yarn is sprinkled in here and there for a pop of color.
YARN ALTERNATIVES
Some yarn alternatives that can be used include Plymouth Yarn Encore Mega, Plymouth Yarn Encore Mega Colorspun, K+C Alpaca Solids Yarn, and/or Big Twist Natural Blend Yarn. They have the same gauge and fiber content as Wool-Ease and Buttercream.
OTHER DIY PROJECTS LIKE THIS
Knitting Glossary and Abbreviations
Knitting & Crocheting Journal #2: Knitting WATG’s Sometimes Sweater
Sewing Journal #2: Making My Own Clothes for a Year Challenge
TAG US! Let us know if you try it! Comment and rate! We love seeing your crafts, so tag your photo with #homestylealchemy on Instagram!
Gauge
8 sts and 11 rows = 4″ (10 cm) over seed stitch using size 19 (15mm) needles.
Total Time
25 to 30 Hours
Materials
1,500 grams Super Bulky #6 yarn (9 skeins, 100 yards each). I used 6 skeins Seashell Super Bulky #6 yarn (Color 1), 2 skeins Sage Super Bulky #6 yarn (Color 2), and 1 skein Rouge Super Bulky #6 yarn (Color 3).
US size 19 (15mm) needles
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
Optional: size Q crochet hook
Pattern
With Color 1, CO 80sts.
K1, P1 to the end of the row. Turn your work. Knit purl stitches, and purl the knit stitches to create the seed stitch. Continue pattern for several rows, switching between colors as desired to create a striped pattern. This piece can also be knit in one solid color.
Continue the sees stitch pattern until the piece measures 50 inches.
BO/CO (bind off/cast off) stitches and weave in loose ends.
OPTIONAL DETAIL: If desired, a single crochet border can be added. Starting from one corner of the blanket, single crochet around the edges of the blanket.
Be sure to chain 1 at each corner.
Weave in the loose ends.
Completed Blanket
Beautiful! I’m sure your friends appreciated it!