New Design: Reach for the Stars baby blanket

In the autumn a close friend announced that she was expecting her second baby. I had knitted a hat and blanket for her first child, but every new baby requires a special present, so I decided that I would knit a blanket for this new baby too. The design is one that has been in my head for a long time, and may be familiar to anyone who has been following my work for a while: a zooming rocket with a fiery tail! The rocket motif first appeared on my Reach for the Stars baby jumper, which appeared in an issue of Knit Now a few years ago, and I had always had a blanket in mind for the same motif.

The Reach for the Stars baby blanket is knitted in a single piece with a large moss stitch border surrounding the central stocking stitch panel; the moss stitch border makes the blanket lie flat, and means that blanket requires minimal finishing. The rocket motif is knitted into the blanket using the intarsia technique. The chart for the rocket motif is split vertically across two pages to maximise the size of the individual squares, while you only have to work from one chart at a time.

Chunky weight yarn is used in this design, allowing it to be knitted up quickly. The sample is knitted in Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky, an acrylic yarn that comes in a huge array of colours, so you can mix and match as you please. This yarn also has the advantage of being machine washable, so is perfect for new parents.

The pattern is available now from my Ravelry store at the introductory price of £3 until 11.59pm GMT Tuesday 14th March 2017, after which the price will increase to £4.

The Reach for the Stars baby blanket will be joined by other designs featuring the same rocket motif over the course of 2017, including a cushion, baby/toddler jumper and children's jumper. If you know now that you would like to have access to all the patterns, you can buy the ebook for the introductory price of £7.50; the additional patterns will be added automatically as I release them. The ebook will increase in price to £10 as soon as the second pattern is released.

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