Introducing: Gráinne's Blanket

Something a little different from me this month: I love knitting socks and intarsia, but once in a while, I fancy something a little different. I knitted Grainne’s Blanket last summer, mostly sat in friends’ gardens chatting while the sun shone, filling the knitting with happy memories while getting ready for the arrival of a new family member.

I love to knit baby blankets. There is nothing quite so special as handing a blanket over to new parents, knowing that what you’ve knitted will go everywhere with that child, sharing love with them even when you cannot be near. My children still use their baby blankets, even now they are much bigger: they snuggle with them, make tents out of them, and trail them round the house.

Gráinne's (Grawn-ya) Blanket is simple to knit, featuring an easy textured pattern that uses only knit and purl stitches and is quite intuitive once you get going. I took the blanket project everywhere with me for a couple of weeks, and, as if by magic, a whole blanket had emerged. The pattern is easy to remember, and flows intuitively, making the knitting almost meditative.

The blanket is knitted from the bottom up with an integrated moss stitch border, so the only finishing this blanket needs is to have the ends woven in and a quick block!

I chose to knit the blanket in Paintbox Yarns Wool Mix Aran,** a cost-effective wool/acrylic blend that is lovely to work with, and drapes beautifully when blocked. The yarn also comes in a huge range of colours, so you can choose something that will be perfect for the new person in your life. Don’t like working with wool yarns? You can choose to use any aran weight yarn for this blanket, from basic acrylic to something soft and luxurious. If you’re making Grainne’s Blanket for a baby, choose a yarn that is machine washable – even parents who how to look after handknits can get a little overwhelmed when a new baby arrives, so machine washable is the safest choice.

The pattern is written for two sizes. Instructions are also included on how to make a custom-size blanket – perfect if you don’t have a baby and want to make something for yourself.

Ready to buy the pattern? You can find it on:

Ravelry*

PayHip

Use the code SUNSHINE for 15% off until 11.59pm BST, Tuesday 22nd June 2021 (applies on Ravelry and PayHip only). The pattern will also be available on LoveCrafts soon.

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Sizes

·        Small: 58.5 x 56 cm (23.25 x 22.25 in)

·        Large: 78.5 x 72.5 cm (31.25 x 29 in)

Instructions are also included for you to make a custom-size blanket.

 

Tension

·        18 sts and 24 rows = 10 cm (4 in) in stocking stitch

·        18 sts and 27 rows = 10 cm (4 in) in Gráinne’s pattern

worked flat on 5 mm (US 8) needles after wet blocking, or size needed to obtain correct tension.

 

One pattern repeat (18 sts x 22 rows) measures 10 x 8 cm (4 x 3.25 in)

 

Yarn

440 (760) m [485 (835) yds] of aran-weight yarn

 

This blanket is knitted using a wool-acrylic blend with the following characteristics:

• Smooth for good pattern definition
• Machine washable for easy care
• Not too loosely spun to ensure it wears well

You can use any aran-weight yarn for this pattern.

 

Needles

5 mm (US 8) circular needle at least 40 (60) cm [16 (24) in] in length

 

Notions

7 (9) stitch markers (2 markers are for the border, so you may wish to use markers that are a different colour to the other markers)

 

Pattern notes

The instructions are for the smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses Small (Large).

The blanket is knitted flat, but a circular needle is used to accommodate the large number of sts.

The sample is knitted in Paintbox Yarns Wool Mix Aran (50% wool, 50% acrylic; 180 m per 100 g ball) in shade 821 Daffodil Yellow.

Instructions are also included for making a custom size blanket.

 

*Ravelry link: may cause issues for people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution.

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