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Some time ago I knitted two afghans for and Afghans for Afghans project when they had a big call for baby blankets for a hospital in Kabul. The blog I was contributing to at the time has faded into the aether of the internet, and my pattern page along with it. But I was smart enough to save the html from the post, so here the pattern is again!I started with the Easiest Baby Blanket pattern from Knitting Pattern Central, which has a garter edging and a stockinette middle, but I was concerned that since the length and width of individual stitches is different, it would come out weirdly. I also needed the blanket to be a little bigger than the original pattern. The minimum size they need for a newborn blanket is 30 inches by 40 inches — it has to last for a while. So here’s what I came up with:
Garter Stripe Baby Afghan
Materials:
* 8 to 10 balls Lion Wool Prints (I used Mountain colorway) or any woolly worsted-weight yarn, 3.5-4 oz per skein (MUST be wool or other animal fiber for Afghans for Afghans — acrylic does not insulate well enough).
* Size 15 circular needles
Gauge: whatever. It’ll come out to about 34-36 inches wide.
Holding two strands of wool together, cast on 87 stitches.
Beginning and ending with stripe pattern 1, alternate these two stripe patterns throughout:
Stripe pattern 1:
Knit every row for 8 rows.
Stripe pattern 2:
Row 1: Knit across
Row 2: Knit the first five stitches, Purl up to the last five stitches, Knit the last five stitches.
Repeat until 8 rows have been made.
Repeat the two stripe patterns alternating until the piece measures about 42 inches. Bind off.
For colors, dark or bright colors are best. Pastels and light colors look dirty too quickly. Green is significant to the people of Islam, so consider incorporating green into the design. The “Mountain” colorway that I used has purple, green, blue, and brown.
13 comments:
Very nice afghan! I really like the color you chose as well.
Fantastic pattern!! I'll be using this one for sure.
Going to start this pattern today. Hope to be done by mid-November.
Very pretty. I'm not very good in knitting (wish I was) but this may be just what I need to get started again. Its perfect in that yarn!
Thank you, thank you for this great pattern. I,also, knit for Afghans for Afghans and always feel bad that I can't knit more. This pattern is quick and easy. I did one in three nights.
Adorable and cute! Love your blog!
Love your pattern! I want to make this out of a different brand of yarn, could you tell me what the yardage of the yarn you used was instead of the weight? What were the finished dimensions? I want to make this a little bigger, more toddler-sized, so I need to calculate the amount of yarn needed.
Thank you so much and happy holiday knitting!
I love this pattern, but I need some information about the yarn needed. What is the yardage of yarn instead of the weight? What is the finished size? I want to make this a little bigger, toddler-sized so I need to calculate the amount I need to order.
Thanks for sharing your pattern and happy holiday knitting!
It is indeed very neatly knit but what makes it look so good is the wool that is changing shades as ot is knit.
Really loved this pattern. I am knitting blankets for children in Haiti and would like to use this pattern using a lighter weight yarn. I would like to make them toddler size. Could you give me dimension and how much yarn I would need?
The blanket comes out large enough for a toddler (or even mom and baby) - A4A requires the blanket be at least 36" wide and 40" long. You can, of course, add more stitches and rows to increase the size, but without knitting it myself I'm not sure how much more yarn to use.
Great job. Seems to be easy to knit. As for me I'll change color to a lighter one. Great blanket.
Really liking this pattern so far. The images no longer come up. Do you still have pictures of the final blanket? Thanks!
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