Fern Lace Pinwheel

by Jane Comyns
(Snohomish, WA, USA)

Please describe and tell us about your baby blanket.

Knit in the round from the center out, this blanket is knit in stockinette stitch with increases made at regular intervals using yarn overs. A simple project which can be carried around while it's small, this blanket is also the perfect project to work on while listening to your favorite audio book or watching TV.

I was inspired to knit this baby blanket for my niece, born July 4th 2010. Once the blanket had grown to a radius of 15", I decided to create an ornate border for it. I chose a Fern Lace design for the edging and knitted it directly to the live stitches of the main project by using a small circular needle and SSK-ing 1 stitch from the body of the blanket to the edging on every alternate row.

The result is a blanket fit for a princess!



What yarn and needles did you use and where did you get them? Why did you pick this yarn?

I used 7 skeins of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino and several US5 circular needles. (16",32",47",60")
I picked this yarn because of its color and texture.

Tell us more about your design. Was it inspired by another pattern? Why did you pick those colors?

This blanket was based on Genia Planck's "Round or Pinwheel Baby Blanket." I chose this color because when I started making it, I wasn't sure whether the baby it was meant for would be a boy or a girl. This shade of yellow seemed to cover either. Once the gender was confirmed, I added the lacy border.



Did you run into any problems when knitting your baby blanket? How long did it take you to knit?

It took me about 2 months to knit it. The only thing I had to be careful about was joining the skeins of yarn. With no edges to hide joins in, I had to take care to join near the yarn over swirls.

Anything else you'd like to share about your baby blanket or knitting in general?

I am delighted with the way this blanket turned out. I have knit traditional square/rectangular blankets in the past and wanted to make something a little different this time. I enjoyed every moment of the process and am proud to have created such an original family heirloom!