Kai's Knit Baby Blanket Pattern: Pavilion Stitch

Recently I made a knit baby blanket for Kai, our friends' Kevin @ Rhetorician by Trade and Rachel's @ 52 Projects first baby boy.

 

and thought I would share the pattern I created with you in case you want to make one too!  I used pavilion stitch because it looks super cool and it is a fun pattern for beginners because you only use regular knit and purl stitches.



Here is the PATTERN:

Supplies:
Size US 10 24" or greater circular needle (or two long needles if you prefer, I like circular because you never lose one!)
Four Medium size Skeins of Yarn of your choice (if you use smalls skeins you will need more, if you go with a super saver size you might only need two)
Optional: A yard of minky fabric to line the back to make it extra cozy

Get Started:
Cast on 80
Rows 1-8: Knit
Row 9: K4, [k2, p1, k5, p7, k3: rep across] end K4
Row 10 and all even rows: K4,[Knit the knit sts and purl the purl sts as they face you] end K4
Row 11: K4, [(k1, p1) twice, k5, p5, k4: rep across] end K4
Row 13: K4, [p1, k3, p1, k5, p3, k5: rep across] end K4
Row 15: K4, [k5, p1, k5, p7: rep across] end K4
Row 17: K4, [(p1, k5) twice, p5, k1: rep across] end K4
Row 19: K4, [k1, (p1, k5) twice, p3, k2: rep across] end K4
Row 21: K4, k2,*p1, k5; rep from *,end p1, k7
Row 23: K4, [k3, p1, k5, p1, k3, p1, k1, p1, k2: rep across] end K4
Row 25: K4, [k4, p1, k5, p1, k1, p1, k3, p1, k1: rep across], end K4
Row 27: K4, [k5, p7, k5, p1: rep across] end K4
Row 29: K4, [p1, k5, p5, k5, p1, k1: rep across] end K4
Row 31: K4, [k1, p1, k5, p3, k5, p1, k2: rep across] end K4
Row 33: K4, [k2, p7, k5, p1, k3: rep across] end K4
Row 35: K4, [k1, p1, k1, p5, k5, p1, k4: rep across] end K4
Row 37: K4, [p1, k3, p3, k5, p1, k5: rep across], end K4
Row 39: K4,[k5, p1: rep across] end K4
Row 41: K4,[k4, p1, k1, p1, k3, p1, k5, p1, k1: rep across] end K4
Row 43: K4,[(k3, p1) twice, k1, p1, k5, p1, k2: rep across], end K4
Row 44: K4, [Knit the knit sts and purl the purl sts as they face you],end K4
Repeat Rows 9-44 2 more times (3 total)
Knit Last 8 Rows
Cast Off
Weave your yarn tails through your knitting to hide them. 


*Optional* I sew minky (or flannel) onto the back of my knitted blankets because generally only one side looks good. This particular pattern doesn't look bad if you leave it, but for a winter baby the extra softness and warmth will be appreciated. Simply cut your fabric to the size of the blanket and fold under edges (I use the border as a guide). Then blanket stitch the edges of the fabric to your knit blanket. To keep the fabric and the knit blanket together I add some hand ties (like quilting). I think these extra steps are worth the time and energy!



I hope you enjoy the pattern!

Easy Knit French Press Cozy Pattern

Dom asked me to make a cozy for our french press, to keep our brew warm. 

I used some scrap wool yarn I had lying around in dark grey and neon green. And some awesome vintage buttons from Dom's mom. 

So I knitted it a little sweater inspired by the pattern here. Using this pattern I ended up with a cozy that was way too big so I had to recreate my own:

Supplies

a size 5 circular knitting needle (or two sticks if you prefer)

Yarn scraps or a small skein (I used a lightweight wool)

3+ Buttons of Choice

Pattern:

Cast on 50 stitches

Knit in K2, P2 for 4 rows

Switch colors and knit in stockinette for 4 rows

Switch colors and knit in stockinette for 4 rows. 

repeat until you get to desired length. (I knitted 36 rows of stockinette in all, 9 panels of color)

Finish knitting in K2, P2 for 4 rows and cast of loosely.

I sewed loops of yarn on one side and buttons on the other. 4 was a perfect number of buttons for me, but more could be cute too! I think 3 is the least you could have.

If you choose to do this in all one color, you just skip the color switching.

Quilts!!!

Baby has some truly WONDERFUL quilts from family and friends. 

This one is from Anna Reno over at Adding Some Color to Team Reno

I LOVE the fabric choices! 

I also am SO GRATEFUL to have handmade items for the new little one. They are such precious gifts that represent hours of work and focus, all to shower him with love. 

This is the backside of an awesome quilt from Dom's mom, Grandma Adams. I love love that over time the fabric will keep wearing and will feel lovely and chenile....oh and it is in a chevron pattern. LOVE. I got a sneak peak of it this summer and little did I know that we would get it. 

My Grandmother, LuLu gave this quilt to the little one, with all hand stitched quilting. It is so precious to me that my son will have a quilt from his Great-Grandmother. I can't express my joy in this one. I actually cried the first night I had it.

And then there is the puff quilt from me (I'll do an update soon with better pics so I can link it up with the others over at HoneyBear Lane,) I think it will make a great play mat because it is so thick and soft. For now it is hanging out with Mr. Giraffe.

  Oh, and the blanket I knitted! haha. Proud of that project, it was a feat of self will to learn something new. Well no matter how you slice it, baby is not getting cold any time soon!

Weekend Projects: the Second

For many, many weekends now I have been hobbling toward the finish on my first major knitting project, a a baby blanket.

When I started I had no one in particular in mind, all I knew was that a rectangle was probably going to be the easiest thing to make. Since then the blanket has been claimed, well that or I promised my friend to make her one in the colors of her choosing, someday when her belly is big and beautifully round. 

Even though I pulled my usual, and distracted myself with a million other projects, like these washcloths,    and some other random projects, including the fact that I actually made myself a pair of hammer pants, well now the fashion world likes to call them 'harem pants' but we all know what they are. 

But despite myself yesterday, I finished it! A full crib size cozy knit blanket. (I made it the same size of my favorite blanket from when I was little, if it ain't broke don't fix it)

I have decided to put a ULTRA soft minky on the back and to trim it in turquoise jersey for boy or girl. Too bad I'm not a baby or I would keep it for myself. I'll let you all know when it is finished for real! 

Eddie Izzard

Look him up in Netflix or Youtube and give him a chance. He cross-dresses but don't blow him off. He is FUNNY, language isn't too bad...and he is British, so therefore, twice as funny!

Thats who I am watching tonight while I surf the web, work on my etsy listing, drink my tea, and make make a rag rug. I feel like an old lady blogger.

Remember the baby blanket in progress from this post well its going to a baby who is not yet a twinkle in their fathers eye (unless my dear friend wants her own custom colors) And then there will be another one in progress asap for a new baby in the oven, but they don't know they are getting it yet, so shhh.... and no, I wont tell you who it is until they have announced it to the world (which now I guess is gauged through Facebook, what a strange generation we are!)