In the Studio: Baby Binky

Baby blanket, organic non-dyed cotton, easy lace stitch, size 7 cherry wood cable needle, 32 in.

This is a pattern from the 80s that I thought would be lovely and I like it quite a bit, although it's quirky.  The original pattern used one color, but I like having the big stripes of color. This cotton shrinks quite a bit so I'll be making a rather large piece of fabric and then shrinking it down in the wash.

I've had to rip out quite a lot because my concentration hasn't been what it takes - I space out and get a stitch wrong in one row and it doesn't show up til the next row or two, so I have to rip back to the error.  But it's worth it in order to get the subtle zig zag effect in the overall fabric pattern right. It's a yo, k2tog repetition offset by one stitch each row to get the bias ridge along the fabric, so missing one stitch gets everything off kilter!

It moves along swiftly, so it ought to be complete while the infant is still an infant   8-)

The next baby binkie

Baby blanket, knitted, chevron stitch, organic undyed cotton, size 7 cable needle.

The previous blankie was so enjoyable that when I received the announcement of the birth of my friend's first daughter I got the needles and the organic cotton out right away!  The blanket is about 20x30.  I am using Pakucho cotton, which is selected for color rather than dyed.  It's beautifully soft, although I still don't have a grip on how much it shrinks.  But I figure it will do very well in the washer and dryer and generally be a blanket that doesn't have to be saved for special occasions.

Baby binkie - complete

Baby blanket, chevron stitch, organic undyed cotton, size 7 bamboo cable needle.

I really enjoyed making this organic cotton blanket and it helped me get over my reluctance to make baby blankets. The chevron stitch is fascinating  and I think the wide stripes are a good fit for this classic stitch pattern.

In the studio - baby binkie

Baby blanket [my first ever], organic cotton, seed stitch, size 6 cable needle, 32 in.

I'm not sure why this is only my first baby blanket, but I am enjoying thinking of how it will be used and how the cotton will get softer and softer as it's washed.