Advice: On baby blankets
Rambling Rose teaser
I've finished the Rambling Rose. I've yet to take some good FO shots. I have to tell you, I'm sad to say that this sweater, although its getting lots of wear, has issues. More on that later.
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OK, I want to knit a baby blanket and I need some advice. I have 8 skeins of Koigu KPPM (~1300 yards).
(a) does it matter if its square or round?
(b) how big is a "good" baby blanket?
(c) any patterns that I should consider?
At this moment, even though the mom suggested a non-eyelet pattern, I'm having a fascination with knitting the Hemlock Ring blanket.
(d) is an eyelet pattern a BAD idea?
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Phew, I will be happy to see march go. Although its been a rewarding month, its been an extremely busy month. Next time I sign up for two different conferences, in completely different fields, two weeks apart, please remind me that I'm being over ambitious! Now the conferences are over I can focus on very important things, like knitting baby blankets!
I don't have a baby so take these with a grain of salt..
a. I'd say square. In the event that the blanket will ever wrap or swaddle the child, I think the corners on the square will help tie, tuck and secure the baby.
b. My baby quilts are 40x40"
c. What about the one from Stitch'n'Bitch? It's also knit out of Koigu... Although it may be too mindless if you're looking for something more challenging.
d. I would say yes? (again, no baby rearing experience) Fingers and toes could inadvertently get caught. Could potentially be bad news.
But I do love the Hemlock Ring pattern! (I know that doesn't help any.)
Same as yaiAnn, no baby! But other questions to consider:
a: Is this a christening blanket or an all-purpose blanket?
b: Is the recipient's mom fashion-conscious or does she want something timeless? (I imagine it's your sister, right?)
c: Are you thinking of a reversible pattern or one that could be lined with flannel?
(I know, big help!)
I'd also say square, or rectangular. There are a couple baby blanket patterns in a Debbie Bliss book I was just looking at and they are 19X31 and like 22X22. Smaller than I would have expected. More like crib/car blankets maybe. I also wonder if fingers and toes would get caught in eyelets. Good luck! :)
Eyelet is good. One thing they say about SIDS these days is keep fluffy things that might smother the baby out of the crib. I feel safer with the baby blankets with 'holes' in them. I have 3 hand knit blankets from 3 generations...a simple crocheted one from my grandma, a knit one with granny squares from my mum and a felted Noro one from my sister. The crocheted one I have used with the new borns...it is 2.5 feet square. the knitted one with granny squares is now my 2 yr olds blankie and it is ~3 feet square and the felted one has been used as a 'floor cover' for kicking time as is also ~3 feet square.
Okay, so first of all, that has got to be the worst tease I've had to endure in a long time (marriage kind of takes the tease out of most stuff!). I cannot wait to see your Rose Ramble. I hope the "issues" are with the instructions and not the ultimate FO, because I'm thinking yum-my!
As for the blanket, you should take a little survey of actual moms on the ravelry boards (believe you me, there are mommy boards galore). I have no personal expertise, but did notice that Anna Bell had her little one wrapped up in a feather and fan-like blankie (eyelets) and tons of people seem to be happy with the pinwheel blankets, too. I've heard that babies love the holes in blankets, and I assume that as long as they can't get them around their necks, catching a finger occasionally is probably not a big deal (though I am sure someone will correct me). I'd say knit your bliss - you have infallible taste.
We need to have another knitting thingy soon - let me know when things slow down enough to allow you to do that!
Uh-oh. I await your discussion of Rambling Rose's issues, as I cast on tonight!
As a mom who knit her own (now 6 month old) baby a blanket, here's my input
a) Shape doesn't really matter - a knit blanket won't work for swaddling (too stretchy) and will probably just be used over the babe for warmth. I prefer rectangles as babies are longer than they are wide, just like the rest of us.
b) You could go as small as 2.5 feet in width if it's at least 3.5 feet in length. Just enough to cover a sleeping baby.
c) When picking a pattern, remember it will be washed more often than a typical lap blanket, so avoid things that need to be re-blocked. I don't mind hand washing knitwear with nice fibers, but blocking is out of the question for me right now.
d) Wee little fingers do get caught in eyelet, but only really for the first 2-3 months. The mom can always place the knit blanket over a lightweight flannel blanket if she's worried about that.