Knit 1; Weave 1: White Coral Bells

I started weaving baby blankets for my coworkers. I worked as a pediatric nurse and it seemed every week, someone was having a baby!

Everyone treasured the special gifts my partner Jill and I handcrafted for their babies. We frequently hear that our blanket became "the blanket" for many of the children. It is wonderful to hear that, years later, the blanket still has a special place in the child’s heart.

I started weaving baby blankets for my coworkers. I worked as a pediatric nurse and it seemed every week, someone was having a baby!

Everyone treasured the special gifts my partner Jill and I handcrafted for their babies. We frequently hear that our blanket became "the blanket" for many of the children. It is wonderful to hear that, years later, the blanket still has a special place in the child’s heart.

Project Details: Weave 1

We began our search for the perfect yarns to weave a soft, non-allergenic, blanket that could be tossed in the washer and dryer.

Weft

Our friend, Irene Schmoeller, the owner of Cotton Clouds, recommended Monte Cristo, a medium-weight fluffy cotton yarn for our weft. Monte Cristo is only available in Natural, and we wanted color for the edgings. Irene recommended an 8/2 unmercerized cotton (Aurora Earth) that comes in a large color pallete.

• Monte Cristo IV in Natural
• Aurora Earth 8/2 unmercerized cotton in Rose (#23).

(These two threads are worked together as one yarn.)

Wind each bobbin (or stick shuttle) with two threads: hold the threads (one Monte Cristo and one Aurora Earth) together in one hand very close to the bobbin and wind slowly. Do not overfill the bobbin.

Warp

5/2 warp-twist cotton from Henry’s Attic in Natural. (Note: Many online retailers sell Henry's Attic yarns, if you do not have a wholesale account. Or you could substitute 5/2 perle cotton.)

Wind a warp 41 inches wide by 80 inches long for one blanket (allows for 36 inches of loom waste).

Sett

12 ends per inch. I recommend using a 6-dent reed and sleying 2 threads per dent because it is more gentle on the warp. If you don’t have a 6-dent reed, a 12-dent reed also works.

Weave the blanket at 8 picks per inch.

Weave Structure

Plain weave. Double the threads in the first and last heddles to reinforce the selvedge.

Finished dimensions

After washing and drying: 36 X 36 inches; approximately 12% shrinkage.

Weaving

Begin by weaving a 1-inch hem with 5/2 warp-twist cotton.

Maintaining good tension on the warp, weave with the doubled weft for 44 inches. (Cut all "join tails" to 1-inch long and leave them until the blanket has been processed.) End your weaving with 1 inch of 5/2 warp-twist cotton as the hem and a couple of picks of the header to hold the weaving in place. Remove the blanket from loom.

Trim the hem section to 1/2-inch. Fold and sew across. Then fold again and sew the fold. The 5/2 cotton-warp twist hem should be completely hidden and secured inside the final hem.

Finishing

Wash the blanket in warm water regular cycle with gentle detergent and fabric softener in the rinse cycle. Dry in the dryer. Clip all "join tails" close to the fabric.

Crocheted Edging

Round 1: Start near a corner on a hemmed edge so you can bury the tail in the hem. With cream-colored 5/2 warp-twist cotton, work a single crochet completely around the blanket. On the hemmed edge, place a stitch for every two warp threads. On the unhemmed sides, you have to use your own judgment. You do not want the blanket edge to ripple or pull in. I use a size 2 crochet hook. I work 3 single crochet in each corner. Working this first round in the basic color of the blanket makes a much neater edge. When you are back at the beginning cut this thread and join to the beginning.

Round 2: With 2 strands of the Coral Aurora Earth (held as one), attach to one of the single crochets on a hemmed edge. Crochet 7 chain stitches. Work one double crochet in 4th chain stitch from hook (this makes that nice little scalloped edge). Then work one double crochet in the single crochet at the base of the ch7.

Now * skip the next 2 of the cream-colored single crochets, work one double crochet stitch in next single crochet. # Chain 4 on top of this DC then work a new double crochet in the first stitch of this chain 4 (creating a V shape with a little arch on top—see the diagram above). Now go back to the base of this repeat and work 1 double crochet in the starting single crochet that was worked into the cream edging *.

Repeat from * to * around the blanket. At the corners skip only one single crochet. I try to place one of the 'V's (the two double crochets in the same single crochet) in the center corner stitch. I fudge stitches along the way as needed to get this to work. To end, slip stitch into the 3rd chain of the beginning. Work in ends.

Project Details: Knit 1

After seeing Lura’s blanket I realized I had quite a challenge—finding something to compliment the colors, the texture, and the baby theme. I started swatching...

I started with a regular garter-stitch border, stockinette body swatch, which didn’t move me. I tried switching to a seed stitch...but that didn’t do the trick either. So I stopped.

I kept the blanket out where I could see it (constantly, taunting me) until one day it pushed a song into my head:

(sung as a round)

White coral bells upon a slender stalk
Lilies-of-the valley deck my garden walk
Oh, don't you wish that you could hear them ring?
That will happen only when the fairies sing

Suddenly I had the image I needed!  A little flower-bell hat for a baby. I didn’t like the fabrics I'd swatched so far, so I switched to a Feather and Fan pattern knitted over eighteen stitches.

I swatched with the colors combined, then singly. I liked the individual colors and decided to use the thin, coral cotton as trim on the baby hat, as it is on the blanket. As much as I liked the cream on its own (and it is gorgeous and soft), I thought three color changes was too much for such a little hat.
I chose to knit the hat top-down because I like the "discovery" of top-down knitting and because I wasn’t sure how much yarn I had left after all my swatching...

The top-knot  I-cord looked stem-like and went with my flower bell concept. I briefly considered working it in green, but decided that would be too busy.

I decided to take the I-cord cast-on stitches (6) and divide them onto three needles for circular knitting. That way I could add stitches evenly around to eventually create six separate feather and fan repeats of 11 stitches each to get a hat that would fit a nine-month-old baby.

Sizing is tricky on this hat and there are a number of ways to achive smaller (and larger) sizes—the most obvious is to change yarn and needle size.

You might be tempted to simply eliminate one whole pattern repeat. This may result in a lopsided hat. (Which would be fine if that section of the hat was always at the back of the baby’s head...but how likely is that?)

Instead, for smaller sizes, I recommend that you simply cease increasing, placing stitch markers as needed on either side of the Feather and Fan pattern and substituting a different stitch, such as stockinette, between the Feather and Fan repeats.

1. For a preemie baby the pattern increases stop at Round 10 with one yo increase giving roughly a 10 to 11-1/2 inch head circumference to the hat. This single yo stitch should be knit for pattern rounds 1, 3, 4 and purled for every round 2. Hat height should be approximately 4 to 4-1/2 inches.
2. For a newborn, stop increases after round 11 for a head approximately 13 inches around. As before, knit these stitches on knit rounds and purl on purl rounds. Hat height should be approximately 5-1/2 to 6 inches.
3. For a 3–6 month old with a head roughly 14–17 inches around, stop increasing after round 12. Hat height should be approximately 6-1/2 to 7 inches.
4. For a 6–12 month old with a head roughly 16–19 inches around, stop increasing after round 12. Hat height should be 7-1/2 inches.

Equipment

• US 7 (4.5 mm) double-pointed needles (or size needed to obtain gauge.)
• Six stitch markers
• Darning needle

Sizes

preemie (newborn, six-month-old, nine-month-old)

Gauge

7 sts over 2 inches in stockinette
One complete 18-stitch Feather and Fan pattern repeat = 4 inches

Yarn

Monte Cristo IV [Natural] from Henry’s Attic, Inc. wound with Aurora Earth 8/2 unmercerized [Coral] cotton from Cotton Clouds, Inc.

These two yarns are worked together during knitting. (Approximately 7 wraps per inch.)

Feather and Fan Pattern Repeat

Round 1: (k2tog)x2, yo, (K, yo)x3, (k2tog)x2
Round 2: purl
Round 3: knit
Round 4: knit

Repeat rounds 1-4.

[view enlarged pattern]

Knitting the Hat

Cast on 6 stitches.

Knit I-Cord for 4–5 inches, tying a knot where it looks good to you. Then distribute the six stitches onto three DPN’s. In Round 6, each DPN should hold a complete Feather and Fan pattern repeat.

Round 1 (increase): K1, yo around ending with a K1, K1 (11 stitches—yo’s can be any style of increase you prefer—the lacier the better).
Round 2: Knit around
Round 3 (increase): K, yo around (22 stitches)
Round 4: Knit around
Round 5 (increase): Knit 2, yo around (33 stitches)
Round 6 (begin Feather and Fan pattern): * (k2tog)x2, yo, (K, yo)x3, (k2tog)x2* —repeat * to * three times, once on each needle.
Round 7: knit around
Round 8: * knit across needle 1, place a marker, yo*. Repeat * to * on needles 2 and 3. (36 stitches)

If making a preemie hat, stop increasing here and
knit that final yo in pattern rounds 1, 3, 4;
purl the stitch in pattern round 2

For larger sizes:
Round 9: * knit across needle 1, slip marker, yo, K, yo *. Repeat * to * on needles 2 and 3. (42 stitches)

If making a newborn hat, stop increasing here and
knit that final *yo K yo* in pattern rounds 1, 3, 4;
purl the stitches in pattern round 2

For larger sizes:
Round 10: (Feather and Fan pattern): * (k2tog)x2, yo, (K, yo)x3, (k2tog)x2 *, slip marker, yo, (K, yo)x3—repeat * to * on needles 2 and 3. (54 stitches)

If making a 3–6 month old hat, stop increasing here and
knit the increases after the stitch marker in pattern rounds 1, 3, 4;
purl the stitches in pattern round 2

For larger sizes:
Round 11: * purl to marker, slip marker, knit 2, (yo K)x4, knit 1 *—repeat * to * on needles 2 and 3. (66 stitches)

Continue with round 3 of Feather and Fan pattern rounds until hat reaches the desired length.

Adding the Crochet Edging

Use the same crochet edging as the blanket edging with the following changes:

1. Begin with the same Round 1, but in coral, and very loosely. No need to break the yarn.
2. If possible, begin Round 2 at the pointed tip of a Feather and Fan pattern repeat.
3. Continue as per pattern. When you reach another Feather and Fan pattern peak, work from * to * then return to # and finish the repeat pattern—giving you two scallops in virtually the same space, to turn the corner.

Lura Moore lives in Tuscon, AZ and is the co-owner of Brookmoore Creations along with her partner Jill Holbrook. Together they create cotton baby blankets, multi-fiber scarves, knitted garments and rayon chenille wraps and jackets.

Heather Ordover is the host of the witty and literary podcast, CraftLit, which recruits volunteers to record audiobooks of works in the public domain. A woman of charm and talent, she has worked in the film industry and is currently a home-schooling mother of two. She blogs about her adventures at Mama O Knits.