Blankets Archives - Kawaii Kaki Designs

I’m so stoked to have a completed baby blanket to send off! I don’t know how long it took to make, but probably a few weeks. I spent long chunks working on it because I was just too excited! Hopefully, I’ll get a picture of the new baby in the blanket soon as well although… I’m not sure I’ll post those here for privacy reasons. Just imagine the babies in your life all snuggly instead.

If you’re interested in more information about the yarn, pattern, needle size, etc; see my introduction to this project. I don’t want to repeat any information unnecessarily.

Since this blog is to help me document and keep track for future projects, I want to record:

Total Yarn used
End Size/Measurements
Project Vs. Washing Machine
Concluding Thoughts

Total Yarn

I purchased 4 skeins of gray yarn (total: 200 grams) and 2 skeins of green yarn (total: 100 grams). I wanted 2 skeins of green for the border to make my life easier than trying to knit using both ends of 1 skein and keeping my yarn organized.

I did NOT need that much green yarn. I have 60 grams of green yarn left. This of course prompts me to think… maybe I should repeat the dimensions of the project and buy more gray yarn….

I have an itty bit of gray yarn left that I’ll just keep for scrap yarn purposes. All yarn people I know are hoarders to some degree so we all know we have a scrap yarn collection. We’re all in this together!

By the way, using weight is a wonderful strategy that I’m trying to implement more often. I measured the weight of my gray yarn after each row so I knew I would have enough to finish a completed repeat of the pattern without running out. I just used our food scale but I used to use a postage scale at my parent’s house. Whatever works for you.

End Size/Measurements

My blanket ended up measuring 36 inches by 30 inches (approximately) when I finished it. I stretched it out for the picture but it has a nice slouch to its texture. A nice slouch for actual snuggling, not the best for photographing on your floor for exact measurements.

I measured it at the halfway point (2 gray skeins in) and I thought it would end up being exactly square. It definitely stretched out as I went and I’m relieved. Square would have been ideal (how spectacular if I could have achieved that on accident!) but if it’s going to be a rectangle, I’d rather it taller than squatter.

Update: After washing and hanging dry, it is now about 33 inches square. I’ll include more in the Project Vs Washing Machine section below, but for now know that end dimensions changed (as washing will inevitably do to a blanket this lacy).

Sorry it’s slightly at an angle in this photo, but its square in actuality

Project Vs. Washing Machine

The washing machine did not win! I threw my blanket into a laundry bag and washed it on a permanent press cycle. I hung it to dry on the top of our stairs. I pulled the edges to try and make the borders as straight as I could. They’re still a little wavy. Especially at the top and bottom. This is a product of the seed stitch edging which I accept and actually enjoy.

I’m sure the direction I hung it also affected its shape. I chose to hang it so the stripes would flatten to show off the pattern. At any rate, as shown above, it ended up being fairly square and I’m guessing it’ll keep that shape until next washing and drying.

Concluding Thoughts

I really enjoyed this pattern, this yarn, this project overall. It was an easy repeat pattern that I could do while watching tv. It ultimately looks great and professional. I would totally do this same blanket again.

HOWEVER, I’m intrigued by reversible blankets so that’s something to look into for next projects. This pattern is not intended to be reversible and the reverse side is ok, but not as interesting since the cables are missing.

I must say, this yarn has a nice smooth texture that ultimately feels good against the skin although it’s not soft or fluffy. I expected soft and fluffy yarn recommended for baby skin but I could be wrong. Maybe fluffy is irritating in actuality? It slouches and hangs well on its own. This being said, it won’t curl strangely at the corners or keep its own shape and poke into the baby.

After washing and hanging dry, it’s a little stiffer initially but relaxes into the same slouchy texture after a little movement. I still love it and am relieved all my knots held.

But enough about ME. I hope the baby and her parents love this blanket and have many uses out of it.

Let’s keep this organized. I know I want to keep track of certain details on each of my projects. I’ll list them at the top and then answer item in order.

Situation context for project
Yarn (brand, quality/personal review)
Tools Used
Pattern (description, resources, personal review)

Context

First time knitting a baby blanket! It’s a big project with more yarn and time involvement than I’m used to but I am excited for the challenge!

My fiancé has friends who were married in 2019 and had a healthy baby girl in August 2020. At their wedding, they had the bridesmaids in green and the groomsmen in gray. I wanted to try to find similar shades to their wedding colors! It’s very hard to find baby yarn in adult colors. Mostly it’s pastels and most greens are not pretty greens. They also had a knot tying ceremony at their wedding so I wanted to include at least one cable.

Yarn

I searched high and low for the PERFECT yarn for my first baby blanket. I wanted something guaranteed to be soft enough for baby skin. I wanted something pretty. I wanted something with really good reviews. I wanted something MACHINE WASHABLE. I settled on this yarn from New Arezzo that I purchased through Hobbii. I purchased 2 skeins of green for a border and 4 skeins of gray for the main blanket. I’ll weigh all remaining yarn at the end but I’m planning to knit until I run out of either color and then decide I’m done. I’m confident at this point I’ll run out of gray first.

This yarn is woven a little looser than other yarn I’m used to. I had to be careful with the strands at the beginning but I got the hang of it quickly. I was worried that it didn’t feel quite as soft as I was hoping/expecting. However, now I have a good chunk knitted, I’m relieved to find it feels nice rubbed against my cheek. It’s not particularly soft per se but there are no snags and feels smooth and comforting. I’m hoping it still ends up being soft enough for baby skin and I’m reassured by other reviews of the yarn by people who HAVE used this brand for baby blankets/clothes.

My experience with yarn has primarily been sock yarn as of late which is fingering weight and although this yarn is listed as sport weight, it feels much more like fingering weight. I’m perfectly okay with that and honestly it would make lovely socks.

Tools Used

Circular Knitting Needles (size 9 needles length 29 inches tip to tip)
Knitting/Crochet Marker
Scissors
Tape Ruler

I inherited an interchangeable circular knitting needle set from my grandmother. This is my first project using them so I’m still getting used to them but I love the flexibility! If I want to, I can attach more length between my needles so I could really feel how wide the blanket is. However, I like to have as little length as I can get away with (personal preference).

I also use whatever I can get my hands on for keeping my cables neat. I’ve been using safety pins mostly but lately I’ve gotten some little crocheting markers which are honestly like little tiny safety pins. Since this pattern only requires 2 stitches on the cable needle, I can be flexible. I’ve even just used a handy crochet hook to hold those 2 stitches temporarily.

Scissors and Tape ruler seem pretty self explanatory. I’m estimating this blanket will end up being approximately 30 inches square (based on a halfway measurement) but I’ll have to do an update once I finish.

Pattern

I used the Summer Waves Baby Blanket Pattern by Alla Postelnik. It’s a free pattern on Ravelry. The directions are very concise and easy to follow–I recommend it! Instead of a standard Stockinette Stitch for the border however, I used a Seed Stitch just for a little fun contrast. I think it made the bottom a little wider than I intended but I still like the effect. I also added 24 stitches (the indicated pattern repeat amount) and have 160 stitches. I measured and needed a little extra width. This is usually the case with me since I tend to be a tight knitter.

I also used a different color yarn for the border than the main blanket. I used the technique indicated by knittingtipsbyjudy on YouTube. She had very clear instruction and it’s an easy video to follow along with. The technique was easy to learn and looks pretty with the contrasting colors. In this pattern with a distinct “front” and “back” I need to be conscious of looping the yarn in the “back” or wrong side of the blanket. I didn’t start that way and I can see a slight difference where the colors meet but it’s not disruptive unless you’re looking.

Final Comments

This is a progress report since I’m very excited about this first project and wanted to keep track of the details before I forgot anything. Will have to post a Completed version when that happens. Hopefully soon! I’ve been very determined so it’s been going pretty fast.

Category: Blankets

Knit Baby Blanket #1 (Completed and gorgeous!)