MOD STRIPED BABY SWADDLING BLANKET PATTERN

MOD Striped Baby Swaddling Blanket

I designed and started working on my simple stitch baby blankets while my husband was in and out of the hospitals November thru December 2018 before his spirt stepped off this planet and entered into eternal Shabbat Rest and life with Yeshua: I chose this simple design because while I needed to keep my hands busy; my mind was too occupied with my husband and his immediate needs and starting a complicated fancy design was totally out of the question. As far as I know this pattern has never been done before … at least to my knowledge. I designed and worked my simple baby blanket pattern after the simple knitted dishcloth – minus the openwork edging.

I started the red striped blanket at St. John’s Peace Health hospital and carried it with me to OHSU in Oregon where I worked on it and I never left my husband’s side except for brief 4 hour periods when I had to come back home to WA State and take care of business that had to be done in person.

I finished the red striped blanket; and then started the blue striped blanket at OHSU (my home away from home) and worked on it between Hub’s testing’s, scans, and eventual death … I finished the blue striped blanket at home Thursday evening. 

My simple pattern makes a baby swaddling blanket and is worked entirely in garter stitch measuring about 36” square before washing/drying; I use Red Heart worsted, which shrinks very little and is reliable to hold shape.

Working on these blankets while my husband was fighting for his life – and eventually losing it despite all that was being done medically with the best medical specialty staff in the best medical facility in the PNW that caters to the most medically complex patients (OHSU ranks among the best hospitals in America in 7 specialties; my husband’s condition being one of those specialties) – kept me from going crazy during the most trying period of my life.

The instructions are very simple and straight-forward. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me and I will be happy to help you move forward :-D

MOD STRIPED BABY SWADDLING BLANKET PATTERN

MATERIALS: 1 pair EA #6 knitting needles – straight & round; Needle Point Stoppers; Red Heart knitting worsted; Scissors, Tapestry needle

PATTERN: CO 2 sts; knit 1 st, inc.

Row 2: K 2, inc, k to end

Row 3: K 2, inc, k to end – repeat this row until you have 180 sts on the straight needle, then change to the round needle on following row. Continue Row 3 until you have 240 sts on needle.

This blanket started at St. John’s Peace Health in our hometown and carried with me to OHSU grew too big to keep on the straight needles; so on the first brief 4 hour trip back home to WA State, I switched all the stitches to a round needle and packed it in a large plastic bag inside the duffle I hauled back and forth.

DECREASE ROW: On this row you will begin the decreasing part of the pattern which will make the blanket evenly squared; K 2, dec by knitting the next 2 sts together, k to end.

Next Row: K 2, dec, k to end – repeat this row until you have 180 sts in round needle, then change to the straight needles and continue dec’s. Continue dec’ing until you have 3 sts on needle. EO and weave in loose ends.

I like the way these blankets look and I hope you will too ;-)