Knitting for Olive – Olive's Blanket Knitting Kit
Designed by Pernille Larsen – Knitting for Olive
Olive's Blanket is a soft baby blanket in a delicate leaf pattern, ideal for keeping little ones warm. It's an heirloom piece, the kind of blanket that gets kept long after a child has outgrown it and handed on to the next one.
The blanket is worked in the round from the centre outwards, following charts. The opening rounds start on a very small number of stitches, so you can either begin on double-pointed needles and move onto circulars as the blanket grows, or use the Magic Loop technique on a long circular needle from the outset.
Knitted in Knitting for Olive Merino, the finished blanket is wonderfully soft, lightweight, and gentle against sensitive skin, an ideal choice for newborns and young children.
Skill Level: Advanced ★★★★ (4 out of 5)
Finished size: Approx. 80 x 80cm (31 x 31")
Gauge: 24 sts x 38 rows to 10cm (4") over Chart 2 repeat, on 3mm needles
The Kit Includes
You'll Also Need
-
3mm needles, double-pointed and/or circular (see below)
- Stitch markers
- Wool needle
Choosing your needles
Both routes finish on circular needles. What differs is how you handle the opening rounds.
Starting on double-pointed needles. Work the first rounds on a set of 3mm DPNs, then move onto circulars and work up through the cable lengths as the stitch count grows: 40cm first, then 60cm, then 80cm or 100cm for the outer rounds. It's more needles, but many knitters find it more comfortable, and changing cable as you go keeps the stitches sitting where you want them.
Buying interchangeables? You don't need a full set. A pair of 3mm tips plus the cables you need will do it. Standard tips are longer, which many knitters find more comfortable to hold, but they only make up 60cm and above. If you want a 40cm circular for the DPN route, you'll need the short "special" tips, which fit every longer cable too.
Using Magic Loop. If you already get on well with Magic Loop, a single 3mm circular needle 80cm or 100cm long will take you from the first round to the last, with no needle changes at all. Worth being honest, though: those first few rounds on a long cable are fiddly, and it's the point where knitters new to the technique are most likely to lose patience. If you haven't used Magic Loop before, this blanket isn't the place to learn it, start on DPNs instead.
Why You'll Love It
- A delicate leaf pattern with an elegant, timeless look
- Knitted in the round for a clean, seamless finish
- Soft merino, gentle enough for a newborn's skin
- An heirloom handmade gift for babies and new parents
- Engaging lace knitting for experienced knitters
