Attic Windows Baby Blanket

Attic Windows Baby Blanket by Elizabeth Sullivan

What is Being Made

The Attic Windows Baby Blanket is a beginner-friendly knitted blanket designed by Elizabeth Sullivan. This finished piece measures 25 inches wide by 37 inches long, making it an ideal size for a baby blanket. The blanket features a distinctive construction method that creates a visually interesting patchwork effect reminiscent of attic windows, built through a unique strip-based knitting technique.

Construction Method and Techniques

This blanket employs an innovative strip construction approach that divides the project into distinct parts. Part One creates the bottom and left edge of the blanket by casting on stitches in two different colors simultaneously, then working decreases at strategic points to shape the piece. The pattern uses a marker and twist technique to manage the two-color sections, with decreases worked on alternating rows to gradually reduce the stitch count from 72 stitches down to 46 stitches. Part Two focuses on constructing the centre square, continuing the modular building approach that characterizes this design.

The strip-based construction method allows knitters to work in manageable sections, making this an accessible project for beginners despite the multi-color elements. The use of markers and color changes creates natural divisions in the blanket that contribute to the "attic windows" aesthetic.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Attic Windows Baby Blanket utilizes fundamental knitting stitches appropriate for a beginner skill level:

• Knit stitch – the primary stitch used throughout the blanket
• Knit two together (k2tog) – a decrease stitch worked strategically on alternating rows to shape the blanket sections
• Slip stitch – used to move markers and manage color changes without disrupting the fabric
• Cast on – worked in two separate color sections to establish the initial stitches

Materials and Yarn

This blanket is designed to work with fingering weight yarn, also known as 4-ply yarn. The pattern requires a total of 1530 yards of yarn distributed across 18 different colors, with 85 yards needed for each individual color. This multi-color approach creates the distinctive patchwork appearance of the finished blanket.

The sample shown in the pattern was created using Sweet Paprika Crescendo yarn, a 100% superwash merino wool available in 120-gram skeins with 522 yards per skein. The specific colorways used in the sample include Daydream (A), Buttercup (B), and Pretty in Pink (C), though knitters can select their own color combinations to personalize their blanket.

Needles and Tools

The Attic Windows Baby Blanket is worked on a Size 5 (3.75mm) circular needle, which is the appropriate needle size for fingering weight yarn. The use of a circular needle accommodates the blanket's construction method and allows for easier management of the increasing number of stitches as sections are joined together.

Skill Level and Pattern Format

Rated as an Easy ```