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Lotus Baby Blanket Pattern
Published by Shana | Filed under Free, Knitting, Patterns
I need to get rid of yarn.
A lot of it is left overs from other projects – too much to toss, too little to make anything – or stuff that has been given to me. Nice and thank you, but not what I’d have bought. Also, yarn follows the same rules as Chinese food – left overs are either consumed in the first two days, or you lose the ability to see them. The get pushed further and further to the back, until in a flurry of Spring cleaning you come across a container you’re afraid to open.
It’s making me crazy. I feel guilty buying new stuff I’d actually use because I have approximately 8 sheep in my closet. And it just sits there. Staring.
So I made a blanket to cover my shame.
Holes probably weren’t the best choice for shame-covering
This yarn was a lovely cotton/alpaca blend that someone cruely dyed the color of blanched salmon. I believe my mother had a sweater in exactly this color somewhere around 1993. I used it to make a baby blanket. Being pre-verbal, babies’ opinions on color pallet are easily ignored. But to appease their now-talking parents, I plan to dye it ‘flamingo’.
True colors: current and eventual.
This blanket is a pretty quick knit. All the confusing stuff is right at the beginning, so starting over/frogging (not that anyone ever does…) isn’t too painful. The petal pattern is easily memorized and doesn’t take much concentration after you figure it out. This probably isn’t the best pattern for your first lace project, it would make a great second one.
Lotus Knit Baby Blanket Pattern
Size
32″x32″
Gauge
18 sts x 20 rows = 4 inches in stockinette
Materials
- 300 grams (3 skeins) Cascasde 220 wool or similar worsted weight yarn (100 grams, 220 yards)
- Size 8 (5 mm) 32” circular needles
- Size 8 (5mm) 60″ circular needles
- Darning needle
Abbreviations
- K – Knit
- P – Purl
- K2tog – knit 2 together
- Ssk – Slip 2 stitches knitwise and k2tog
- Sl, k2tog, psso – Slip on st to the right needle, k2tog, pass slip stitch over
- K1f&b – Knit 1 in the front and back of the stitch
- K tbl – Knit through back loop
- YO – Yarn over
- PM – Place marker
Notes
Throughout pattern, slip markers as you come to them.
Switch to longer circulars when needed.
This blanket is knit using the magic loop method.
Some knitters have reported the center portion of the flower puckering up a bit. To avoid this, you may want to knit the “Center Flower” section on smaller needles.
Directions
Cast on 8 sts using the disappearing loop method. Pull the cable through so you have 4 sts on each needle.
Center Flower
Work the following instructions four times on each round. If you choose to use DPNs, you would work the instructions below once on each of the four needles. Using the magic loop, as I did, I recommend placing a marker to designate where the pattern ends.
- K, 2yo, k
- K2, p, k
- K2, yo, k2
- K2, k1f&b, k2
- K2, yo, k2, yo, k2
- Knit
- K2, yo, k4, yo, k2
- K3, k2tog, ssk, k3
- Yo, k2, yo, k2, yo, k2, yo, k2
- K3, k2tog, k1, k1f&b, k1, ssk, k2
- K tbl, yo, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2, yo
- K4, yo, k2tog, k2tog, yo, ssk, ssk, yo, k3
- K tbl, yo, k1, yo, k3, yo, k2, k1f&b, k2, yo, k3, yo, k1, yo
- K8, yo, ssk, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, yo, k5
- K tbl, yo, k3, yo, k1, ssk, k1, sl1, k3tog, psso, k1, k2tog, k1, yo, k3, yo
- Knit
- K tbl, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k7, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo
- Knit
- K tbl, yo, k5, yo, ssk, k3, k2tog, yo, k5, yo
- Knit
- K tbl, yo, k7, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k7, yo
- Knit
- K tbl, yo, k9, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, k9, yo
- Knit
- K tbl, yo, k11, yo, ssk, k10, yo
- Knit
Petals
Work the following pattern between each marker.
- Ktbl, *yo, k tbl, yo, ssk, k7, k2tog* Repeat from * to * until 1 st before marker, yo, k tbl, yo, slip marker.
- Knit
- Ktbl, *yo, k3, yo, ssk, k5, k2tog* Repeat from * to * until 3 sts before marker, yo, k3, yo, slip marker.
- Knit
- Ktbl, *yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k7* Repeat from * to * until 5 sts before marker, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, slip marker.
- Knit
- Ktbl, *yo, k5, yo, ssk, k3, k2tog* Repeat from * to * until 5 sts before marker, yo, k5, yo, slip marker.
- Knit
- Ktbl, *yo, k7, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog* Repeat from * to * until 7 sts before marker, yo, k7, yo, slip marker.
- Knit
- Ktbl, *yo, k9, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso* Repeat from * to * until 9 sts before marker, yo, k9, yo, slip marker.
- Knit
- Ktbl, yo, k11, *yo, ssk, k10* Repeat from * to * until marker, yo, slip marker.
- Knit
Repeat the petals pattern 4 more times, for a total of 5 repeats.
Outer Edge
- Increase round: Ktbl, yo, k until marker, yo, slip marker.
- Even round: Knit
Alternate increase and even round for ten total rounds. Work 5 additional rounds in seed stitch.
- Seed stitch increase: Ktbl, yo, *k, p* repeat from * to * until marker, yo, slip marker.
- Seed stitch even round: P, k around.
Cast off loosely in pattern.
To finish: Block better than I did.
Edited 3/16/2011 – Fixed error in line 7 and 13 of flower pattern.
Edited 3/17/2011 – Couple more.
Edited 3/20 – Dyed.
Edited 3/27 – Couple tweaks
Edited 3/31 – Row 15 will be the death of me.
Now with 100% more pink!
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April 3rd, 2011 at 10:22 am
Love the pattern for the baby blanket. Just what I've been looking for. Also, if you still are looking for a home for your leftover yarn, I'll take anything that is machine washable. I am knitting dog blankets for my charity knitting this year and can use all the yarn I can get. Happy Knitting.
Sue
June 11th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Great pattern. Thanks for sharing. I had never cast on this way or used the mahic loop merhod, so that took some time and some tests. I’m now on the 2nd repeats of petals and it is beautiful.
I am using Knit Picks Shine Sport yarn in Crocus.
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:53 am
Thanks for submitting this pattern. It is exactly the pattern I needed. It will be a wedding present fo a young couple I have known since they were wee ones. I am so excited to get it started. Thanks again.
June 23rd, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Yeah, it sounds like you're understanding right. The instruction I wrote are for one side, so it'll be worked 4 times on each round. That would be twice per needle for magic loop.
Make sense?
June 23rd, 2011 at 1:10 pm
I'm working through the pattern and I am on the first petal repeat. Row 5 doesn't make sense to me. I am up to row 10 (knit row) and it doesn't look right. It looks like I should have skipped rows 5 and 6 of the petal pattern. Help please!
June 23rd, 2011 at 10:16 am
i would love to make this blanket, but cannot get past row 1. Are you supposed to *K1, YO (twice), K1*, repeat between *'s 3 x more? So that everything written gets repeated twice on each side of the magic loop for every row? Please clarify! thanks! gramj
June 23rd, 2011 at 1:30 pm
The petal rounds are actually slightly oblong on the top, instead of a zig zag. If your yo's are lining up right, you're probably okay.
I can see how that'd look goofy, but it's meant to make it more flower-like. You can skips rounds 5 and 6, if you prefer that look.
June 23rd, 2011 at 11:51 pm
yes, it makes more sense now; if I can just figure out the cast on, I will be all set; I only ready thru it once . . .
June 24th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Thanks for sharing this beautiful pattern. I am having trouble with row 7 in the petals. I have 32 stitches in each repeat. I am using only 30 stitches for the pattern repeat. Can you help me figure out what I am doing wrong.
July 5th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Such a gorgeous pattern. Thanks for sharing
July 25th, 2011 at 9:55 am
You could use 2 circs or use double pointed needles until your work is big enough that you can work continuously on one circular needle.
July 23rd, 2011 at 11:38 am
Please – can I understand how to knit this on circuler needles WITHOUT the
magic loop? Cannot figure out the magic loop.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
I love the pattern, though I’m very confused by row 8. I’m not sure exactly what you mean by ssk. Your ledger says that I should slip 2 stitches and then knit 2 together but I don’t have enough stitches to do that.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
You're slipping and knitting together the same two stitches.
September 2nd, 2011 at 12:24 pm
This pattern looks great! I was just wondering… I was trying to make a blanket a little bit bigger than the dimensions given. Would it be easy enough to just repeat the pattern a few more times when I get to that point, or would there be more involved?
Thanks!
September 3rd, 2011 at 9:10 am
Nope, a couple extra repeats would do it!
November 25th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Where are you seeing that instruction in the pattern? Since it's in the round, knitting on all rows will create stockinette stitch.
November 24th, 2011 at 5:30 am
The pattern is so beautiful I would like to have one as a throw on my long arm chair, but how do I purl in the second and all even rows.
December 24th, 2011 at 1:03 am
I’m a bit confused. I’m on the 1st row. I knitted the pattern 1 time , on both sides of the loop, for a total of 2 times. But because of the “yo”now I have 6 stitches on each side. If I do the pattern 2 more times, I will have 4 stitches left. Please help me if you can.thank you
December 28th, 2011 at 11:26 am
I'm not sure I'm understanding the problem correctly, so I'll just explain how the first row works. Let me know if it's not making sense.
Hope that helps.
January 3rd, 2012 at 5:32 pm
I love this pattern and your wonderful witty remarks – I think we have all had yarn that we have to say, "What was I thinking when I bought this?" Thank you so much for sharing!
January 3rd, 2012 at 10:37 pm
Love this pattern and can't wait to try it. For everyone like me who finds it easier to follow a video, here is a link to a YouTube video demonstrating the disappearing loop cast-on method….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRqhHaRR00E
January 7th, 2012 at 11:17 am
Just because you have problems with too much stash doesn't mean you have to take us all down!
LOLOLOLOL
Oh, I'm already DOWN!!
This is lovely and definitely worth a try for me. After learning entrelac this should be a piece of cake, right? ;-)
Thank you!!!
February 14th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
I loved this pattern the moment I saw it! I did not love the magic loop method so I used dpns until it got big enough for my normal rounds. It looks beautiful except that mine turned out to be more of a baby bucket than blanket – the inner pattern and first two rows of diamonds fall in instead of lying flat. I’ve blocked the ad;fljkhdfi out of it and it’s still caving in. My theory is that I started knitting tighter when I got off the dpns but I’m wondering if anyone else has had this problem b/c I want to get nice yarn and make it work.
Thanks!
February 17th, 2012 at 8:45 pm
I love this pattern. I did ok on center flower. But for the petals, I do not understand the 1st row and every other row at the end there is yo, slip marker. what does it mean, when I start the first row should I start with yo? Also the counting does not match for the 3rd, 5th 7th, 9throw etc. There are always stiches more in every row? Would you please help me?
Thanks
February 18th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Hi
for the petals to start, the 1st row at the end it is yo,slip marker. does it mean for the 2nd row start with an extra stich?
Is it ok to follow the pattern as it is, and it will look alright?
Thanks!
February 18th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Many people have knit the pattern correctly as is.
You start each repeat with the ktbl which are the corner stitches. There is a yarn over on either side of that. That means every repeat starts with ktbl, yo and every repeat ends with a yo.
February 26th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Recently I came across this pattern and loved the pattern, I tried the pattern but the cast on and the first few lines gave me a hard time, I must have lost my stitches a couple of times and sometimes I dropped the stitches. Long story short, utimately I completed the blanket the only problem I had after completing the blanket is that I could not spread it like a square blanket, it looked cone shaped eventhough the sides were broader, does anyone have any suggestion how to iron the blanket and really make it look square as it shows in the picture above.
March 1st, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Great pattern! I’m halfway done, and it looks perfect. Thanks so much for sharing!
March 15th, 2012 at 8:40 pm
On my third try I figured out my problem, which was pretty much the same as Vasanti’s with the center turning into a cone. Maybe it says this somewhere and I didn’t see it, but for me it worked to cast on and work the first 10-ish rounds on US size 4 dpns and then switch straight to 8′s. I’m also using super cheap Walmart yarn. Might have had something to do with it.
March 29th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
I absolutely LOVE the pattern! I am currently knitting it for my third daughter who is set to arrive in a few weeks. I have one question regarding the outer edge part of the pattern. I have knit the 10 total rounds alternating between the increase and even rounds and am about to move to the seed stitch rounds. Do I knit the 5 rounds in seed stitch and then work the seed stitch increase and even rounds, or do I work the 5 rounds alternating between the seed stitch increase and even rounds. Thank you!
March 31st, 2012 at 10:43 am
you alternate between a seed stitch even round and a seed stitch increase round. Congrats on the new little one!
May 4th, 2012 at 8:27 am
I’m determined to make this blanket! I’m just starting out and am not understanding where to place the markers…when you say “repeats” do you mean k, 2yo, k PM?
May 4th, 2012 at 10:35 am
I’m also having trouble understanding where exactly to place the markers. Any help would be greatly appreciated…I’ve never done magic loop before.
May 5th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Yes, the written instructions written out are one repeat. You place the markers at the end and work it 3 more times per round
June 9th, 2012 at 8:55 am
I’m almost done and it’s so beautiful! I just want to make sure I’m getting the outer edge right. The pattern says “Ktbl, yo, k”. Do I just ktbl the first stitch (creating the corner) and then continue just “yo, k” until the end, or do I keep repeating the “ktbl, yo, k” sequence until the end?
September 26th, 2012 at 10:51 am
I started the petal rows but I do at least 2 repeats between my markers but there are a few extras before I begin the pattern that is a few stitches before the marker. Do I start a 3rd repeat and then pick up the before the marker pattern?
September 26th, 2012 at 11:30 am
That doesn’t sound right. You must be picking up a couple extra stitches somewhere.
November 13th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Do you knit the entire blanket with the magic loop method (splitting of stitches on 2 cir. needles) or just the center flower and then would you switch to a normal knitting in the round on circular needles for the pedals? I’ve never knit this way but I am an experienced knitted so I don’t foresee having any problems with it…I hope!
January 3rd, 2013 at 4:24 pm
I knitted this blanket using 2 Circular needles and it went pretty smooth. I had the same problem having too many stitches but discovered that I was mistaking the K1TBL with K1F&B so I was increasing instead of just KTBL
January 3rd, 2013 at 11:21 pm
I can’t download the PDF program (I already have the newest version of Adobe) so I can’t get the PDF version. It’s 15 pages to print this! ARG! I’ve never done magic loop or disappearing loop, and since baby is due in 22 days, I don’t know if it will be done before his arrival, but I’ll give it a shot. If I use a different gauge, will the result be horrible? I have some pretty DK yarn, really soft organic merino, but it is DK. Bigger needle? Or just go for it?
February 9th, 2013 at 8:20 am
A lovely pattern,thanks for taking the time to share,I’m knitting a white one for my daughter in laws friends baby ,as yet sex unknown .A very pleasing knit as i love watching the petals come to life.Am knitting another set of petals at the moment to make a slightly bigger blankie Thanks again!.
April 22nd, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Tried making this blanket… Failed horribly.
Took like 10 tries just to get it started. Got to row 11 and then when I went to do row 12 I didn’t have enough stitches…. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. I’m very upset and frustrated.
April 23rd, 2013 at 10:57 am
I’m sorry you found it frustrating.
May 17th, 2013 at 2:41 pm
I’m wondering about row 13. I just finished it (and 14) and was preparing to start the first round again, but it appears I’m one stitch off. Should there be a yo after the k10 to account for a two stitch increase like there are on the other odd rows (excepting row 5, which doesn’t increase)? Or have I gone wrong somewhere else?
So sorry to trouble you about this. The pattern is really lovely.
May 17th, 2013 at 2:44 pm
ugh! Never mind! How did I miss that little ol’ yo at the end? Think away I must!
May 18th, 2013 at 7:37 pm
I LOVE THIS PATTERN. I’m making it for twins I’m expecting. I’m on the third to last round and have a question about the seed stitch sequence. If I follow the pattern literally, in this third round, I’ll be knitting knits and purling purls. This is after Ktbl, yo, *k, p,* repeat. That first stitch in the round below the yo is a knit. Should I do as the pattern says, or just knit the purls and purl the knits? Thank you!