Ballyhoura Baby Blanket

Ballyhoura Baby Blanket

Airy and cosy are two things that rarely go together, but are the perfect combination for a hand knit baby blanket. The design of the Ballyhoura Baby Blanket is inspired by the sun-drenched Ballyhoura Hills as the day goes on and the long shadows shift. Knit flat with a simple combination of stitch variations, you can create a vibrant and cheerful blanket using three colors of Aran weight knitting yarn.

The final size of this blanket is perfect for a stroller or newborn at 70cm wide x 50cm long, after blocking.

Pattern Available

Irish Country Living

When I was pregnant with AH, I was contacted by Maria Moynihan about a possible knitting series that focused on baby patterns. I was intrigued, but exhausted and pregnancy complications demanded all my energy. Then one year later, she reached out again! What luck. I was delighted to work with her on this four-part series for Irish Country Living. You may have read it in when it was released in print. But, don’t worry, if you missed it then you can access the articles online or the knitting patterns on Ravelry. For the next couple of weeks, I’ll share more about each pattern and behind the scenes photos. This week, we’re kicking off with a focus on my Ballyhoura Baby Blanket design. You can follow along on my knitting designing, baking, and life’s adventures on my Instagram account.

I had been playing with this design for a couple years and hadn’t quite landed on the right color combination sequence and textures. Here is the first incarnation…

But then I saw photos of the Ballyhoura Hills and it just clicked into place. Here is my original design sketch.

The Yarn

Here is the run-down of materials and tools needed to create the blanket as well as gauge and final measurements. Keep in mind, though I found Essentials Soft Merino Aran by Rico Design to be wonderful, you can use any Aran weight knitting yarn to attain gauge.

Materials (Aran weight yarn):
210 yards (2x 50-gram balls) Essentials Soft Merino Aran by Rico Design in Main Color (MC) – I used Emerald 51
91 yards (1x 50-gram balls) Essentials Soft Merino Aran by Rico Design in Contrast Color 1 (CC1) – I used Natural 60
91 yards (1x 50-gram balls) Essentials Soft Merino Aran by Rico Design in Contrast Color 2 (CC2) – I used Grey 93

Tools: 4.5mm circular knitting needles

Gauge: 18sts x 24rows per 10x10cm (4x4in)

Final measurements: 70cm wide x 50cm long, after blocking

This pattern has four pattern sections that are repeated. This keeps things interesting, but also allows you to play with the stitch pattern if you want to convert this design into a scarf or other garment.

What colors would you use for your Ballyhoura Baby Blanket?

Hop over to Ravelry to add my Ballyhoura Baby Blanket pattern to your queue.

The Country Living Baby Knits Series

In early Spring 2018, Country Living of Irish Farmers Journal featured a four-part series with original baby and child-focused knitting designs by me. The four designs in the series were:

• Field & Sky Pullover
• Farran Baby Booties
• Ballyhoura Baby Blanket
• Barra Marled Hat