A Myriad of Stars

A few years back, an astronomer friend was expecting her first child. Obviously, a baby blanket of stars was called for. I found a great pattern, bought the yarn, and started in. Within just a few months I realized the blanket would be done about the time the baby started college. I quickly pivoted to a baby blanket in super bulky yarn knit up on size 15 needles, and had it done in time.

Then, this spring, I heard that the baby was expecting a sibling. I pulled out the first attempt, timed myself knitting a few rows, and did the math. I could get it done, but I would have to adhere to a strict schedule of four rows a day. And I did it!

The blanket was delivered this summer, well in advance of the sibling. It helped that about the time I was running out of yarn, I realized it was already big enough, and I did not have to make it as big as the pattern called for.

Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) (that's right, sock needles)
Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Sport in Celestial (of course) and Canary
Pattern: imawale's Octave or Octavie

I know, sportweight on sock needles. But that wasn't even the worst part -- this is doubleknit! Meaning that it takes two rows of knitting to make one row of the colorwork.

There was a little hitch right at the end, as I was getting ready to work the invisible bindoff that doubleknitting requires. Somehow, after all those inches of pattern, I had failed at the edges for the last inch of the blanket.

I toyed with the idea of telling the mom the opening was so she could stick a dowel in it and hang it on the wall, but then I thought of little baby fingers getting stuck in the opening, and I went back and fixed it.