Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Sprout!

I lovingly knit the last stitch on my baby blanket, and I'm positively beaming to share it with you ....


I designed this blanket in an embossed leaf pattern. It's definitely a challenging pattern, since the stitch count changes over the course of each sprout, but the extra fabric that's made for each leaf gives it a gorgeous, rich, three-dimensional texture.


It uses 3 skeins of Spud & Chloe 'Sweater,' which is a lovely machine-washable blend of organic cotton and superwash wool, in the color 'Grass.' I think the color is more of a celery green than a grass green, but in any case, it's cheery and bright and gender neutral. And it has such a lusciously soft hand!


The seeds of this blanket, so to speak, were planted several years ago, when I made a friend a baby blanket with this leaf motif in one of the early organic cotton yarns (see it here). For years, I've had it in mind to improve on the pattern and find a machine-washable yarn for it. When I found out that another friend was having her first baby, and I learned about the new Spud & Chloe yarn line, it was the perfect time to revisit the pattern.


I chose the increases and decreases with special care, so that the back of the blanket would be as beautiful and symmetrical as the front. I just love this blanket.


It's already packed up and in the mail to my friend. I am so excited for her! And I found the perfect handmade card to go with it -- a darling letterpress card from sweetbeets.


The pattern is all written up and available for sale on Ravelry. If you'd like to buy it, you can either click here to purchase and download it from Ravelry, or you can send me an email at evergreenknits@gmail.com.

And as always, to thank you my readers I'll be giving away five copies of the pattern in a little comments contest. To enter, just leave me a comment! I'll draw names this Friday, October 3.

42 comments:

  1. Hanna........what a lovely pattern and perfect for new growth & beginnings!......I'm a home birth midwife here in Utah and a new knitter but in time & with lots of practice I may be able to create this gorgeous blanket.......I'd love the pattern!
    peace,
    Karen

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  2. I saw this pattern on Ravelry and added it to my faves just yesterday! I would love, love, love to win a copy! I wonder if I have any yarn that would do it justice.....

    Hmmmm....

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  3. Beautiful blanket! I love the reverse, nice work! (Excellent pick on the card :)

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  4. It's beautiful! Perfect card as well!
    I'm making a feeble attempt to whip through my first real pair of baby socks for a short-notice baby shower this weekend. (1 sock down, 1 to go).

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  5. Just what I had in mind for a perfect babyblanket pattern! Thanks, will favorite it on Ravelry, you did a great job!
    groeten uit Rotterdam

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  6. What a wonderful blanket! I love the colour.

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  7. Anonymous12:18 AM

    My sister and her husband are trying for baby number 3 - hoping for a girl. How perfect would this blanket be? I would be Aunt Exemplar! Fingers crossed to win your pattern. Would look amazing in some Jo Sharp silk road tweed, don't you think?

    Jacqui in New Zealand

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  8. Anonymous2:18 AM

    Wow - so beautiful. I'd love to knit this thing up, so please enter me!

    Thank you for bringing more beauty into our world!

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  9. Very lovely. And so soft looking. A great pattern.

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  10. That blanket is beautiful, I love the depth you have created with the leaves. Your friend will be delighted I am sure. Its the kind of blanket that will become a 'heritage-blankie' and kept for the next generation - well done
    kate in lancashire uk

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  11. It's gorgeous! And that card goes perfectly with it. :)

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  12. So pretty! My Mom loves knitting baby blankets and I will direct her to this pattern when she knits another! (Is the leaf motif charted in the pattern?)

    That card is perfect, too.

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  13. Anonymous6:10 AM

    What a lovely baby blanket...such a heirloom to give as a present!

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  14. OMG! How proud should you be? That is simply marvelous. I saw it and imagined giving it to a couple expecting their first child as a 'family tree' blanket, or a couple celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Or a couple getting married and joining more than one family tree together.

    What an inspirational piece! You did good, girl!

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  15. Anonymous7:25 AM

    I love this blanket yesterday when I saw it on Ravelry. I like to make baby blankets with some detail in the patterns. The card went perfect with the gift. I make a couple of yellow duck baby bibs last week, I found a yellow duck gift bag, and also a baby card with a yellow duck on card, and I use yellow tissue paper. I like to coordinate my wrapping of presents with the gift, too. I would to win a free copy of this pattern for the baby blanket.
    Knittingdancer on Ravelry

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  16. I really love the color nad the blanket is just so sweet - nicely done! I've qued it in ravelry! thanks for the post and pictures!

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  17. purlbumps.wordpress.com8:01 AM

    What an awesome blanket! I love it.

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  18. It is just an awesome blanket. You are a wonderful desginer. I am sure it will become an heirloom.

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  19. How gorgeous! I saw this on Ravelry, too. My sister-in-law's expecting... I love that this is gender-neutral!

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  20. I know I already PMed you on Ravelry about how much I like it, but I couldn't pass up the chance to win a copy! It's really awesome, just exactly the sort of thing I love.

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  21. gretchen10:53 AM

    Lovely, lovely! I have a special baby-to-be in mind! Love your blog!

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  22. I really like the leaves on this blanket!

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  23. This is absolutley stunning blanket, and not just because color ;)
    I love it

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  24. just bought Iris Schreier's Reversible Knits. Your pattern would look good in this book!!

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  25. Alisa3:34 PM

    Oh Hanna it's just spectacular!

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  26. What a gift. So glad you mentioned the yarn used. I love the card as well. WOW. Incredible knitting there my friend, just so incredible.

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  27. Your friend is lucky to have a friend like you to create a pattern and knit it up into a gorgeous baby blanket! It is adorable!

    I have been looking for different blankets to knit as many friends are pregnant and I recently found out that I am too!!!

    Congrats on creating a wonderful pattern!

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  28. I rushed to look at this pattern as I am a great fan of Brussels Sprouts!

    Wrong type of sprout but such a lovely blanket.

    I particularly appreciate the fact that it looks beautiful from both sides.

    Congratulations on creating such a wonderful pattern.

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  29. What a beautiful piece of artwork. it is the perfect blacket to make for a child just as they are beginning their life.

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  30. wow, yo u knit that up pretty quickly! ( unless it was hiding in the works as it being a gift and all) beautiful though! that would have been a great baby blanket to receive when dd was born!! and yes, the back looks as lovely as the front! I have purchsed some spud & chloe to knit some new fingerless gloves but haevn't used it yet.

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  31. What a beautiful blanket! I love how the leaves pop up as if in 3-D! :-)

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  32. what a great pattern! what a wonderful idea for a baby blankey - ecologically sound and all about 'sprouts'!!!

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  33. You come up with the best patterns! This would make a great lap blanket for a Grandma or Grandpa, too!
    Chrissy at knittoday(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  34. Anonymous10:04 PM

    OMG!!
    Just when I think that you cant knit anything better than the last pic you show us.. you come up with such a beautiful blankie. Thankyou for providing me with such inspiration and hopefully one day I will be a lot better knitter than I am now.
    Lea-Anne in oz

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  35. Anonymous12:44 AM

    It's soo cute! an adorable blanket for little elf and eco-baby!
    I just learnd to knit, and I'm only at the second project (your storm cloud shawlette) but when I learnd more I want to try this pattern!maybe with the leaf at the edge for a big blanket for me and my boyfriend.
    Eilinor
    p.s. excuse me for my terrible english but I'm italian and I have some difficult in writeing english

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  36. What a lovely blanket!

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  37. It's such an adorable blanket ! I'm not sure I'd have the time/patience to knit one for a baby, but I'd love to make a larger sized one for myself ..!!! :-P
    (my word verification was "boring" btw.. so not your blog ! :-D)

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  38. I absolutely love this baby blanket your pattern is wonderful:) Hugs Darcy
    darcysknottyknitter@gmail.com

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  39. What a pretty blanket!

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  40. Anonymous9:28 PM

    that is just gorgeous!!!!!

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  41. So cute! I love its three-dimentionality (is that even a word? It is now.)

    I'm tempted to make this using the Sprout yarn (bulky organic cotton) - a meta-sprout blanket!

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