Little Tern Blanket by Tin Can Knits

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I knit the Little Tern Blanket by Tin Can Knits for my second baby. A baby blanket was not originally part of my Make Nine 2024 plan. But once I got pregnant, I suddenly had to knit one! To make room in our place for a second baby, I knew I had to use yarn from our substantial yarn stash. I chose to use Zen Yarn Garden Superfine Fingering in the Misty Morning colourway. Tomiko used this same yarn and colourway to knit her Vaporcloud shawl earlier this year.

The pattern calls for DK weight yarn, but I ended up using this fingering yarn instead. I chose to knit the Lap size to make sure that the finished blanket would be big enough to cover a baby. I also wanted to use a superwash yarn, always helpful for a messy baby! The Misty Morning colourway is a variegated, gradient yarn. If pulling from the outside of the ball, the colour starts with a vibrant turquoise, then gradually changes to a cobalt, dark teal, and eventually indigo. As the blanket used more than one skein, I then joined the second skein from the centre to keep the gradient consistent.

The pattern starts with a provisional cast on, and then you knit the main body of the blanket. The stitch pattern is a kind of chevron checkerboard which was easy to memorize. The pattern really pops in a solid or tonal colour, but gets rather hidden in a variegated yarn. I debated whether or not to overdye the finished blanket to even out the blues of the blanket and let the stitch pattern shine. In the end, however, my laziness won. The body stitch pattern is not as clear, but the colours really stand out. Once you finish the body of the blanket, you knit the lace panel on one end. The lace panel also includes a garter stitch border. Afterwards, you then pick up the provisional cast on stitches and then knit the second lace panel.

I used 3.0 mm needles to knit the Lap size of the Little Tern Blanket. I cast on on 9 July 2024, and was able to finish it on 3 September. Here Tomiko’s little one is modelling the blanket for her cousin.

The finished blanket is not big enough to use as a swaddle. However, it is definitely big enough to keep a baby warm in a stroller or carseat. The blanket is also super soft, thanks to the superwash merino yarn.

The pattern includes both written and charted instructions for both stitch patterns. I prefer following charts, but those who like written instructions will also be able to knit this blanket. To make the finished blanket a bit longer, I knit rows 1-12 of chart A 21 times.

Get the Little Tern Blanket by Tin Can Knits on Ravelry here.

Check out the Colorful Wedges Baby Blanket I knit for Kenji here.