Juniper Moon Farm Blanket Knitting Pattern

Leighton Baby Blanket by Melissa Leapman

What Is Being Made

The Leighton is a baby blanket from the Pasadena Collection, designed by Melissa Leapman. This finished blanket measures approximately 40 x 40 inches (101.5 x 101.5 centimeters), making it an ideal size for a crib or lap blanket. The blanket is crafted using Juniper Moon Farm Nimbus yarn in the colorway #07 Honeydew, requiring 10 hanks of 100 grams each.

Construction Techniques

The Leighton blanket is constructed using seamless, in-the-round knitting, worked from the center outward. This construction method eliminates the need for seaming and creates a continuous fabric that expands concentrically from a central point. The blanket also incorporates lace techniques to create openwork patterning and visual interest throughout the design.

The pattern begins with an Emily Ocker Cast-On, a specialized cast-on method that creates a flexible, looped foundation. This cast-on is worked using a Size US K-10½/6.5mm crochet hook, after which stitches are transferred to double-pointed needles to begin working in the round. As the blanket expands, the knitter progresses through multiple circular needle sizes—starting with a 16-inch needle, advancing to a 24-inch needle, and finishing with a 40-inch needle—to accommodate the increasing stitch count.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The blanket features a Welted Pattern as its primary stitch structure, which alternates between stockinette stitch and reverse stockinette stitch in repeating sequences of 3 rows each. This creates a textured, dimensional fabric with subtle horizontal ridging.

The lace elements incorporate several key decrease techniques and yarn-over stitches:

• Knit 2 together (k2tog) and knit 2 together through back loops (k2tog-tbl) for right-leaning decreases
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) for left-leaning decreases
• Slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over (skp) for additional decrease variations
• Yarn overs (yo) to create openwork and lace patterns
• Stockinette stitch (St st) and reverse stockinette stitch (rev St st) for the welted base pattern

Materials and Gauge

The blanket is worked with Juniper Moon Farm Nimbus yarn, a luxurious fiber choice ideal for baby blankets. The pattern requires US 10½/6.5mm needles throughout—specifically a set of 5 double-pointed needles for the initial rounds and three different lengths of circular needles (16 inches, 24 inches, and 40 inches) as the project expands.

The recommended gauge is 12 stitches and 23 rounds per 4 inches (10 centimeters) when working the Welted Pattern in blocked form. However, the pattern notes that achieving exact gauge is not critical to the success of this project, making it accessible to knitters of varying experience levels.

Additional notions required include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and construction points throughout the in-the-round knitting process.