Juniper Moon Farm Blanket Knitting Pattern

Kendall Baby Blanket by Melissa Leapman

What Is Being Made

The Kendall 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 blanket or decorative throw. The blanket is crafted using Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus Rainbow yarn in the Aurora Borealis colorway, which features a beautiful gradient effect.

Construction Techniques

The Kendall blanket is worked seamlessly in the round from the center outward, creating a square shape through strategic increases. This center-out construction method allows for continuous circular knitting without seams, resulting in a polished, professional finish. The blanket grows outward from a central point using a structured increase pattern that maintains the square shape throughout the project.

The blanket is worked using the Garter Ridge Pattern, which creates texture and visual interest while remaining accessible to knitters of various skill levels. The pattern incorporates stripes naturally through the gradient colorway of the yarn, eliminating the need for color changes while still providing striking visual variation.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Kendall employs several fundamental knitting stitches and decreasing techniques:

• Garter stitch forms the foundation of the pattern, created by knitting every row, which produces the characteristic horizontal ridges
• Yarn overs (yo) are used to create decorative increases and lace elements within the pattern
• Knit two together (k2tog) decreases are used for shaping
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) decreases provide balanced shaping on both sides of the blanket
• Centered double decrease (CDD) is employed for more refined shaping at specific points
• Knit two together through back loops (k2tog-tbl) offers an alternative decrease method

The pattern uses the Emily Ocker Cast-On method, a specialized cast-on technique that begins with a crochet hook to create the initial stitches on a double-pointed needle. This method is particularly well-suited for projects worked in the round from the center outward.

Increase Pattern and Shaping

The blanket's square shape is formed through a systematic increase pattern that adds 8 stitches every 2 rounds. These increases are distributed across 4 "spine" stitches, with 2 stitches increased on each side of these spine points. This balanced increase method ensures the blanket expands evenly and maintains its square proportions as it grows from the center.

Materials and Tools

The Kendall requires 5 cakes of 100 grams each of Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus Rainbow yarn in color 201 Aurora Borealis, totaling 500 grams of yarn. The project calls for multiple circular needles in size US 9 (5.5mm) in varying lengths—16 inches, 24 inches, and 40 inches—to accommodate the increasing number of stitches as the blanket grows. A set of 5 size US 9 (5.5mm) double-pointed needles is needed for the initial cast-on and early rounds. Additionally, a size US I-9 (5.5mm) crochet hook is used exclusively for the Emily Ocker cast-on method.

Essential notions include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and the four spine points where increases occur. The recommended gauge is 17 stitches and 32 rounds per 4 inches (10 centimeters) in the Garter Ridge Pattern when blocked, though the pattern notes that achieving exact gauge is not critical to the success of this project.

Yarn Characteristics

Juniper Moon Farm Cumulus Rainbow is a premium yarn that features a gradient colorway, providing natural color variation throughout the blanket without requiring the knitter to manage multiple yarn colors or bobbins. The Aurora Borealis colorway creates a stunning visual effect as the blanket grows, with colors transitioning smoothly across the finished piece.