Lamb Ears Hooded Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern

Lamb Ears Hooded Baby Blanket in Plymouth Yarn Daisy

Project Overview

This knitted baby blanket combines a cozy rectangular throw with an attached hood and decorative lamb ear details, creating a charming and functional piece for infants. The design measures approximately 36 inches wide by 40½ inches long, making it an ideal size for a baby blanket or throw. The hooded construction adds warmth and whimsy, while the lamb ears provide a playful finishing touch that appeals to both babies and gift-givers.

Materials and Yarn

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Daisy in color 2007 (Butter), requiring 7 balls of 50 grams each. The Daisy yarn from Plymouth Yarn provides a soft, suitable base for a baby blanket project.

Needles and Tools: Size US 9 circular needle in 32-inch length, stitch markers, and basic finishing tools for weaving in ends and seaming.

Gauge and Tension

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 14 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch on size US 9 needles. Achieving proper gauge is essential for the blanket to reach its intended finished measurements.

Knitting Techniques

This pattern employs several intermediate knitting techniques that add visual interest and structure to the finished blanket:

• Yarn overs (yo): Used strategically to create decorative increases and lace-like details throughout the blanket construction
• Decrease techniques: The pattern incorporates slip-stitch decreases (sl1, k2tog, psso and sl2, k3tog, p2sso), centered decreases (k3tog), and standard decreases (ssk and k2tog) to shape the blanket and ears
• Garter stitch: Used for edge finishing and structural stability, particularly in the ear sections
• Stockinette stitch: Forms the main body of the blanket, creating a smooth, classic appearance
• Reverse stockinette sections: Created through purl rows on the wrong side, adding textural variation

Blanket Body Construction

The main blanket body is worked from a small cast-on of 2 stitches, which are immediately increased using the kfb (knit front and back) technique. The blanket then expands through strategic yarn-over increases worked on right-side rows, creating a symmetrical rectangular shape. Knit stitches are maintained at both edges throughout, forming a garter stitch border that frames the stockinette center. This construction method continues until the blanket reaches 125 stitches on the needle, at which point the increases cease and the body is worked straight.

Lamb Ears Details

The lamb ears are a distinctive feature of this design, created by picking up stitches along the bound-off edge of the blanket. The pattern specifies measuring 4 inches down from the hood corner along the edge before picking up 13 stitches, working through both the blanket layer and hood layer. Each ear is then shaped through a series of centered decreases and yarn-over increases, creating a tapered, pointed ear shape. The ears are worked in garter stitch for definition and then seamed together along their side edges to create a three-dimensional appearance.

Hood Construction

The hood is an attached component worked separately and then integrated into the blanket structure. It begins with a small cast-on of 3 stitches and is expanded through knit-front-and-back increases on right-side rows, while purl rows maintain the edge stitches. The hood is positioned along the top of the blanket, with markers placed 11 inches on each side of the bind-off corner to define its placement. Once the hood reaches 39 stitches, it is then decreased back down to 3 stitches using knit-two-together decreases on right-side rows, creating a shaped hood that frames the face when worn.

Finishing Techniques

The blanket is completed through careful finishing work, including weaving in all yarn ends to ensure a polished appearance. The lamb ears are seamed along their side edges using mattress stitch or similar seaming technique to create clean, invisible seams. All bind-offs are worked securely to prevent unraveling, and the hood is properly attached to the blanket body through the picking-up process described in the pattern.

Skill Level Considerations

This pattern is suitable for knitters with intermediate experience, as it requires comfort with circular needle work, multiple decrease techniques, stitch