Oh Baby, Baby – Blog Post
One of the best things about being a maker is creating things for the people in our lives. And is there anything better than creating something to celebrate a new human being? We received an email request for advice on making a summer weight baby blanket. We thought it would be fun to share Michele's advice for weaving a blanket to celebrate a new baby.
By Michele Belson
The first thing to consider when making a baby blanket is materials. Cotton is washable and soft and is our go to fiber for baby blankets. Our American Maid™ unmercerized cotton yarn is wonderful for baby blankets and for the planet. Early in my weaving career I made LOTS of soft baby blankets using 3/2 unmercerized American Maid™ cotton yarn.
One of the stories I tell about my early weaving career was the transition from knitting 5 or 6 baby blankets a year to weaving one in a single day. From that moment, I was hooked on weaving!
Long warp and lots of weaving!
I’d put a LOOOONG 3/2 Natural White unmercerized cotton warp set at 12 EPI on my loom, about 40” wide in my perennial favorite: twill blocks. Then, I’d weave them with Naturally Colored Green, Brown, Dark or Light, stranded 10/2 in a variety of colors, or the classiest of the bunch: Bleached White. The ones woven with 3/2 Tubular Spectrum™ Bleached White were always a big hit. At that time, I didn’t have our amazing Tubular Spectrum™ Tint colors like Butter Yellow, Tangerine or Sky Blue in 3/2 Mercerized Cotton Yarn, but now YOU do.
Thinner Yarns for Warm Weather
The blankets made from 3/2 unmercerized cotton yarn were great for my Colorado and California friends but I needed a thinner blanket for the hot weather of Florida. And for a light layer for air conditioning or just a cool evening.
The 20 Color Tubular Spectrum™ Gamp kit in 10/2 yarn was also the source of lots of baby blankets. Those blankets, in 10/2 Tubular Spectrum™ mercerized cotton sett at 24 EPI was a lovely weight for lighter blankets. These weren’t as cuddly soft as the ones with a unmercerized yarn warp, but the babies LOVED the bright colors.
Blankets Become Heirlooms
And unlike the unmercerized blankets, many of Tubular Spectrum™ Gamp blankets went off to college and beyond with the recipients, the brilliant colors still (mostly) intact. Our high-quality Tubular Spectrum™ yarns, dyed with long lasting, color fast, environmentally friendly fiber reactive dyes: this is the perfect yarn to create family heirlooms. The 20 color gamp kits weave 3 - 36” squares, enough for giving two plus one to keep for reference in your studio as well.
Now we have even more great options.
When I was weaving lots of baby blankets, I didn’t have our amazing Tubular Spectrum™ Tint colors like Butter Yellow, Tangerine or Sky Blue in 3/2 Mercerized Cotton Yarn, but now YOU do.
Any of the 10 color gamp kits could become a bright, pastel or tonal baby blanket. With that in mind, we developed instructions for the 5/2 version, a wonderful midweight blanket. Check that kit out here.
8-shaft Twill Blocks Gamp
4-shaft Twill Gamp
Splash! Towels
Center of Earthtone Towel
Any of the bath towel kits, woven into squares rather than longer towels would make fun baby blankets. Our Lyte™ Hemp and cotton towels, either the Splash! Towels or the Center of the Earthtone Towels, with the antimicrobial hemp weft, would be great baby blankets. Either kit would easily make 3 - 30”+ square blankets that would wash and last beautifully.
A baby blanket made from any of these yarns would make a treasured keepsake the welcome a new baby!!!