Orry Yarn – Cassillis Baby Blanket Knitting Kit
Designed by Tilde Olsen – Orry Yarn
The Cassillis Baby Blanket is the gentlest of the Cassillis trio and a true beginner project. Most rows are plain knitting. Just three pattern rows in every ten do all the work, which is how a blanket that looks textured and considered comes out of nothing more than knit and purl.
That rhythm is the point. You get long stretches where nothing much is asked of you, then a short burst of concentration, then back onto easy ground. It is a forgiving way to learn to read your own knitting, and a blanket is forgiving about finished size in a way a garment never is.
The kit is knitted in Orry Yarn Merino DK, our own soft, springy, ethically sourced merino. It has the stitch definition to show the texture properly, which matters on a pattern this quiet.
Skill Level:
Beginner ★ (1 out of 5)
If you can cast on, knit, purl and cast off, you have everything you need.
Sizes:
Baby and Toddler. Choose your size when you order.
Finished measurements:
- Baby: approximately 55 x 70 cm
- Toddler: approximately 70 x 90 cm
Gauge:
22 sts and 40 rows = 10 x 10 cm, measured over pattern on 4 mm needles.
The Kit Includes:
- 6 x 50g balls of Orry Yarn Merino DK for the Baby size, or 9 balls for the Toddler size, in your chosen shade
- Printed pattern in English, covering both sizes
You'll Also Need:
- 4 mm needles. A circular 80 cm or 100 cm long is the comfortable choice; see the note below.
- Wool needle, for weaving in ends
- Two stitch markers, which are optional
A note on the needles:
The blanket is worked flat throughout, so you knit back and forth and the cable is only holding stitches. Nothing here is worked in the round. The Baby size casts on 127 stitches and the Toddler size 161, which is roughly 58 cm and 73 cm of fabric. The Baby size will sit on a long pair of straights if that is what you already own. The Toddler size really wants a cable, and an 80 cm circular handles both sizes comfortably.
Techniques used:
- Long tail cast on
- Knit and purl worked in a simple ten row repeat
- Reading a written pattern row by row
- Using stitch markers to separate the garter edge from the patterned centre
- Simple cast off and weaving in ends
Why You'll Love It:
- A genuine beginner project that does not look like one
- Long stretches of plain knitting, so it is easy to pick up and put down
- Knitted in merino chosen for softness against new skin
- Named for Cassillis in Carrick, and the old Ayrshire ballad that travelled from there and is still sung
- Size modifications and knitting tips at the back of the pattern, drawn from years of teaching