My brother is fortunate to have a very close friend who has been wonderfully supportive of him for many years. My family was overjoyed when the news came that this friend and his wife were expecting a baby. Given how important he’s been in my brother’s life, I wanted to design something very special for his child. This blanket - inspired by textiles derived from the baby’s Italian heritage - is the result. The new parents loved the blanket, and I hope you will, too!

Other buying options:
* Etsy

Skills and techniques required

• long-tail cast-on
• working small circumferences in the round (DPNs, 2-circulars, or magic loop)
• knitting and purling
• increasing and decreasing
• stranded knitting
• chart reading
• mattress stitch

Yarn requirements

• main colour: approximately 395 yards
• contrast colour: approximately 400 yards

Other equipment needed

• 4 stitch markers: 1 round marker and 3 repeat markers

• (optional) 1 set of double-pointed needles and circular needles of varying lengths, since you need to accommodate a minimum of 8 stitches and a maximum of 576; alternatively, you could use a single 60” circular throughout by using magic loop

• tapestry needle, for weaving in ends and sewing border closed