Nectar blanket by Ysolda Teague

Nectar blanket

Knitting
September 2022
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
20 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches
in garter stitch
US 3 - 3.25 mm
US 6 - 4.0 mm
US 8 - 5.0 mm
1200 - 2000 yards (1097 - 1829 m)
Baby blanket to couch throw
English
This pattern is available for £6.00 GBP buy it now

Knitworthy is back! Join us this autumn for a new collection of gifts to knit, plus an online social club focussed on all things gift knitting.

Knitworthy 6 is a compendium of half a dozen beautiful accessory patterns perfect for gift knitting. The Knitworthy Social Club is a 12 week focus on gift knitting, whether the recipient is a loved one or yourself. The Nectar Blanket is currently exclusively available in the Knitworthy 6 collection.The single pattern will be available from December 12th 2022.

Pattern accessibility There are two versions of this pattern pdf available. Print (3 column) and low vision.

Nectar Blanket
A modular blanket comprised of many hexagons; perfect as both an on-the-go or group project! Use any yarn weight you prefer and calculate the eventual size with the included formula.

A hive of activity can come together to make this blanket! Ideal as a gift for a little one or for snuggling up on the sofa with your own handiwork. After taking a beekeeping course earlier this year, Ysolda was inspired by the way bees work together to produce honey and maintain the health of the colony. Working to a deadline can take the joy out of gift knitting, so with this blanket why not learn from the bees and team up with some friends to each make a hexagon that celebrates the bonds between you?

For the Nectar Blanket we suggest knitting and blocking a hexagon, rather than a traditional gauge swatch, to get an idea of how you like the fabric. Use the included layout diagrams and size formulas to work out how many hexagons you’ll need for your desired blanket size, whether that’s for a baby or a king sized bed. You can choose to work the blanket in a single colour or many - a great way to use up any small scraps of yarn that you might have lying about! If you are keen on contrast, the garter stitch borders can be knit using another colour for an effect similar to quilt sashing.

The hexagons are knit in the round from the centre out and the lace pattern is simple, with the pattern including both written and charted instructions. The pattern includes directions all of the triangles and half hexagons, which are knit flat, needed to fill in the gaps and create a rectangular shape. After joining the pieces a garter stitch border is worked in the round to complete the blanket. Alternatively, you can create a more organic shape by simply joining hexagons.

Yarn
Fingering to Aran weight yarn
300–500g of yarn depending on the yardage / weight of your chosen yarn

Shown in
Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock (100% Merino, 4 oz / 113g, 400 yds / 365m) in Oliver and Charles Center. Sample used 2 skeins of Oliver and 1 of Charles Center.

Gauge
Multi gauge (fingering – aran weight) the yarn weight chosen will determine how many pieces you need to complete a blanket.

Needles
Fingering / Sport
US 3 / 3.25mm needles for working small circumferences and long circular for edging

DK
US 6 / 4mm needles for working small circumferences and long
circular for edging

Worsted/Aran
US 8 / 5mm needles for working small circumferences and long circular for edging

Notions
Stitch markers, safety pins or wonder clips, darning needle, crochet hook (optional)

Sizing
Baby blanket to couch throw 
sizing will depend on yarn/gauge chosen and how many individual pieces you make

Fingering / Sport
Hexagon width approx: 8” / 20 cm
Hexagon height approx: 7” / 17.5 cm

DK
Hexagon width approx: 10” / 25 cm
Hexagon height approx: 8 3/4” / 22 cm

Worsted/Aran
Hexagon width approx 12” / 30cm
Hexagon height approx 10 3/4” / 27 cm

Refer to layout diagrams included in the pattern to calculate the number of pieces required for your desired blanket size.

Our fingering weight baby blanket sample used 14 hexagons and measures approx 27” / 67cm x 31” / 77cm

Low vision details: 

  • The main text is black 24pt sans serif and all text is black on a white background.
  • Directions for the hexagon and half hexagon are in written from in the low vision version.
  • No italics are used
  • The schematic measurements are written out, and the schematic is labeled with 24pt text
  • Images have alt text

Screen readers:
The low vision version is tagged to work with screen reading software and have been tested. Images have alt text. Abbreviations are used in the directions, they are defined but may be read aloud oddly. Numbers for multiple sizes are presented as lists of numbers within the text and may be difficult to keep track of when using a screen reader. If this is something you use we’d love your feedback on how we could improve the pattern formatting for screen readers.