Yardage for the Gala Yarns Mixed Fiber and the Mystery White Baby Yarn are estimated based on the closest match to yarn that I had in my stash that had actual useful information on the label (which was Lion Brand Baby Soft). Gala Yarns from Big Lots is always a crap shoot, and there was no label on the white so I have no idea what it was.

I converted the triangular counterpane pattern to work in the round 4-at-a-time because (1) I’m not a fan of seaming, and (2) I’d much rather read lace charts from the Right Side on every row. This meant adapting the non-charted portions of the instructions, which are the minority of the pattern rows. I also replaced the yarnovers along the edges with kf&b or pf&b increases as appropriate to eliminate the occurrence of two consecutive yarnovers at the beginning of every other round. If I knit this counterpane pattern again I may choose to simply add one knit or purl stitch to the end of each row instead.

To eliminate the need to close the hole at the center of each counterpane square created by casting on 12 stitches to start, I cast on 4 stitches instead using Judy’s Magic Cast On and a 47” circular needle (which automatically closes the hole), increased to 12 stitches in the first round, then began the counterpane and worked a few rounds of pattern by Magic Loop. Then I transferred the stitches from my 47” circular to 4 dpn’s (one pattern repeat per dpn and knitting with a 5th). I worked the counterpane squares on dpn’s until there were too many stitches to fit on my needles and then changed to a 24” circular. Upon completing each of the 4 squares I left the stitches live on the circular. When I had all 4 done I joined them using Kitchener Stitch. I then transferred the live outer stitches from the 4 individual circular needles to a single 60” circular and continued knitting in the round to prepare the edge for the applied (knitted-on) leaf border. Over 4 rounds I increased the sides from their initial 148 stitches to 153 stitches, which accommodates 17 repeats of the leaf edge border. I also picked up one stitch in each corner which I increased to 9 (one more border pattern repeat).

The applied edging is the Tulip-Bud Edging from A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns (p. 357) by Barbara G. Walker. The stitch pattern is also available online here: Tulip-Bud Edging. I made a few modifications to the edging pattern because the pattern is written for knitting the border separately and then sewing it to the edge and I wanted to knit it on using the live edge stitches of the blanket. I used a provisional cast on so that I could join the beginning and ending rows of the border with Kitchener Stitch. On all RS rows (odd numbered rows) I slipped the first stitch, and on all WS rows (even numbered rows) I joined the last stitch of the row to the blanket edge using a ssk with the next live edge stitch. The joining edge of this border pattern is along the right-hand edge as viewed from the RS, so it is joined in a clockwise direction around the blanket. I also changed the tip of the leaf from a left-leaning sl1, k2tog, psso to a right-leaning k3tog because (1) the leaves in the counterpane end with a k3tog at the tips, and (2) the right-leaning decrease follows the line of decreases along the outside edge of the leaf border and I like that look better.