This large square baby blanket with its variety of floral lace patterns is inspired by Powerscourt Estate, one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland. The three tiers of the blanket try to capture the diversity of the grounds, from the elegance of formal parklands to the exuberant blooms of a Victorian walled garden. Knitted in a wonderfully soft blend of organic cotton and wool, the blanket makes a great new family heirloom, a christening shawl or simply a special gift for a new baby.

The piece is knitted in the round, from the centre outwards, in four identical triangular sections. The changing lace patterns keep the knitting interesting while still being very manageable, with every second round a pure knit round and no purl stitches until you get to the edging.
The first chart repeats knit up quickly, while the outer chart repeats take progressively longer. Since it is a modular pattern, you can work more or fewer chart repeats to alter the size as you please. Just bear in mind yarn requirements; at the outer edge of the pattern, each 12-row repeat uses more than one entire skein of yarn.

GAUGE
20 sts and 34 rows ≙ 10 cm/4 inches in stockinette stitch (blocked)
21 sts and 34 rows ≙ 10 cm/4’’ in tulip pattern (Chart C, blocked)

TECHNIQUES USED

• knit/purl
• yo, increases and decreases
• knitting in the round
• knitting from a chart
• blocking lace (tutorial link included)