From Grandma with Love - BLANKET - Knitting Pattern

This project has a long history, and I’d love to share it with you.

In February 2015, I spent a few days in Munich teaching knitting workshops. In the weeks leading up to that trip, Geli, my mother-in-law, hadn’t been feeling well, and I knew she had some medical tests scheduled while I was away. One evening, I called home to check in on her and received heartbreaking and shocking news: my husband told me that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

There was nothing I could do from afar, but I thought maybe bringing her some beautiful yarn might brighten her day, even just a little. So I picked out a few skeins in colors I knew were “hers” and brought them home for Geli.

Just two weeks later, she passed away. It was a huge loss for all of us, especially for the children.

Some time later, as we were going through her belongings, we found the skeins again, and I took them home with me. I wanted to create something beautiful from them—something for the children, a keepsake to always remind them of their grandmother. A blanket felt like the perfect choice. I loved the thought of them wrapping themselves up in it, feeling as if they were being embraced by her.

My mother-in-law was both—sometimes classic and a little old-fashioned, and other times quite modern. So I decided on lace-patterned squares, because I was sure she would have loved them.

I enjoyed knitting each square—it was comforting. All those beautiful berry tones lifted my spirits, and no matter where I went, I always had a square on my needles. But as life often goes, other things got in the way. There were deadlines to meet, projects to finish, and the lovely squares ended up tucked away in my knitting basket, barely getting a second glance.

Months later, when life had settled down a bit, I was shocked to discover that a family of moths had made themselves at home in that knitting basket. Almost all of the squares were ruined, beyond saving. Can you imagine how heartbroken I was?

But I didn’t want to give up on the idea of a blanket for our children. While visiting a dear friend in Spain during a vacation, we decided to bring the project back to life. Susanne is a talented indie dyer, and when I told her the whole story, we decided to start from scratch. With incredible skill and dedication, Susanne recreated the colors—and to be honest, I think her versions turned out even more beautiful than the originals. And this time, nothing got in the way. With so much joy and so many cherished memories, I knitted square after square, loving the feeling of seeing the stack grow taller and taller.

A few days ago, I bound off the very last one. But the best part? Seeing the children’s faces light up. They had been following the entire process with excitement, eagerly waiting for the blanket to be finished. Watching all three of them sitting there, wrapped up in this wonderful piece, felt like closing the circle. I’m absolutely sure that this is exactly how Geli would have wanted it.

Yarn weight
Light Fingering

Gauge
14 stitches and 20 rows = 5 cm
in stockinette stitch, blocked

Needle size
3.25 mm (US 3)

Yardage
• 3 skeins in Taupe for the border
• 1 skein each in Brombeere, Marsala, Bougainvillea, Rosenholz, Mandelblüte, and Viola for the squares

How big do you want your blanket to be?
I suggest a 6x6 layout, meaning you’ll knit a total of 36 squares—six in each color. It’s helpful to weigh the first square to find out how many grams you need for one. That way, you can check if one skein is enough for six squares. If needed, you can also adjust the needle size.

Sizes
55 x 55" [140 x 140 cm], or simply adjust to your own preference

Languages
🇩🇪 German
🇬🇧 English

Format
PDF

Manufacturer Information

René Hüsgen // Mairlynd
Elisabeth-Enseling-Str. 44
53121 Bonn
Deutschland

E-Mail: support@mairlynd.de