In all my years as a mom, I've never met a baby who didn't kick off their baby blanket in the stroller or car seat, and I've finally had enough.
This pattern was a bit of an experiment. I made a sack to hold baby's legs, gave it a slit on the bottom to slip over the buckle of a stroller or car seat harness without impeding the harness's function, a bib to go up above baby's lap, and tabs to attach the top of the sack to the harness as well. The goal was to create a blanket replacement that would be both safe and comfortable, but that wasn't so easy to kick off and couldn't simply fall off on the ground. I think I've achieved those goals, and I'm really happy with the results.
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The pattern below works up quickly. It's significantly smaller than the average baby blanket, requiring only 200-400 yards of chunky yarn, depending on how long you choose to make it. Since I chose chunky yarn, both for quick knitting and for a cozy texture, this project works up on size 10 needles. The pattern stitch is an easy knit-purl pattern and has a simple cable border. The whole thing is seamless and worked in one piece from the bottom up.
The only tricky part of this whole project is the very beginning, and even that is more awkward than difficult. I chose to use Judy's Magic Cast On to begin this project (that YouTube link is also included in the pattern), which is a bit inconvenient on something too big for double pointed needles. The cast on and first few inches need to be worked on a long circular (29 inches), and you pull the slack in the needle out to maneuver around the stitches, using the Magic Loop method. After a few inches, you can switch to a 24-inch circular if you prefer.
This is a practical knit for any baby that I think helps to solve a very real inconvenience. If you're looking for a unique baby gift, check it out!
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