I knitted my new mother-in-law this nap blanket as a Christmas gift. First I want to explain why I call it a “nap blanket”. A couple of years ago at Christmas my niece and her husband gave me a nap blanket from Brookstone. It is a plush, cushy blanket and it is on the small side … just perfect for a cozy little nap. I loved not only the nap blanket itself, but the idea of a nap blanket as well. Naps are so scrumptious when you are an adult and have learned how to appreciate … no, that isn’t quite the correct word. Luxuriate is better … when you have learned how to luxuriate in a delicious nap.

When I was a child I wasted many an opportunity for a good nap, and I would guess you did as well. Cats know what it is all about, and children could learn a thing or two about a thing or two from cats when it comes to naps. Having babies and raising small children taught me an entirely different regard for naps, and it only gets better with age … much as a fine wine.

The idea of a special blanket named and dedicated to naps specifically delights me no end. The intended dimensions of the nap blanket are 36" wide by 52" inches long. My mother-in-law’s name is Jinny, so I am naming this piece Jinny’s Vines: A Blanket for Naps.

I used Lion’s Suede yarn, but you may use any bulky weight yarn. For me, the dusty sheen of Lion’s suede yarn is perfect for this blanket, because of the vine lace pattern I chose. If using Lion’s, you will need five skeins of your primary color (I’m using Sage), and one skein of your accent color (I am using Ecru).

I used a modified version of the Vine Lace stitch pattern from Barbara G. Walker’s “Treasury of Knitting Patterns”. In my modification I interrupt the pattern after three repeats in my main color with two rows of straight knitting in my primary accent color. Therefore, I am calling this an Interrupted Vine Lace Pattern.

The Vine Lace pattern is worked in multiples of nine stitches plus four, so if you want to make your blanket wider than mine be sure to increase using the correct math.

Materials

• Five skeins Lion Suede Yarn in Sage (primary color)
• One skein Lion Suede Yarn in Ecru (accent color)
• Size U.S. 13 29" circular needles
• Size U.S. K crochet hook
• Large tapestry needle.

Directions

Using primary color, cast on 94 stitches.

A. Starting Rows (worked in primary color)

Row A1: Knit.

Row A2: Knit.

Row A3: Purl.

B. Pattern Rows (worked in primary color)

Row B1: K3, *YO, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, YO, K1*. Repeat from * to * across row, K1, turn.

Row B2: Purl.

Row B3: K2, *YO, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, YO, K1*. Repeat from * to * across row, K2, turn.

Row B4: Purl.

Repeat Pattern Rows twice more for a total of three Pattern Row repeats.

C. Pattern Interruption Rows (worked in primary accent color)

Change to accent color.

C1: Knit.

C2: Knit.

Change back to primary color.

Continue by repeating B and C above for a total of ten repetitions of the pattern rows (B) and nine repetitions of the pattern interruption rows (C). At this point the blanket will measure approximately 51" in length.

Bind off.

Edging

Using primary color and size U.S. K crochet hook, pick up and single crochet stitches evenly around entire border of piece. At each corner, chain two to make room to turn the corner.

Bind off.

Using large tapestry needle weave all loose ends into the wrong side of the knitting piece, as best you can. I say that, because this yarn is not the best for hiding loose ends in. The finished blanket looks beautiful inspite of this difficulty.

Helpful Tips

I keep a piece of paper close by and write the rows on it in columns, and then check them off as I complete them. I have to do this so as not to lose my place or suffer other confusions.

Also of note, I had to do quite a bit of tinking during this project, because I kept getting lost in thought or I would smile at my husband for a second, or some such thing and a few times I got to the end of a pattern row only to find that something clearly was not right. In each case, rather than getting frustrated, I calmly tinked back (sometimes all the way to the first of the row) and then knit it all again. If you get lost or confused, don’t get discouraged … just tink and re-knit and keep notes as you need to. This pattern is very forgiving of an occasional mistake, and all will come out right in the end. The pattern stitch is very easy to memorize soon after you’ve gotten into the project.