While I was living at the hospital, I designed a knit baby blanket based on this verse:
It’s 139 stitches in width, 13 rows in seed stitch on the top/bottom borders, 14 columns of seed stitch on the left/right borders. And to celebrate the 40 weeks God designed for pregnancy, it measures 40 woven boxes in length.
The girls and I also added Psalm 139:13-14 to our collection of memory verses, and spent time discussing the meaning of Psalm 139.
These are a few precious truths that I want my children to know without any doubt:
- God is my personal Creator (v. 13)
- God knows everything about me, even before I could speak (v. 4)
- God is actively involved in my life; He’s in complete control (v. 10)
- God will never be limited in His knowledge; He is aware of every detail (vv. 1-24)
- God determined my destiny (v. 16)
His hands have knit you together, and He has made you fearfully and wonderfully in His image. No life occurs apart from the purpose of God. I know this is something that’s so easy for us to take for granted. I also know that the world speaks contrary – especially when it comes to people born with disabilities, like my son.
Ronin has and will face challenges throughout his life. We all will, to varying degrees, since none of our bodies are perfect in this world. I have been learning how temporary this life is, and that this world is incapable to give fulfillment when our citizenship is in heaven. For those who trust in Christ, our broken bodies will be resurrected perfectly to be like His glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21).
I trust in the plans of my Creator, I trust in the power of my Redeemer, and I find rest in His promise. It’s a blessing to see God’s love when I look at the baby He’s entrusted to me.
RONIN UPDATE: Ronin’s two weeks old today. Earlier this week he had his umbilical cord catheters removed, so I was finally able to hold him. In the NICU, holding skin-to-skin is called “kangaroo care.” I’m allowed to hold him up to three hours a day, so I’ve been taking full advantage. Being able to comfort him and let him sleep on my chest has put my mama heart at ease.
The cardiologists speak gobbledegook when they’re explaining things, but I’ve at least understood that it’s as if Ronin’s heart is constantly running a marathon just to keep blood circulating normally, which is why it’s so difficult for his little body to grow. The cardiology team will continue doing weekly echocardiograms to make sure his heart is able to work well enough; if his pulmonary artery gets too restricted they’ll have to put in a stent to keep it open before his surgery. But his oxygen saturation has been holding strong and he’s continuing to put on weight.
Each stitch knitted into this blanket carries a reminder that every baby is fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image.
This blanket is reversible and looks great from both sides. It only requires the knit and purl stitch, making it a perfect beginner’s project. Once the woven box sequence is established, the pattern is very simple of memorize.
For yarn, I used Hobby Lobby Yarn Bee’s Easygoing in the color “sky.” It is a medium yarn weight. I chose it because it is a soft, machine washable acrylic blend. Although its suggested knitting needle size is an 8, I’ve used 10.5 gauge needles to give the blanket more of a drapey feel. Choose whichever yarn/knitting needle combination you’d like.
Knitting instructions for the “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” baby blanket:
S I Z E:
Finished baby blanket measures approximately 33″ length x 28″ width
M A T E R I AL S:
Medium weight yarn (Suggested: Hobby Lobby Yarn Bee’s Easygoing, 5 skeins)
US 10 circular knitting needles w/ at least 19″ cord
Scissors
Yarn needle
A B B R E V I A T I O N S:
K: Knit
P: Purl
P A T T E R N:
Cast on 139 stitches.
Rows 1-12: K1, P1.
(This creates a seed stitch pattern. I’m counting in the cast-on to add up to 13 rows in the bottom border.)
Row 13: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1), K5, *P3, K5. Repeat from * to last 7 stitches, (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)
Row 14: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1), P5, *K3, P5. Repeat from * to last 7 stitches, (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)
Row 15: Repeat row 13.
Row 16: Repeat row 14.
Row 17: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1), K1, *P3, K5. Repeat from * to last 11 stitches, P3, K1, (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)
Row 18: (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1), P1, *K3, P5. Repeat from * to last 11 stitches, K3, P1, (K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1)
Row 19: Repeat row 17.
Row 20: Repeat row 18.
Repeat rows 13-20 until you have a total of 40 rows of woven boxes.
To create the top border, repeat rows 1-12.
(This creates a seed stitch pattern. I’m counting in the cast-off to add up to 13 rows in the top border.)
Bind off in pattern.
And you’re done!
** Please feel to reach out to me if you have any questions or difficulty interpreting this pattern.
I hope you enjoy knitting this blanket and that it holds a special meaning for you and the baby that receives it.
Chatting With San
June 25, 2023 at 9:07 amHe’s perfect!