Sometimes a knitting project begins with a carefully planned yarn purchase…. and sometimes it begins with ten balls of bulky yarn sitting in your stash, taking up space and waiting for its turn to shine. Both are valid!
I bought a bag of Knit Picks Mighty Stitch Bulky when it was on clearance, right before that weight was discontinued. It was one of those purchases that made perfect sense at the time: nice yarn, good price, pretty color, and I’d just buy a bunch and figure out what to do with it later, right?
The yarn is a soft mint green, which is already a lovely choice for a baby blanket. Then the mother-to-be sent me a photo of the nursery, and the walls were painted almost the exact same mint green, so it felt like fate! (Didn’t it turn out to be a perfect match!?)
Even before the yarn gods intervened, I knew this was going to have to be a bulky yarn project because I was on a bit of a time crunch… the challenge was finding the right pattern. A lot of bulky yarn blanket patterns are very simple, and, not to throw shade on simple stitchwork, but I wanted something a little more interesting for this project.
The Radiating Star Blanket
I eventually found the Radiating Star Blanket by Alexis Layton in a Ravelry search. It’s a circular blanket knit from the center out with YO increases that create a pretty starburst shape. It’s a pretty blanket and it met my key criteria: (1) bulky yarn and (2) not boring. Plus, it’s a free pattern, so that’s always a nice bonus.
I really enjoyed the center-out construction. It was satisfying to start with just a few stitches and watch the blanket grow round by round.
Before I cast on, I looked through the project photos on Ravelry. There are more than 1,400 projects for this pattern, so there are plenty of examples to browse. I especially liked seeing all the different choices knitters made for the border.
My original plan was to do a scalloped edge like this one. Scallops are always an adorable finish on a baby blanket! But by the time I reached the edge, I was down to my last ball of yarn. I wasn’t confident I had enough left for the scalloped edging, and it would have been a dangerous moment to play yarn chicken with a discontinued yarn line and a baby shower a week away.
A few other knitters had finished their blankets with garter stitch instead, so I followed their lead and worked three rows of garter stitch. At first, I was a little worried that the edge was puckering. Thankfully, blocking took care of it. Once the blanket had been washed and laid flat to dry, the border relaxed, and the whole blanket looked much more finished.
This turned out to be a really satisfying gift knit. The bulky yarn helped it come together quickly, the pattern kept the knitting interesting, and the mint green color could not have been a better match for the nursery. I just love it when the universe cooperates with me!
yarn details
Knit Picks Mighty Stitch Bulky in Mint
Bulky Weight (discontinued, but it’s still available in fingering, worsted, and super bulky)
80% Acrylic & 20% Wool
136 yards / 100 grams
Purchased in July 2022
project details
pattern: “Radiating Star Blanket” by Alexis Layton (free to download on Ravelry)
needles: US size 10 (6.0mm) wood DPNs to start, then I switched to my Mosaic Options Interchangeable Needle Set and used a ton of different cable lengths as it got bigger.
yarn used: 653 yards (480 grams) – about 4.8 balls
finished size: would you believe I forgot to measure!? I’m gonna guess around 46” in diameter.
duration: February 15 -March 8, 2026
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