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| Photo above © bflaible |
Treetops Baby Blanket by Darlene Dale is a beautiful striped baby blanket built around an eye-catching butterfly stitch texture.
Originally published by Naturally Caron in 2010, the design uses DK-weight yarn and combines the textured center with simple garter-stitch borders.
The pattern was originally distributed for free. However, the original Caron and Yarnspirations pattern pages are no longer available, so this older pattern now needs a little more explanation before you begin.
Pattern Availability Update
Treetops Baby Blanket was originally published as a free pattern by Naturally Caron. The original publisher and Yarnspirations sources are no longer available. Ravelry currently references an archived version of the original pattern.
Treetops Baby Blanket at a Glance
Pattern: Treetops Baby Blanket
Designer: Darlene Dale
Published: February 2010
Original Publisher: Naturally Caron / Caron International Yarns
Category: Baby Blanket
Yarn Weight: DK
Original Yarn: NaturallyCaron.com Spa
Needles: US 7 / 4.5 mm
Yardage: Approx. 962 yd / 880 m
Finished Size: Approx. 31 × 35 in / 79 × 89 cm
Main Feature: Butterfly stitch
Availability: Originally free; original publisher source unavailable
About the Treetops Baby Blanket
Treetops Baby Blanket was designed by Darlene Dale and published in February 2010 through Naturally Caron.
Its distinctive appearance comes from a textured butterfly stitch arranged across colorful stripes.
The resulting fabric has plenty of visual interest without requiring elaborate cables or complicated garment shaping, making the design an appealing blanket project.
Finished Size
The published finished size is approximately:
31 × 35 inches / 79 × 89 cm
This is a practical baby-blanket size that is large enough to showcase the repeating stitch pattern without becoming an especially large knitting project.
The Butterfly Stitch
The main decorative feature is the butterfly stitch.
The pattern uses the stitch across contrasting stripes to create the distinctive gathered texture visible in finished Treetops blankets.
The published pattern information describes the butterfly stitch as a 20-row repeat.
Amazing Knitting does not reproduce the designer's complete stitch instructions here. Use the original pattern information referenced below for the actual knitting sequence.
Gauge
The original pattern gives a butterfly-stitch gauge of:
20 stitches × 24 rows = 4 × 4 inches / 10 × 10 cm
A separate garter-stitch gauge is listed as:
20 stitches × 30 rows = 4 × 4 inches / 10 × 10 cm
Gauge on a blanket does not affect fit in the same way it does on a sweater, but it still influences the finished dimensions and the amount of yarn required.
Needles
The original pattern calls for:
US 7 / 4.5 mm needles
For a blanket, a circular needle can be convenient even when knitting back and forth because the cable helps support the weight of the growing fabric.
Original Yarn
Treetops was designed using NaturallyCaron.com Spa, a DK-weight yarn.
The original yarn contained acrylic and bamboo-derived fiber and came in 251-yard / 230-meter balls.
That yarn is now discontinued, so modern knitters will normally need to make a yarn substitution.
Original Yarn Colors
The published sample used three colors:
- Ocean Spray
- Soft Sunshine
- Naturally
The soft combination of blue-green, yellow and neutral tones works particularly well with the alternating textured stripes.
You can, of course, create an entirely different palette while preserving the same overall design.
How Much Yarn?
Ravelry lists total published yardage of approximately:
962 yards / 880 meters
If you substitute yarn, allow some flexibility in your estimate. Different fibers, gauge and modifications to the blanket dimensions can change the total amount required.
Substituting the Discontinued Yarn
Because Naturally Caron Spa is discontinued, there is no reason to feel that you must locate the original yarn before knitting this blanket.
Instead, look for a suitable modern DK-weight yarn that produces the required gauge and a fabric you like.
For a baby blanket, useful qualities include:
- Softness
- Easy washing and care
- Good stitch definition
- Comfortable drape
- Colors with enough contrast to show the striped texture
Make a swatch before purchasing the full blanket quantity whenever possible.
Garter-Stitch Borders
The blanket uses garter stitch to provide a simple visual frame around the more decorative center.
The original construction also involves picking up stitches to work the side borders.
A plain border is particularly effective here because it does not compete with the butterfly-stitch texture.
Picking Up the Side Borders
When picking up stitches along a long knitted edge, distribution is more important than simply picking up one stitch from every row.
Too many picked-up stitches can make the border ruffle. Too few can pull the blanket edge inward.
Follow the pattern's intended distribution and check that the fabric lies comfortably flat as the border develops.
A Useful Tip from a Finished Project
The project shown on this Amazing Knitting page was made by Ravelry member bflaible.
In the project notes, the knitter specifically mentions avoiding picking up every row along the side edge because doing so could create a ruffled border.
That's a useful practical reminder when finishing this type of blanket.
Managing the Color Changes
Because Treetops uses stripes, changing colors neatly can reduce the number of finishing problems later.
Depending on the spacing of the stripes and the instructions in the pattern, yarn may sometimes be carried carefully along an edge rather than cut after every color change.
Avoid carrying yarn so tightly that it shortens or puckers the side of the blanket.
Choose Colors That Show the Texture
Butterfly stitch already provides strong visual texture, so color choices can either emphasize or soften the effect.
Pastel combinations create the gentle appearance associated with many baby blankets, while brighter contrasting colors can make the repeated sections much more graphic.
Solid or lightly tonal yarns will generally allow the stitch structure to remain easier to see than highly variegated yarns.
Check Your Work as You Go
Repeating textured patterns become easier once you recognize how a correct repeat should look.
Stop occasionally and compare the newest section with earlier repeats.
Finding a misplaced stitch early is much easier than discovering it after several more inches of blanket have been knitted.
Skills Used in Treetops
This project is useful for practicing:
- Working a repeating textured stitch pattern
- Changing colors
- Maintaining even tension
- Working long rows
- Garter stitch borders
- Picking up stitches along side edges
- Managing yarn ends
- Blocking a baby blanket
Is Treetops Baby Blanket Still Available?
This requires a little clarification.
Treetops Baby Blanket was originally a free pattern published by Naturally Caron.
However, the original Naturally Caron and later Yarnspirations sources are no longer available.
Ravelry currently records the pattern under an archived Internet Archive source rather than an active publisher page.
For copyright reasons, Amazing Knitting does not host or reproduce an unofficial copy of Darlene Dale's complete pattern.
View the Treetops Pattern Record
Ravelry maintains the pattern record, including the original specifications and archived-source information:
View Treetops Baby Blanket on Ravelry →
Looking for a Free Alternative?
If you would rather use a pattern with an active free source, the Jordan Baby Blanket by marianna mel is already verified in the Amazing Knitting archive and remains available for free.
See the Free Jordan Baby Blanket →
You can also explore:
Before You Start
Remember that this is an older pattern whose original publisher page is no longer active.
If you decide to make Treetops, review the archived-source information through its Ravelry record, choose a modern DK substitute for the discontinued Naturally Caron Spa yarn and make a swatch before beginning.
Pay particular attention to maintaining consistent tension through the butterfly-stitch sections and to picking up the side-border stitches evenly during finishing.
Pattern credit: Treetops Baby Blanket was designed by Darlene Dale and originally published by Naturally Caron / Caron International Yarns in 2010. The project photograph currently shown on this Amazing Knitting page is credited to bflaible. Amazing Knitting provides an independent historical project guide and does not reproduce the designer's complete copyrighted knitting instructions.