It can be extremely hard to find a nice, boyish baby set. Here’s my answer to this dilemma. Barra’s blanket (30x30 inch) and cap (newborn-12m) are exercises in twisted and cabled stitches to create a lovely example of traditional knitting perfect for any little boy … or girl … on on your gift list.

The blanket makes a wonderfully cozy lapblanket for the older crowd,too!

Both the cap and the blanket are knit entirely in the round. If you want to knit them separately … the cap takes approx 85 yards of worsted weight; the blanket uses approx 515 yards of the same yarn.

Directions are both charted and round-by-round

Shown in worsted-weight wool, this set would also look spectacular in a wool-blend or a superwash wool.

Barra means “fair haired” and has been a popular name since the sixth century when St. Finbar came to an area of Cork that was being tormented by a serpent. The people begged him to do something to help them. One night he went to where the serpent was sleeping and sprinkled it with holy water. The angry serpent tore and devoured the land until she slithered into the sea at Cork Harbor. The track she left behind filled with water and became the River Lee. It is said that the sun didn’t set for two weeks after Finbar’s death. The Scottish island of Barra is the southernmost island in the chain of the Outer Hebrides; an ocean-going ferry ride from Oban takes you out to this predominately Gaelic/Catholic island filled with ancient churches and sites … well-worth the time to visit.