Free Knitting Pattern: Super Easy Baby Blanket Redux

The Purl Bee has added several great new knitting patterns in the past few days, but most notable is the update to the Super Easy Baby Blanket.

The original blanket pattern was posted in 2008, and it’s a hugely popular pattern because it’s simple — just garter stitch — but also really pretty because of all the stripes. It was worked in Alchemy Temple, a superwash merino, in seven bold stripes.

The new variation uses Kertsi Merino Crepe from Koigu, which is not a superwash wool but it’s very pretty. Because it’s hand-dyed each skein is unique and semi-solid, which adds another dimension to the blankie not found in the original.

Garter stitch is a great choice for a baby blanket because it lies flat, looks good on both sides (though there will be little color breaks on the “wrong” side where you change colors) and it’s super easy and fast to knit up. I actually am about to start working on a garter stitch blanket for my baby book, too!

[Photo by The Purl Bee.]

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Looking for more Baby Knitting patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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There’s always room for more stitch dictionaries on your shelf, but Andrea Rangel’s Knitovation Stitch Dictionary is unlike those stitch pattern books you might already own. That’s because this one is full of colorwork stitch patterns rather than textured stitches, lace or cables, so the designs are ripe for adding to hats, sweaters and other projects with a stockinette stitch background.

The book starts with a quick introduction to knitting colorwork that’s also unlike what you’ve probably seen before, because it’s less about the colors themselves and more about the kinds of fibers you choose, how the yarn is prepared and the gauge you’re working at and how those things all change the look of a design.

Most of the book is filled with motif designs and swatches. The motifs were designed and named by Andrea’s husband Sean, who is an artist and brings a bit of whimsy to the designs.

You’ll find some classic looking leaves and flowers, mosaics and waves, but also rubber ducks, penguins, puzzle pieces, cherries and cows, snails and teapots, eyeballs and chess pieces, to name a few. Many of the designs also have funny names, like a fish named toilet bound, or cats in suits called corporate fat cat.

Of course you can use the designs in any way you want on any project you like, but there are also three patterns in the book — for a hat, a sweater and a pair of fingerless gloves — plus discussion of how the motifs were added, adjusting patterns for a different size or gauge, and adding your own motifs.

If you like adding a bit of colorwork to otherwise plain projects that other people have designed, or you’re ready to start making your own designs with fun motifs, this book is a great place to start. The fun and funny motifs are sure to inspire you to want to pick up your needles and add a little more color to your projects.

About the book: 160 pages, hardcover, 150+ motifs and three knitting patterns. Published 2023 by Interweave, suggested retail $28.

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