A Great Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern for Beginners

I belong to a Facebook group for new knitters, mostly because I like to see what questions they have (and sometimes I even answer them, LOL) and what kids of projects they are making.

It seems like a lot of knitters start with, or make early on in their knitting careers, a bias knit washcloth. (There’s a very old pattern of mine for one of these on the Internet Archive, or try this one from Handy Little Me.)

This is actually a great place to start (though I tend to suggest a scarf as a first project) because it’s a small project, it teaches you the knit stitch as well as increases and decreases, and it doesn’t matter if it comes out a little wonky because it will still wash people or dishes.

What happens when you knit the same square bigger? You get a super cute baby blanket that’s also a fine project for a newer knitter.

A version of this is the Sea Lavender Baby Blanket from Yarnspirations. Using Bernat Blanket yarn in three colors, this easy bias knit square is a perfect gift for a new little one. Make it in the colors of baby’s room or whatever colors you like. I know it kind of looks like this one is two colors, but there is one color used throughout and you alternate stripes between that color and the other color, switching your contrast color halfway through.

Of course once you have the knack for knitting on the bias, you can make a project as big as you like. You don’t have to stop with a baby-sized blanket. But this one is a great option for little ones and would be ideal for tummy time since it’s so squishy.

You can download the pattern for free from Yarnspirations.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier.

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project.

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible.

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge.

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects.

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy.

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project.

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Xandy Peters]

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