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]

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

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