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]

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

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