Book Review: Knitted Baby Blankets and Cuddle Bags

Baby blankets are my favorite baby gift to knit. I love that they don’t have to be a particular size, you can play with stitch patterns and colors, and they are always useful (and tend to be useful longer than garments that may be quickly outgrown).

Marta Skadsheim Torkildsen shares more than 50 snuggly projects for baby in her book Knitted Baby Blankets & Cuddle Bags.

As you’d imagine from the title, this book is chock-full of baby blanket knitting patterns, most of which are pretty classic, solid color with an allover pattern or pattern blocks, or two or three color stripes. Six of the blankets are sized for preemies. In addition to the blankets there are three patterns for cuddle bags.

The patterns have a skill rating of one to three balls of yarn. Among the blankets, 18 are level one, 27 are level two and three are level three. The cuddle bags are one at each level.

The patterns aren’t listed on Ravelry but you can get a sneak peek on the publisher’s website. (Click on see inside this book.)

There are lots of cute options, such as Målfird, which has lacy heart blocks; Hilde, with blocks of reverse Stockinette stars; Torunn, covered in a lacy zig-zag; and Anne, with a textured diamond pattern.

This book is a great reference if you knit a lot of baby blankets for friends or for charity. The patterns are pretty and straightforward and should keep you happily knitting for a long time.

About the book: 144 pages, 51 patterns, hardcover. Published by Trafalgar Square Books, suggested retail $23.95.

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

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Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]

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