Free Knitting Pattern – Staggered Squares Blanket

Handmade blankets make great gifts, and there are many ways to gift wrap them to make them extra special. Here are a few ideas:

Use a basket or container: A basket or container is a great way to present a blanket as a gift. You can fill the container with tissue paper, shredded paper or shredded fabric to add a little extra padding, and then place the blanket on top.

Use a gift bag: A gift bag is a great way to present a blanket as a gift. You can choose a gift bag that is large enough to hold the blanket and add some tissue paper or shredded paper to the bag to add a little extra padding.

Roll the blanket: Rolling the blanket and tying it with a ribbon or string is a great way to present it as a gift. You can add a little extra padding by wrapping tissue paper or shredded paper around the blanket before rolling it.

Fold the blanket: Folding the blanket and wrapping it in gift wrap or cellophane is a great way to present it as a gift. You can add a little extra padding by placing tissue paper or shredded paper between the folds of the blanket before wrapping it.

Add a gift tag: Adding a gift tag to the blanket is a great way to personalize the gift. You can write a heartfelt message on the tag to make it even more special.

This particular free pattern uses Bernat Baby Big Ball yarn to create a beautiful staggered squares blanket. The yarn is soft and perfect for babies, it also comes in a variety of colors so you can choose the one that matches the baby’s room or the parents’ taste. The pattern is free to download on the Mary Maxim website and it’s a great way to create a special and thoughtful gift for a new parent or to add a touch of warmth to a baby’s room.

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Stitch dictionaries are a fun way to learn new-to-you knitting stitch patterns or to take a deep dive into a particular technique. Debbie Tomkies offers 100 cable stitch designs and thoughts on how to incorporate them into projects in her Cable Knitting Stitch Dictionary.

Each stitch pattern is shown in a large swatch photo and with written and charted instructions. Any special stitches are included on the page. The stitches are rated on a difficulty scale of 1 to 3, and the pattern notes also indicate how many extra stitches you should add to a project if you’re going to work this cable (since cables pull the fabric closer together you need to compensate for that) as well as how many stitches and rows are in the repeat if you want to design a project yourself.

The cables are arranged into sections: classic cables, combinations, all-over panels, creative cables, motifs and panels and cabled edges and borders.

It’s fun to flip through the designs to think about projects you can add a single cable or two to or make with an allover cabled design. Or you could make swatches of different cables and sew them together into a pillow cover or a throw.

At the back of the book there’s a section on general cable knitting techniques, reading charts, working swatches and avoiding errors (though it mentions working the wrong number of rows between cable turns, it doesn’t share how to count rows between cables to avoid this mistake).

It also talks about how to design your own cables, combine cables in a project, choose the right yarn and needles and determine how many more stitches you need to cast on when working cables instead of stockinette stitch. There’s also a glossary of symbols and abbreviations you may find in cable knitting and other patterns.

The book provides a good overview of things you can do with cables, as well as some fun things you might not have tried like infinity cables and horizontal cables. It’s a great book for a designer who likes to work with cables or a knitter who wants to play with different stitches in their projects.

About the book: 176 pages, paperback, 100 stitch patterns. Published 2024 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $26.99.

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