Play with Stripes in this Squishy Blanket Pattern

One of the easiest ways to use a bunch of yarn, whether you’re getting rid of stash or just want to make a big project, is by knitting a blanket. Adding stripes is an easy way to use lots of different colors in a blanket, and you can give it a more harmonious look by alternating stripes of a neutral (or just a different) color to tie it all together.

That’s the concept of the True Stripes blanket from Purl Soho, but it adds a twist. By knitting some of the stripes vertically and some horizontally, you get even more fun texture and design interest, even with a simple garter stitch project.

The blanket, designed by Gaby Bush and Gianna Mueller, originally used a pretty off white for the main color and two contrasting colors for the stripes. The yarn used is a luscious wool and cotton blend that’s a light worsted weight, perfect for a spring baby or a throw to keep on the couch while it’s still a little cool in the evenings.

The free pattern is sized for babies and a throw blanket size, but you could pretty easily expand the concept to make an even bigger blanket (or make blocks in this style and sew them together when you’re done).

Because it’s me you will probably expect me to say that you could also make each of the interior stripes a different color if you’re using yarn you already have. This would be so pretty with ombre stripes in the same color family, or you can make most of a rainbow, or just use whatever coordinating yarns you have on hand.

You can grab the pattern on the Purl Soho website, where they also sell kits of the yarn for the baby blanket size.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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Super Easy Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns.

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn.

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options.

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners.

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set.

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn.

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers.

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.

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