Super Easy Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns

Whenever there’s a new baby in your life, whether it’s your own or someone in your friend group or family is having a baby, there’s a strong drive among all knitters to cover that little thing in knits. And every baby is cuter when surrounded by tiny knit things.

My favorite thing to knit for babies (and I’ve knit a whole book of baby knits) is baby blankets, because you can make them any size and use any stitch pattern you like and they are sure to be useful. The main thing is they don’t have to fit, which is great because newborns come in a lot of different sizes and they grow really fast.

If you’re in the market for some new baby blanket knitting patterns to add to your collection, check out the Doodle Pip Makes Etsy shop. They have (as of this writing) 54 downloadable patterns for baby blankets, all using knits and purls to make cute designs on the surface of the blanket like hearts, bunnies and flowers.

And lest you think these patterns are too girly, there are also dinosaurs (as in the blanket pictured above) and boats. And plenty of patterns that have allover stitch patterns rather than surface designs that make an image.

While some of them are a little more complicated than others (again, like the dinos since there are different patterns across the blanket rather than one large pattern or a repeating one), they’re all doable for newer knitters because they include row by row written instructions rather than having you work from a chart.

In their shop you will also find a few full kits for knitting blankets and coordinating hats, as well as a few already knit projects. Many of their patterns are also available as printed patterns if that’s something you’re into.

[Photo: Doodle Pip Makes]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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