Knitting

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The Basics of Knitting a Baby Blanket

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how to knit a baby blanketI love knitting baby blankets. It’s probably the baby thing I’ve knit the most of and designed the most of in my years as a knitter and designer.

I think they’re fun because they are so easy. You can use any stitch pattern, any kind of yarn, and make them just about any size you like.

But it’s good to have some rules, and this handy guide to baby blanket design from Noble Knits is a great place to start.

It runs you through basic sizes, yarn choices and how to figure out how many stitches you should cast on — though a major caveat is it doesn’t say anything about stitch pattern multiples, which are vital to get right if you want your pattern to turn out.

(If you are using a pattern stitch dictionary, it will tell you the multiple of stitches you need. When you multiply your gauge by the size of blanket you want, adjust as needed to get to a number that also works for your stitch pattern.)

Have you ever designed a baby blanket from scratch? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Noble Knits.]

A basic pattern to knit a baby blanket

Knitting a baby blanket is a great way to show your love for a new baby and to give a unique handmade gift. It is a relatively easy project that even a beginner can master.

To get started, you’ll need some basic supplies. You’ll need a pair of knitting needles, yarn, scissors, and a tapestry needle. Depending on the size of the blanket you want to make, you’ll also want to purchase enough yarn to cover the size you want. You can also use a different color of yarn for the border.

Next, you’ll need to learn how to cast on. To cast on, you’ll need to make a slip knot, which is an easy way to start a project. Once the slip knot is complete, you’ll need to make one stitch, then pass the loop through the first stitch to make a second stitch. From there, you’ll need to keep repeating the process until you have the desired number of stitches for your blanket.

Once you have the desired number of stitches, you’ll need to start knitting. To do this, insert the needle with the stitches through the yarn, and then pull the yarn through the stitches. Make sure to keep the tension even, and to keep the same number of stitches on the needle each time. If you’re having trouble with this, you can always use a stitch counter to help keep track.

Once you’ve finished knitting, the last step is to bind off. To do this, you’ll need to knit two stitches together, and then pass the first stitch over the second stitch. You’ll continue this process until you have one stitch left. You can then remove the last stitch, and your blanket is complete!

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

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Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.