Before each of my children was born, I made them a baby blanket or two just because I think that babies should have something warm and cozy made especially for them. This baby blanket that I am going to show you today is not one that I made. It was knitted by my husband's Aunt Margaret and was given to us as a gift before my younger daughter was born. It's been used a lot and washed many times and is still as cozy as ever. And if you are looking for an easy baby blanket pattern, this one just couldn't be any easier. Take a look.
This is the blanket spread out flat so you could see the neat way the colors formed a sort of watercolor marble effect. The yarn used was Red Heart Baby Clouds which is a fluffy, airy, 100% acrylic super bulky weight yarn that calls for size 15 knitting needles. You can imagine that this would work up pretty quickly!
Here is a close-up picture of the surface of the blanket. You can see that it has rows of little bumps. This is because the blanket was made by simply knitting every row. The result is called Garter Stitch.
Here is one of the corners close-up. You can see the detail of the garter stitch. It's a great stitch to use for a baby blanket because it has some texture to it. Babies love soft cozy things with texture! Also notice that, even though this was knitted with large needles, there are no holes in the blanket because the yarn itself is quite thick. I like baby blankets that do not have holes for little fingers and toes to get stuck in.
I threw in this picture because I thought it was a fun shot of the blanket showing all the different colors and the texture of the garter stitch.
So if you're looking for a quick and easy baby blanket to knit, go buy yourself a few skeins of Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn and a pair of size 15 needles. Cast on however many stitches will make the width you want your blanket to be, and then start knitting! When it's as big as you want it, bind off, weave in the ends, and there you have it.
Enjoy!
Click here to return to HookedOnNeedles.com
This is the blanket spread out flat so you could see the neat way the colors formed a sort of watercolor marble effect. The yarn used was Red Heart Baby Clouds which is a fluffy, airy, 100% acrylic super bulky weight yarn that calls for size 15 knitting needles. You can imagine that this would work up pretty quickly! 
Here is a close-up picture of the surface of the blanket. You can see that it has rows of little bumps. This is because the blanket was made by simply knitting every row. The result is called Garter Stitch.
Here is one of the corners close-up. You can see the detail of the garter stitch. It's a great stitch to use for a baby blanket because it has some texture to it. Babies love soft cozy things with texture! Also notice that, even though this was knitted with large needles, there are no holes in the blanket because the yarn itself is quite thick. I like baby blankets that do not have holes for little fingers and toes to get stuck in.
I threw in this picture because I thought it was a fun shot of the blanket showing all the different colors and the texture of the garter stitch. So if you're looking for a quick and easy baby blanket to knit, go buy yourself a few skeins of Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn and a pair of size 15 needles. Cast on however many stitches will make the width you want your blanket to be, and then start knitting! When it's as big as you want it, bind off, weave in the ends, and there you have it.
Enjoy!
Click here to return to HookedOnNeedles.com
Labels: baby blanket, free patterns, knit pattern, knit pictures, Red Heart yarn
posted by Mary Grace McNamara on Thursday, August 7, 2008
19 Comments:
So pretty, I went right out and bought my supplies. I have my first Grandchild due in Feb and feel determined to finish a project :-) I casted on 128 stiches to the US size 15 knitting needle. The needle seems really full as I am working it, is this normal? Did I cast on too many stitches? Thank you for your beautiful baby blanket idea. I hope mine turns out.
By
Unknown, At
November 9, 2009 at 8:50 PM
Jeri, I hope you see this since your profile is set to no-reply and is not public so I can't email you back.
Anyway, unless you are using a very long circular needle, 128 stitches of bulky yarn on a 14 inch needle might be a bit full. I'd say work a few rows and see what you think. If it seems to be too much, either get circular needles, or cast on as many stitches as feels comfortable and knit that into a square or strip. Then either crochet a border around it to make it as big as you want it, or knit another one or three and stitch them together to make a blanket. I think my husband's aunt who made this one probably used a circular needle.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
MGM
By
Mary Grace McNamara, At
November 9, 2009 at 9:07 PM
Hi MGM,
Thank you so much for your help. I ran out and purchased Velocity US 15 circular knitting needles. They are amazing and all my 128 stitches worked so well on the new needles! So well in fact I became a knitting machine. ( tee hee.) Over confident I somehow knitted my self into a circle, Whah! I tried to undo a few of the rows and now - kind of have a mess! Feeling a bit like an I love Lucy episode here. How do I knit on these without ending up attaching one end to the other? Thank you so much for you kind coaching :-) jeri
By
Unknown, At
November 14, 2009 at 11:56 AM
Hi Jeri! Good for you! I'm glad to hear that you got needles that work and you are knitting up a storm!
When you use circular needles for flat knitting, you should use them just as you would straight needles...knit from one needle to the other, then when you get to the end, turn your work and knit from one needle to the other. In your excitement, you apparently just kept right on knitting! If it helps, you could tie a contrasting scrap of yarn onto your needle between the first and last stitches so that when you get to it, it will be a visual cue to stop and turn your work. I could see Lucy knitting herself into a circle...or worse! I love those old shows!
Good luck!
MGM
By
Mary Grace McNamara, At
November 17, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Hi, I'm a brand new knitter and I have what may seem like a silly question.. I have what I think are size 10 needles...a random skein of yarn that I found, and I want a project that's super simple to help me practice. And that could also be something used. I had originally thought I'd do a blanket, but I don't know if I can make a blanket with needles that are straight and this big/small. All I know is a regular knit stitch and a pearl/perl stich. ...I'm hopelessly lost and confused, but I know I want to knit. Please, any words of wisdom would be amazing!
By
Unknown, At
January 12, 2011 at 11:49 PM
*laughs* You're right! I did forget to leave my email! Thanks for letting me know. ^_^ It's winterdenim@yahoo.com
Thank you again!
By
Unknown, At
January 13, 2011 at 1:51 PM
Hello
I am as beginner as they come (only did my first few stitches at the weekend!) Do you happen to have the pattern for this blanket? I'd just like to know what type of stitches they are and how much yarn I'd need.
Any advice would be great. I'm in the UK so ordering this cute Red Heart yarn is not easy! Thank you
By
Anonymous, At
August 23, 2011 at 5:44 PM
Hello Anonymous from UK! There really is no pattern for this and you can use any kind of yarn you want. As described in the post, it's just made by casting on some number of stitches for the width you want, then knitting every row until it is as big as you want it. Using large needles like size 15 and bulky weight yarn makes it really soft and fluffy and it works up very quickly. Give it a try with whatever yarn you have available.
MGM
By
Mary Grace McNamara, At
August 23, 2011 at 5:56 PM
Thank you for your quick response! Your blanket looks quite big, about a meter squared is that right? Also, I know I'm asking some really silly questions but if I use normal (not circular) needles, should I just make four small squares and then put them together as I can't envisage 128 stitches fitting on normal needles. Thanks again, Amanda.
By
Anonymous, At
August 24, 2011 at 4:45 AM
Hi Amanda, if you don't have circular needles, then knitting some squares and sewing them together is a great idea. You could even use different colors of yarn for each square and make it sort of quilty looking! This blanket shown in my post is about the size you said, perfect for a baby blanket, but you can make one any size that works for the squares you make. Just remember to cast on the same number of stitches for each square and knit the same number of rows so that each square is the same size and that will also make it easier to sew them together. What a fun project this will be for you! Let me know how it comes out!
MGM
By
Mary Grace McNamara, At
August 24, 2011 at 8:53 AM
I am super excited to try this!! I have watched all your crocheting videos and have made 4 afghans from them (the videos are amazing and so easy to learn from!!) and now I would like to pick up knitting and knit a blanket as well. Your videos are amazing and I just wanted you to know how much easier it is to learn with your videos. My grandmother taught me the basics at Easter but I was still having some issues with casting on, your video really made it make sense and I look forward to starting the blanket. I am a young mom who can't wait to get my knit on!!! I would love to see a video of a blanket being made with circular needles as well as a video on how to sew squares together for a blanket (do you just crocket them together?) Thanks again for your videos!
By
HEATHER, At
October 21, 2011 at 12:55 PM
hi. i just found your website and love your blanket. so pretty and such pretty colors. can you use homespun yarn for your blanket? i have some pretty blue with white and silver in it. thanks again. my email is : woodtablet634@yahoo.com.
By
redrose51, At
March 7, 2012 at 12:33 AM
Hello, just like all the others, I think its very pretty blanket and a am a beginner myself. I am making the first baby blanket and your work is amazing. Thank your for posting your work.
By
Anonymous, At
November 2, 2013 at 12:09 PM
If using size 15 circular needles and a bulky yarn (Bernat Baby Blanket yarn) and knitting 128 stitches, what is the size of this blanket?
By
liza, At
January 7, 2014 at 2:11 PM
Hi Liza, thanks for commenting. I would have no way of knowing what size your blanket would turn out to be by casting on 128 stitches. That is something you have to find out for yourself just by doing it! You might consider knitting a smaller test swatch of maybe 20 or 30 stitches, then knit every row until it is square, then measure it and see how big it is, then using that information, estimate how big a blanket would be if you cast on 128 or some other number of stitches.
Good luck!
MGM
By
Mary Grace McNamara, At
January 7, 2014 at 4:02 PM
Hi. Love this blanket. My nan is wanting to knit me a baby blanket while she is still able to. I have falling in love with this blanket. Just wondering what colour is this wool, Tutti fruity or pastel?? Thanks :-)
By
Unknown, At
June 11, 2014 at 9:46 PM
Can you use straight needles or does it have to be circular needles
By
Anonymous, At
September 28, 2015 at 9:23 AM
Hello Anonymous! You CAN use straight needles since this piece is knit flat and not in the round, BUT...you will be limited to the number of stitches you can safely hold on your needle! Using circular needles allows you the space for a large number of stitches. You can always knit some smaller squares and then whip stitch them together to make a bigger blanket if you only have straight needles.
Hope this helps!
MGM
By
Mary Grace McNamara, At
September 28, 2015 at 11:23 AM
Ok. Thanks.
By
Anonymous, At
September 29, 2015 at 1:09 AM
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