How to Knit Baby Blankets

I love making baby blankets so much and have made so many that I somehow don't even have pictures of them all! I love them for all of the bullet point reasons I listed at the top of this post and I can't take pictures of them anymore because I've given them all away. Between big projects, I'll whip up one or two and squirrel them away so that any time I hear of someone having a child, I have a gift waiting in the wings.

In the interest of encouraging others to try new things and grow their skills, I'm including not one but THREE tutorials below: one crochet, one knit, and one sewn. If you both knit and crochet, yes, the sections are very similar because so are the concepts. The sewn blanket is also my first quilt ever (remember how I said these are great for trying something new?). Enjoy!

Important Note: This post was originally very long and came in the 3 parts described above. This makes it difficult to navigate, especially if you're looking for the project all the way at the bottom and extra especially if you're on a phone. Use the buttons below to go to the 3 posts, now separated for ease of reading.

How to Knit a Baby Blanket

Note: This post is NOT a pattern. If you want a crochet baby blanket pattern, check out the Patterns page (all released after this post was originally written).

The first blanket shown on the left is a very simple blanket made of 9 squares in stockinette. The center square has a hidden rabbit motif done in purls with a stockinette background. The yarn is a variegated blue, green, and white which creates an almost-striped pattern. The squares are placed so the stitches run in perpendicular directions. Finally, there's a basic crochet border done in some white scrap yarn. The goal here was to practice my knits and purls and increase my speed; you can tell my tension needed work too by how off some of the final joins are in places, creating some bunching.

The second blanket, shown in the middle, is a basic chevron blanket made using a Caron Big Cake in Summer Berry Tart, a self-striping yarn. A basic chevron is a great way to continue working on knit and purl skill and speed while also learning how to increase and decrease. I used this pattern from Espace Tricot, but a basic chevron is available in just about every stitch dictionary as well.

**Note: If you do the pattern above and you're new, take a few minutes to learn ssk instead of spending 20 minutes being confused and frustrated when your stitches don't add up (which is what I did).

The third blanket, shown on the right, is another chevron pattern with stripes. This time done in a garter stitch chevron with color changes to make a rainbow blanket with cream "break" stripes between each color to soften the brightness. The garter stitch chevron makes the fabric quite stretchy which is nice when trying to swaddle a little one! This pattern is a great progression to focus on learning to increase and decrease while only needing to otherwise use a knit stitch. I used this pattern by Catherine Anderson for this project.

To choose the right shape for your next project, consider your goal(s) and what you think you'll enjoy most!

Step 2 - Choose your Stitch(es)

This will relate back to your goals. Some examples and suggestions:

• Beginners - choose one stitch or stitch pattern from your stitch dictionary. You might choose something done with just knits and purls, like a moss stitch or a basketweave.

• Advanced beginner - same as beginner, but choose a pattern that uses some increases and decreases, like the chevron examples above. This will help you learn basic shaping which caries over into all kind of 3D projects like socks and sweaters.

• No longer a newbie, but not sure where to go next - sampler blankets are a great option here. Choose a handful of stitches or cables to learn (or more, you can always make each square unique) and plan to sew or single crochet them together at the end.

• Ready to try something more difficult, but not ready to commit to a big project - I stand by the sampler blanket. Check out some intermediate level stitches, like this Leaf Panel, and give them a go as a standalone block. Make another block of the same to keep working it or mix it up with some other options!

Step 3 - Get Started! Casting on...

Here's where we get tricky - stitch dictionaries don't put the whole pattern together for you, they tell you something like "Multiples of 8 + 5" (Basketweave stitch from New Stitch a Day). What does that mean???

There are two pieces at work here - the first is the "multiple of 8 sts." In looking at the pattern, you'll see that each row is made of a repeat of K5, p3 all the way across. There's your multiple of 8.

So what's the +5? Humans like symmetry. We want the rows to start and end with the same knit stitches, so we need another K5 at the end just as we had at the beginning. Hence the +5.

Let's look at another example: the vertical herringbone stitch. Here, we cast on "multiples of 7 + 1." So why the multiples of 7? Look at row 2 of the pattern: K2tog, k2, krl, k2, rep. K2tog uses 2 stitches but *creates* only one, then we have two more knit, krl which creates 2 stitches, and then another two knit. So total, we have 7 stitches over and over (notice we decease and increase in each repetition, that's what makes the herringbone pattern).

Why the +1 then? Again we're looking for symmetry here. K2tog creates what looks like a plain knit stitch, then followed by k2. So the beginning of the piece starts with a visual k3. We want to end the row with the same, but our repeated portion only has k2. So when we get to the end, we add that extra K1 to even it out.

*It's OK if that doesn't make a lot of sense just yet,* you really only need it if you decide to try writing your own patterns. The great thing about knitting is that there are a lot of patterns and stitches that just say "multiple of x," making the casting on much quicker!

*To start,* cast on as a multiple of whatever until you decide it's the right length, then add the "plus x" on to the end and you're on your way! If you're not sure what length to make it, knit a gauge swatch, measure, and then do a little division to figure out how many repeats you need to get the right size.

Step 4 - Work the Project & Join the Pieces

Once you've gotten started with your foundation row, continue to follow your stitch dictionary for the stitches you want to use. I definitely recommend using a tracker like Row Counter to keep you on pace with the pattern until you have it memorized.

If you're doing a sampler project with multiple pieces, you'll need to create enough squares/hexes/rectangles to sew together at the end and get the size blanket you're looking for.

When all your pieces are bound off and have been blocked (because you always block your pieces, right?), pin and sew or single crochet together if you're bi-craftual.

To sew together, place the right sides of each piece facing up on a flat surface. Use a tapestry needle to join the pieces, weaving from one piece to the next with a long piece of yarn, picking up yarn on either side. Be sure to keep your stitches aligned as you work and pull tight every few inches. Pinning the pieces together using crochet stitch markers is helpful to keep everything lined up when working with large pieces or trying this for the first time.

There are several methods to do the stitching, depending on where you're joining and how much you care if the seam is hidden. Here's a nice demo from Bickford Seam. You can also pin right sides together and use a plain whip stitch if you really don't care that the seam will be visible.

Step 5 - Finish Off Your Project with a Border

There are a TON of borders out there, so find one that suits your fancy! My go-to crochet border is as follows:

After binding off, join your yarn near a corner.

R1: Ch 1, sc around, putting 3 sc in each corner st. Join to the first sc with a slst.

R2: Ch 2, dc around, putting 3 dc in each corner st. Join to the first dc with a slst.

R3: repeat R1. Bind off. Weave in ends.

There are plenty of knit borders as well, many are worked separately and stitched on, but you can also pick up stitches and knit stitches to begin the border in one piece with no sewing. Here's a quick tutorial from The Spruce Crafts if that concept floats your boat. If you're using the pattern for a border, but plan to pick up and knit the stitches, make sure you count as you go so you can be sure to end up with just the right number of stitches!

I hope you've found something useful, helpful, or entertaining in this rather lengthy post. I encourage you to try something new and grow your skills - comment below or tag me @craftematics on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook!  Be sure to follow me here on the blog by filling out the form at the bottom of the page so you never miss a post. Until next time, friends - have a happy Thanksgiving!*

*You know, separately...and in your own homes.

Originally published November 20, 2020.