Super Easy Baby Blanket - The Pattern
Gauge
21.5 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch
Finished Size
26 inches x 28 inches
Pattern
With a US #7 needle and the first color, loosely cast on 140 stitches.
Knit every row until there are 20 garter stitch "ridges" (1 ridge = 2 rows).
Switch to the second color at the beginning of the next row, and knit every row until there are 20 ridges.
Repeat with each color, making sure to always switch colors on the same side.
After knitting 20 ridges with the seventh color, loosely bind off.
Weave in the ends.
This yarn is superwash which means you can safely put it in the washer and dryer. However, if you've used any bright saturated colors (especially reds), you may want to add white distilled vinegar to your first wash in order to "set" the dyes. I read somewhere to add 3 cups; that seems like a lot, but it can't hurt!
May 23, 2008
Reader Comments (32)
I can't wait to pick out some yarn...
Thank you for posting patterns that are accessible to all levels of people.
Each of the stripes is 4 inches. But please note: I knit practically the entire skein for each stripe, so if you're using the same yarn I used and you cast on 160 instead of 140 stitches, you won't have enough yarn on each skein to make a 4 inch stripe. If you're using a yarn with more yardage than the Temple (128 yards), you should be fine.
But also, if you're making your blanket wider than mine, you may want to consider the final proportions. If your stripes are only 3 inches wide and the blanket is, say, 28 inches across, then you'll end up with a 28 x 21 inch blanket with stripes that will read vertically rather than horizontally. If that doesn't sound ideal, you could add a few more colors to change the proportions. All of this is up to you but are things to consider when you make changes to the pattern.
Thanks for your question and for embarking on the project!
Whitney
Knitting every row, also known as Garter Stitch, will not curl.
Maybe I'll wait until she knows but I'd rather start now. If it is a girl green is out the window and I am going Cherry Bomb all the way.
At the beginning of the row just start knitting with the new color. Make sure you leave tails at least 8 inches long so that later you can sew them into the knitting. No knots! Sewing in the ends secures them forever!
Whitney
Thank you,
Red
Please note, the gauge is actually 21.5 stitches to 4 inches not 1 inch (which would be insanely tiny!). If you can get this stitch gauge per 4 inches, the row gauge will automatically work out. Once your stitch gauge is correct you just knit each block for 20 ridges (which is actually 40 rows). Please let us know if have any other questions! If you need help determining your gauge, check out this tutorial:
http://www.purlbee.com/swatch-tutorial/
good luck!
I came in last week to pick up the yarn and needles for a baby blanket for my sisters baby. I used the size 7 needles I bought and could only get 18 stiches per 4 inches. I am using a size 5 needle and can only get through 17 rows before I run out of the first color. The gauge w/a size 5 needle is 20st-4inche but again I only have 16-17 ridges. Help!
Thanks,
_j
Sounds like you are a very loose knitter! There is nothing wrong with going down in size even more to get the gauge. If you go down to a size 2 or 3 and still can't get the gauge, it might be a good idea to drop in on your Local Knit Shop for some help. Sometimes in the case of really loose knitting it might be helpful to wrap the yarn around your little finger on the hand that is holding the yarn to create a little bit of tension. Hope this helps!
Here is a link to all of our cotton yarns.
http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/yarnlist/fiber,2
The closet in gauge to the alchemy temple is the Blue Sky Cotton but it is thicker so your blanket will turn out to be bigger than Whitney's unless you adjust the number of stitches you cast on.
Hope this helps!
For this baby blanket, you used Temple yarn by Alchemy:
Content: 100% superfine merino
Weight: 50 grams
Length: 128 yards
Guage: 6 stitches per inch
Suggested Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)
I'm wondering if you can suggest a 100% cashmere yarn which would be a good equivalent to use for this project. Also, what needle size would work best with whichever cashmere yarn you suggest? And, lastly, are any of the cashmere yarns hand washable?
The Lobster Pot and Jade cashmeres look mouth-watering. It's a very tempting idea to knit this in cashmere....
Love your site. Thanks!!!
Thanks so much for your comment.
The closest cashmere in gauge would be the Jade Sapphire 6 ply cashmere, they call it "Zageo". For this you can follow the pattern as written. You can find it here:
http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/yarndetail/3744
However, if you wanted to mix the two brands for more color options, try the 8 ply, Lobster Pot calls it "worsted" and Jade Sapphire calls it "8ply". If you decide to go with the 8 ply, use a size 8 needle, and change the cast on to somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 stitches.
You can find the Jade Sapphire 8ply here:
http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/yarndetail/819
You can find the Lobster Pot Worsted here:
http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/yarndetail/459
All of the cashmere we sell is handwashable, in fact, we recommend hand washing rather than dry cleaning.
I discovered Purl Bee a couple of months ago and it inspired me to start knitting again. I'm no expert. I'm a perennial beginner. But I used to knit with my Gran's help. After she died, five years ago, I stopped. I started again with this blanket.
I live in a small city in India where you get just one kind of wool and not a great many color choices. i improvised and I'm almost finished with my last color row. It looks good. Not great but it was just what I needed to get my hand in again.
Thank you!
Sorry for the confusion! Once you've tried circular knitting you'll see the difference, but in the meantime here is an explanation. For this blanket you are using a circular needle so that you can fit all of the stitches on (which would not be possible on even 14" straight needles), but you won't be knitting in the round, you'll be knitting back and forth in rows as you normally would on straight needles. When you knit in the round (whether you use circular needles or double pointed needles) you join the stitches into a circle and knit continually around and around to make a tube. The reason you get stockinette when you work all knit in the round is that you are always on the front of your knitting. Hope this helps to clarify, please let us know if you need more info.
And good luck!
I just found this pattern and I want to use the Atlantic color scheme you have (love the colors!) but I have only been able to find Pewter, Amber, and Lulu Brown in the Alchemy Temple yarns. Do you know where I might get the Silver, Platinum, Champagne and Citrine?
Thanks!
The best thing to do is to test a swatch on the size 6 needles. The main thing is that you won't want it to be too tight because the blanket could end up stiff (and smaller than Whitney's version). If you test it out and you like the gauge and it's not too much tighter than Whitney's then it should be fine, otherwise a larger needle would be recommended.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for your help,
Amy
Just continue knitting with the new color, that's why it's called the "super easy" baby blanket! :)
Thanks for all the great super-easy patterns. Keep them coming.