I know I shared another baby blanket pattern a few weeks ago, but if you recall that post, you’ll remember the baby boom happening among my friends this year. Since baby blankets can be fun to design (they’re just a medium sized rectangle), I figured I keep on sharing the baby knitting love by posting the patterns I’ve been using for the 15+ newborns in my life.
I designed this pattern for speed and ease (really, I just wanted to be able to marathon a bunch of TV and not really have to pay attention to too much stitch counting as I worked). This pattern is ideal for beginners – there aren’t any stitches beyond knit and purl at all! So even if you just learned to knit to make your first project for a new niece or nephew or your own baby on the way, this pattern is 100% doable.
Supplies
3 super size skeins Lily Sugar’n Cream 100% cotton yarn – 450 total yds (I used the psychedelic colorway.)
size 7 knitting needles (I used circular to accommodate the width of the blanket.)
scissors
crochet hook/yarn needle (for weaving in ends)
Directions
Like I said, this baby blanket pattern is so easy and is perfect for newbie knitters. I mentioned in my post about the other baby blanket I recently shared that I’ve got about a bazillion friends, coworkers and relatives who are currently pregnant. All of my spare crafting time in the past several months have been filled with baby-related knitting projects!
Unsurprisingly, I was getting a bit tired of baby blankets, so I decided to do a really easy pattern for this bright checkered blanket. I figured I’d let the bold yarn and simple knit and purl basketweave texture do the work for me on this one. Despite its simplicity, this is one of my favorite baby blanket designs.
Abbreviations
CO – cast on
k – knit
p – purl
BO – bind off/cast off
sts – stiches
The Pattern
CO 90 sts (or any multiple of 6 sts)
row 1. (RS) k across.row 2. (WS) p3, k3.
row 3. (RS) p3, k3.
row 4. (WS) p3, k3.row 5. (WS) k3, p3.
row 6. (RS) k3, p3.
row 7. (WS) k3, p3.Repeat rows 2-7 until your blanket is the size you like or until you’re nearly out of yarn.
BO and weave in ends.
The finished blanket measures about 28×30 inches.
Every 3 rows you’ll be switching up your pattern, so the whole blanket will be a giant checkerboard. Each square of the checkerboard will be 3 stitches by 3 stitches. The wonderful thing about doing a basketweave pattern is that the edges won’t curl like they do when you use stockinette stitch. This is great for babies because it will lay flat really easily, making a good play area.
What do you think? Do you like this basketweave pattern or the staggered holes baby blanket pattern better?
Savannah
March 4, 2014 at 7:50 pmThis is super cute and easy! Thanks I’m definitely going to try this!
Heidi
March 4, 2014 at 9:43 pmI’m so glad! It’s really a fun pattern to knit, very low stress! Just pick a cute color and you’ll be golden :)
Alayna
March 9, 2014 at 8:13 amThis would make a cute cowl neck scarf too!
lulu
March 23, 2014 at 2:43 pmthis is so lovely…I must make one..
thank you so much for sharing..
lisa
July 18, 2014 at 4:55 pmYou used the Sugar N Cream yarn that a lot of dishcloths are made of? Just wondering, don’t the colors run and the blanket wind up stiff after washing? Thank you!
Heidi
July 21, 2014 at 10:01 pmGreat question, Lisa! Yes, it is. Here’s a tutorial I did on setting yarn color using the blanket pictured in this post. The blanket gets a little stiff after washing, but since it’s a beginner pattern designed for baby use, I figured I’d go with an affordable yarn that can stand up to getting spit up on and washed. But any cotton yarn should work!
Janet
October 18, 2014 at 9:04 amLove this! An old friend made my first baby a blanket with this pattern. I just started knitting a little bit a year ago and didn’t think it was a pattern I could do! Your instructions are easy to follow and I can do K and P easily so I can’t wait to try making this.
My question, being new to knitting, can I use thicker yarn (like a super bulky) with bigger needles and make a bigger, thicker blanket for my bigger kids? Does knitting work that way? :) Thanks for the pattern!!!!
Heidi
October 18, 2014 at 7:12 pmYes, you can do that. It will get both wider AND taller, though. So you might want to cast on 6 or 12 or 18 (etc) stitches for a narrower, longer blanket for older kiddos. -Heidi :)
Denise
November 12, 2014 at 1:01 pmSOOOOOO glad I found your site. I love both the blankets! Thanks for some great patterns. I do a lot for charity and these are perfect! Keep up the great work so talented!
Bernice
January 13, 2015 at 5:32 pmI finished the baby blanet last night and popped it in the mail today. I hope the recipient likes it as much as I did!
Now, as to the person who wanted to use a bulkier yarn, how about just worsted? I need to use size 8 needles, but don’t know how many stitches to cast on. Maybe 180? Although that pattern might get a bit repetitious for that many, don’t you think?
Deb
September 13, 2015 at 7:41 pmTrying this out.. Rows 2 thru 4 p3 k3 Rows 4 thru 7 k3 p3 what do you do with row 1
Heidi
September 14, 2015 at 10:32 pmAs with many patterns, you just work row 1 once. For the rest of the pattern, you repeat rows 2 through 7 until it’s as big as you want it. Then you bind off. Best of luck! :)
Mari
March 21, 2016 at 12:36 pmWhat is the length of the circular knitting needles you used?
Heidi
March 30, 2016 at 8:58 amI used 36 inch circs. Since this is worked flat, you can get away with shorter ones if you don’t mind the stitches bunching up on the needles.
Linda Witz
November 13, 2016 at 11:50 amHi.. Just found this pattern today and I love it! Already doing a practice swatch. I will probably do my real blanket in an acrylic worsted weight yarn. I’d like to reassure the people questioning the use of cotton yarn. I’ve made baby blankets using it and they have stayed soft after machine washing and drying. And I’m not a proponent of fabric softener.
Thank you for an easy and cute pattern!
Heidi
November 14, 2016 at 4:54 pmThanks for the helpful note! :)
Diane
March 11, 2017 at 12:43 pmCan I use this pattern using straight needles instead of circul
Heidi
March 13, 2017 at 5:30 pmAbsolutely! I use circulars on blankets to keep the weight of the blanket off my wrists. For straights, you’ll want to use longer needles to accommodate the number of stitches.
KimberlyRae Forde
April 28, 2018 at 10:12 amI just love this basket weave pattern! I would like to make the blanket Square in shape. How would that be done please…?
Thank you and cant wait to make one of these :)
Heidi
April 28, 2018 at 12:46 pmYou just have to measure as you go – make it as long as it is wide, and you’re golden! :)
Edith
April 29, 2018 at 9:33 amcan I crochet this pattern ( blanket)
please reply
Edith
Heidi
April 30, 2018 at 7:00 pmHi, Edith! I haven’t done a crochet version of this yet, but I should totally do one! Stay tuned. :) For now if you want to try a basketweave crochet stitch, here’s a tutorial to get you started: http://www.redheart.com/how-to/articles/guide-to-basketweave-crochet
Vera
December 19, 2018 at 10:43 amhow could I make this but with a boarder and bigger squares?
Heidi
December 20, 2018 at 9:26 amYou’d have to do some math to change the stitch counts and decide whether or not to do a picked-up-stitch border or to include it in the body of the blanket. That should be cute, have fun!