A reader asked me for an idea for an easy baby blanket and since there were so many, I decided the answer needed to be put in a blog post. So here we go--below are the prettiest baby blankets I could find that qualify as easy-- some being easier than others--all gorgeous and all free. I've read through all the patterns and only included patterns that are well written and easy to follow. I'm sure you'll find something you like. You'll be able to find more difficult patterns, but none cuter, and while these are easy to knit, they are also fun to knit. There are no panels to sew and no stitches to pick up. All pattern links are included.
To make a baby blanket you need a pattern, yarn and needles. But what do you choose first--the yarn or the pattern? Well, it kind of goes hand in hand. It might be a good idea to print out 2 or 3 of your favorite patterns and go to the yarn shop with an open mind. See what yarn choices are suitable for each pattern and choose from there.
As for yarn--this is most important--purchase the very best yarn you can afford, you'll save money in the long run. Of course you'll want it to be soft and and machine washable; stick to your guns with these two requirements and don't budge. Can you imagine spending hours on a baby blanket, hand it over to a new mom and whisper, "Please hand wash". You know as well as I do that hand-wash-only baby knits go directly into the bottom drawer and never see the light of day. Or perhaps it will land in the washer anyway and your lovely work will either warp, felt, shrink, or all three. If you purchase high-quality yarn that is machine-washable, your knit can be used daily, washed often, and hopefully passed on to the next baby.
Here's my advice: buy the good stuff! Steer clear of those pilly, dreadful acrylics. Oh sure, I know they are so appealing for their inexpensive price, wide availability, and their alleged softness, but you and your project will suffer in the end. And I say alleged softness because while it might feel soft when you squeeze the skein, your working hands and the finished product will tell you otherwise. Here's why I hate the stuff: on the needles acrylics have ZERO life as they didn't start out as a living thing like cotton or wool. Born from a big pot of chemicals, there is no liveliness on the needles which means tired hands and an unhappy knitter. Plus, after a few washes, your acrylic blanket will feel scratchy and look ratty and pilly. There are machine washable wools and cottons and blends out there that are economical, soft, lively, and machine-washable. I've got some links at the end for some yarns that are my go-to choices for baby knits.
I'm going to show you the most common types of baby blankets: feather and fan and other simple laces, chevron, diagonal garter, simple stripes, and knit-purl patterned blankets. I've just heard from a reader that eyelet and lace blankets are better suited for older babies. Newborns can get their fingers and toes caught in the eyelet holes, not good. Perhaps a squishy garter stitch blanket is best suited for a newborn. I'd still knit any lace blanket for a baby but share my concerns with the mother.
Her number one priority was that it had to be soft; however, she did not want wool as this baby lives in Houston, Texas where the temperatures are mild to hot -- REALLY hot, not to mention humid! I reminded her that the yarn needed to be machine washable and dryable, because after all, no one wants to have a precious baby wrapped in a not-so-clean blanket. While she kept moseying over to gaze at the acrylics, I gently shoved her away, because when you ask for my help, it does not include working with scratchy pilly acrylic, no matter how appealing it may look to a novice. She thought she wanted a super-bulky yarn so it would go fast, but I had to no-no that too. "Your hands will get tired holding those enormous needles. Let's find something more delicate that will still knit up quickly." - See more at: http://knitionary.blogspot.com/search/label/baby?updated-max=2015-03-23T18:41:00-07:00&max-results=20&start=5&by-date=false#sthash.B3QYhQxr.d
Let's begin with possibly the most popular of all baby blankets, the feather and fan, also known as old shale. It's a type of lace that looks complicated but it's not at all. The pattern is just 4 rows, and only one row is a pattern row. If you can knit-2-together and make a yarn-over, you can make this. Trust me, it's even easy enough to take as a travel knit. The feather and fan has an old-fashioned look that is most beautiful when knit in cream, but knit this in a deep shade of grey and the sophistication level will soar. Of all the feather and fan blankets, I like
The Feathered Baby Blanket by Kaye Smith the most. The designer incorporates waves of simple garter stitch to break up the feather and fan pattern. Ali-g made this version below in a sandy colored off-white and made
Carole Baneny's Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater to match. Heavenly heirloom.
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The chevron stitch blankets have a modern look and are handsome in stripes. Knit chevron blankets in modern nursery colors for an oh-so-Missoni look. As with most baby blankets, gauge is not crucial. Just make sure your needle matches your yarn so you will get a tight enough weave so baby's toe won't be forever poking through! Below, Purl Soho's
Chevron Baby Blanket uses a cotton worsted weight doubled to achieve a bulky weight gauge.
Espace Tricot also has a
free pattern for a chevron baby blanket that also uses worsted weight, but single, not doubled as Purl Soho's above which will make it less bulky. You can make it larger or smaller by adding or removing repeats.
What could be easier than stripes? Make over-sized stripes like the four blankets below and stripes go from ho-hum to bold and beautiful. The first three are knit in cushy garter stitch (knit every single stitch) and the last one is my pattern, knit in stockinette with a simple garter stitch border. Either way, color choice here is crucial. Ask the new mom for her nursery color choices and then be inspired by them. You don't need to, and probably won't want to, match exactly, but rather coordinate your blanket colors to the nursery. Don't be afraid to add a pop of a surprise color or even black. Pattern links are in each caption.
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| My girlfriend wanted to knit her first grandchild an easy baby blanket but NOT in garter stitch. I designed this stockinette stitch blanket with a garter border using Rowan All Season's Cotton. It's beautifully soft and the wide sophisticated stripes look fantastic with her modern nursery colors. A Baby Blanket for All Seasons by Kristen Rettig. |
Can lace knitting be easy? Yes. Like the feather and fan above, if you knit-2-together paired with a yarn-over, you're making lace. Lace can be complicated or simple, but this post is showcasing the simple.
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| Pine Forest Baby Blanket by Ingrid Aartun Boe uses Elizabeth Zimmerman's gull lace pattern. Gull lace is a very easy 3 row repeat and only two of those rows are patterned. Perhaps one of the easiest of all the laces, EZ recommends this to be a knitters first foray into lace knitting. |
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| The Leafy Baby Blanket by Leyla Alieva is perhaps closer to intermediate knitting ability, but I included it as it has both written and charted instructions. |
Next are a few blankets that use knits and purls to create pattern and texture.
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| Learn to knit a Basket Weave Blanket in this easy-to-follow pattern from Leisure Arts. Looks tricky. It's not. You'll love the result. |
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Malt from Tin Can Knits is a teaching pattern. The pattern includes tutorial links for every knitting term used.
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| Newborn Baby Blanket by Alta Green makes a tiny stroller blanket and uses only 200 yards of Aran weight yarn. |
Diagonal blankets are fun to make. You usually cast on one or two stitches, then increase at the beginning of every row until you have used exactly half of your yarn, or until you have the size you want, then you start the decreasing until you are down to those one or two stitches. Voila! You are done!
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| I think I did promise that you wouldn't have to pick up any stitches, but maybe you won't mind doing that little thing for a sweet picot edge? Cambria Blanket by Pam Sauser |
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| Halifax from Hannah Patton incorporates a diamond pattern in her diagonal blanket by placing purls on the knit side. |
I did promise I'd share some of my favorite yarns for baby knits. It's no secret that I'm a Rowan fan all the way. One day I'll share that story and how I became to be a superfan, but until then, here's what I recommend:
For cotton I like Rowan's worsted weight Handknit Cotton. The All Seasons Cotton is more like an Aran and is fantastic and stretchy--you'll love knitting with it. Softknit Cotton is Rowan's machine washable DK cotton yarn. Many cottons can be hard on your hands, tiring your hands easily. Not these. If you've had bad luck with cotton, try any one of these and you'll be surprised how easy a good cotton is to knit. It's not often you knit a baby blanket with fingering weight yarn, but Rowan's machine-washable fingering weight cotton is Summerlite and they plan on expanding that line soon. Lately I've been using the new Pure Wool Superwash line in DK and Worsted weight and have been really happy with those. They both have great yardage and are economical. Rowan also has a superwash Superfine Merino in fingering, DK and Aran weight. I don't want to forget the elegant Baby Merino Silk DK, also machine washable. I'm a Rowan fan because they are consistently high quality and well priced. You can get cheaper yarn but your garment will suffer in the end, plus, knitting with high quality yarn is a tactile experience that is a gift you should give yourself. I've knit all of the above yarns many times and love them all. I think you'll have a hard time deciding which is best for your baby pattern! Your Rowan stockist or any of the great online knitting shops will carry all of these popular yarns. 
