Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns

Knit blankets are my favorite gifts to give to new babies, so it’s high time I put together a collection of blanket knitting patterns.

Why I Love Knit Baby Blankets

Knit baby blankets (or crochet baby blankets, for that matter) are an ideal gift if you want to make something for a new baby.

Every baby can use a blanket, or a bunch of blankets. Even if you live somewhere warm, blankets are great for tummy time and cool morning walks in the stroller.

They can be made with any yarn, any weight of yarn using any stitch pattern you like and no matter what size they come out, they’re useful.

A couple of caveats to those “any” statements above: I try to use machine washable yarn for most of my baby blankets, and I don’t love stitch patterns with holes for babies, since they can get fingers and toes stuck.

As to sizing, there are kind of standard sizes for baby blankets ranging from loveys up to blankets that will cover their whole bed, but I often deviate from those measurements.

Easy Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns

Even if you’re a beginner you can knit a baby blanket because you really can use any stitch you like.

Garter Stitch Baby Blankets

Only know the knit stitch? That’s enough to make a baby blanket!

The Super Easy Baby Blanket from Purl Soho is a great option for new knitters and those who love the simplicity of garter stitch. It’s shown worked in stripes but you could make it a solid color, or wider stripes, if you like. It uses sport weight yarn to make a blanket that’s around 26 by 28 inches (66 by 71 cm), but you can use heavier yarn to make a bigger blanket.

Or knit a worsted weight (size 4) version with this pattern from Kim Tanner that’s available for free on Ravelry. It uses rainbow colored stripes with a white border, but you can choose whatever colors you like or even make it a stash busting project. It comes out to about 24 by 30 inches (or 61 by 76 cm).

If you’d rather work your blanket in blocks, use this pattern from Knit and Jane (free on Ravelry) to make squares of garter stitch out of DK weight yarn. Making individual squares you can make the blanket whatever size you like. Each square is about 5 inches/13 cm.

Another popular option when it comes to garter stitch baby blankets is working them on the bias (like my bias knit washcloth pattern). It’s not really more difficult that straight garter stitch but gives it a fun look. Try it with this pretty pattern from Marie Mickiewicz (also free on Ravelry), which has a little eyelet edging and uses knit 3 together decreases, which might take a little practice.

Stockinette Stitch Blankets

The next most basic stitch is stockinette stitch, which on its own isn’t ideal for blankets because of its tendency to curl. But if you add a border it’s a great choice for a quick blanket.

And you can just work stockinette stitch and embrace the curl, like on this pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. It uses strands of light weight yarn held together for an ombre striped look, or you can make it with heavier yarn.

The Simple Square Baby Blanket by Anne Potter has a bit of garter stitch edging that’s worked as you knit the blanket so it’s still super easy for beginners. This one uses super bulky yarn so it knits up fast into a 30 inch/76 cm square.

Sofie White Designs has another cute version with a deeper garter stitch border and using bulky weight yarn. It comes in two sizes, for a bassinet and a crib, and it includes video tutorials if you need extra help.

When you combine blocks of stockinette and reverse stockinette stitch, you can get a cute textured checkerboard effect like on this blanket from Blueberry Barn Designs. It uses bulky yarn and has a seed stitch border for added texture, but is worked in one pice for ease.

More Basic Stitch Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns

Of course there are lots of different basic stitch patterns you can use for baby blanket knitting patterns, and it would be an endless list if I tried to cover them all, but here are a few to get you started.

Ribbing is an easy way to combine knits and purls, and there are lots of variations on that as well. This one from Radiant Home Studio uses my favorite, 3×3 ribbing, and worsted weight yarn to make a super cozy blanket.

Mama in a Stitch has a worsted weight baby blanket using mistake rib, which is even easier than regular ribbing and has a fun textured look. This blanket measures around 34 by 27 inches, or 86 by 68.5 cm.

Another fun variation on ribbing is wavy rib, which breaks up the columns of knit stitches so they have sort of wavy edges. The Blue Mouse has a written pattern free on Ravelry as well as a YouTube video with the pattern if you want to give it a try.

Fisherman’s rib is another kind of ribbed pattern with a bit of a twist. Working into the stitches on the row below gives you super squishy fabric that’s perfect for a baby blanket or just about anything else. Yarnspirations has a great pattern using chunky yarn, which makes it even softer and nicer for baby.

The Blue Mouse has a cute seed stitch baby blanket worked in worsted weight yarn that’s available in eight different sizes from 18 inches/46 cm square to 42 by 58 inches/107 by 147 cm.

This Yellow Farmhouse has this pretty blanket in what they call Irish moss stitch (I would just call it moss stitch) with a garter stitch border. It calls for chunky yarn and comes out to 26 by 28 inches/66 by 71 cm.

My Ozark Tweed Baby Blanket is worked in three colors but is still really easy to make. Slipped stitches make the pattern, and it goes really fast because you aren’t knitting every stitch on every row. The contrasting applied I-cord border is optional but really pretty.

Purls and Pixels has a really cute and easy baby blanket using rice stitch, another easy knit purl variation. The pattern includes options for working in broken rib or rice stitch, which is basically the same but with stitches worked through the back loop. The pattern uses worsted weight yarn and makes a 40 inch/101.5 cm square.

I want to call this one slightly more complex, but it’s really just a larger repeat. My blue bells baby blanket is still all knits and purls but you have to pay a little more attention because the repeat takes a while to memorize or to be able to read your knitting so you know what row you’re on.

In one knitting Facebook group I’m in, Marianna Mel’s Jordan Baby Blanket became a bit of a viral sensation. It’s meant to be worked in DK/light weight yarn and makes a 15 inch/38 cm square, which is a nice lovey size or preemie blanket. You can also use heavier yarn or add repeats to make a bigger version.

Fifty Four Ten Studio has lots of cute blanket patterns, but I picked Look for Happiness (available on Ravelry) to share because it offers a nice variety of stitch patterns to practice. The body is an easy textured stitch, then it has a stockinette stitch border and a seed stitch border, all worked in one piece. It uses worsted weight yarn and has six sizes including a baby blanket.

And if you want something that looks impressive but only uses knits and purls, check out the Alphabet Blanket from Originally Lovely. This pretty blanket has both written and charted instructions, and comes out to about 31 by 33.5 inches/78.75 by 85 cm.

Colorwork Baby Blankets

One of the fun things about baby blanket knitting patterns is that you can throw just about any technique you like into a project, and it’s a great way to learn different techniques on a small scale.

My Brick Stitch Baby Blanket, for example, is a great way to learn the basics of slip stitch knitting. It uses worsted weight yarn and a simple repeating pattern that looks great with a multicolored yarn.

If you want to delve a little deeper into mosaic knitting, try Purl Soho’s Mosaic Blanket, which has pretty textured diamond designs. I love this bright pink but you can also use more neutral colors. This isn’t any more difficult but it is a longer repeat. The pattern is written and charted and includes a video tutorial.

Chevrons are a classic choice for all sorts of knit blankets, and Espace Tricot has a pretty chevron baby blanket worked in worsted weight yarn for you to try. It’s a free pattern on Ravelry and as written comes out to 27.5 by 36 inches/70 by 91.4 cm, but it’s easy to modify.

Feather and fan is another great stitch pattern that’s commonly used in blankets and it’s about as lacy as I’m willing to get in baby blanket knitting patterns. The Pastel Rainbow baby blanket from Stitchylinda Designs (free on Ravelry) uses feather and fan in rainbow stripes broken up by solid garter stitch ridges. It uses DK weight yarn.

Try your hands at bubble stitch worked in multiple colors with this design from Love Fibres. The sample is done with four colors of DK weight yarn and comes in two sizes, for a swaddle size blanket or one that fits a crib.

The Stella Quilt Blanket by Laura Penrose (available on Ravelry) is for intermediate knitters because of the picking up stitches and short rows, but I love this pattern so much I couldn’t resist sharing. It uses a DK/light weight yarn and comes in sizes for a baby blanket, lap blanket or throw.

And of course when you’re talking about colorwork you can also mean picture knitting, like the sweet little fuzzy sheep on this blanket from Mossy Bottom Farm. This is for intermediate knitters and allows you to practice intarsia knitting. There’s also an option to stitch a backing for the blanket since this work can be a little messy. The pattern includes stroller and crib sizes.

Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns with Cables

Rocket Clothing London has a pattern for this pretty baby blanket with textured stitch diamonds surrounded by little cables. The sample is worked with DK/light weight cotton yarn, and measures 25.5 by 36 inches, or 65 by 92 cm.

The Shadow Cable Knit Baby Blanket from Yarnspirations uses super bulky Bernat Blanket yarn and an allover cable pattern that’s easy to learn. It’s a great way to learn the basics of cable knitting and to make a super squishy, cozy blanket that’s 36 inches/92 cm square.

I have always loved this little cable bunny stitch from Studio Knit, which Stacylynn Cottle used to make a baby blanket pattern using bulky yarn. It’s a free Ravelry download and with this one you can practice cables and bobble stitches for the bunny tails.

And if you’re up for a challenging cable knit akin to a fisherman sweater, check out Bairn by Julie Hoover for Brooklyn Tweed. This gorgeous worsted weight blanket has panels of different cables and is worked in one piece with an I-cord edging. You can find the pattern on Ravelry or buy direct from Brooklyn Tweed.

Baby Blankets of Different Shapes

We’ve barely scratched the surface of the baby blanket knitting patterns available out there, but I wanted to add a few more than are not squares or rectangles in case you’re looking for something a little more fun.

If you can knit a square, why not a circle? I love this Pinwheel Baby Blanket from Plymouth Yarn Design Studio (free on Ravelry), which does have small eyelets, but you could use a different increase if you don’t want any holes. This is a great way to use up stash or use a cake style yarn with long runs of color.

Mary W. Martin’s Honeycomb Conjecture is a hexagon shape worked from the center out that includes cables to emphasize the honeycomb shape and that’s finished with an I-cord edging. It uses what the designer calls modified fusion knitting, which includes slipped stitches on both sides to make a mirror image on the back side. (I don’t know if this is different from double knitting.) Find the pattern on Ravelry.

The log cabin technique is a great one to use for a baby blanket that ends up rectangular or square but is made in a different way. There are lots of patterns for this kind of blanket (such as this striped log cabin pattern from The Knitting Niche) or you can just use your log cabin skills to make a square the size you like.

And if you want to go with a completely unconventional shape for your knit baby blanket, try Vertices Unite by Stephen West. This modular project is worked in five colors of DK weight yarn using garter stitch to make a fun organic shape. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.