Lines + Squares Baby Blanket
One of my favorite books growing up was When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne, a little collection of children’s poems. The one I always loved best was called “Lines and Squares”. It’s about a kid who carefully avoids the lines of the sidewalk, stepping just in the squares while taunting a pair of bears “Who wait at the corner all ready to eat/ The sillies who tread on the lines of the street”. I loved the terror and the bravado of that poem!
As I knit this blanket with its red lines crissing and crossing, the verses of that poem replayed in my head, keeping time with my needles and sending me into reveries of times and places where nurseries, rice pudding and knickers were the norm. I think now that the Lines + Squares Baby Blanket with its timeless colors and classic simplicity would have been right at home there!
Although a grid to non-knitters may look like the easiest thing in the world, experienced knitters have to wonder, “How did you do that?” Luckily, there’s a trick. The vertical lines aren’t actually knitted into the pattern; they’re crocheted on top of the knitting, nestling right into the design as if they were born there and making lines and squares a snap!
For this special project I chose one of our most special yarns, Anzula’s Cricket. Amazingly soft merino with a touch of cashmere, beautifully hand dyed and machine washable, it’s the perfect choice for a precious baby! And here’s a vote for the main color I used, Au Natural. In person it glows like the inside of an oyster shell, complex and absolutely stunning. Pick your favorite contrast color and you’ve got an heirloom!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoLineAndSquaresBabyBlanket. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Main Color (MC): 4 skeins of Anzula’s Cricket, 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon. Each skein is 250 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 1000 yards required. I used the color Au Natural.
- Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein of Anzula’s Cricket, 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon. Approximately 250 yards required. I used the color Candied Apple. (And here’s a great tip: Look for a little heart on Anzula’s labels. It indicates that that color is apt to bleed when you wash it. If you see a heart, soak your yarn in a vinegar bath before you wind it into a ball!)
- A US 6 (4 mm), 24 or 32-inch circular needle
- A size E (3.5mm) crochet hook
Gauge
22 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Size
Finished Dimensions: 29 inches wide x 33 inches long
Pattern
Knit the Bottom Hem
With the Main Color (MC), cast on 161 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Row 1 (right side [rs]): Knit.
Row 2 (wrong side [ws]): Purl.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 five more times.
Next Row (rs): Knit.
Next Row: With the wrong side facing you, cable cast on 12 stitches.
Starting with these new stitches, p12, knit to end of row. (173 stitches)
Next Row: With the right side facing you, cable cast on 12 stitches, and starting with these new stitches, knit to end of row. (185 stitches)
Next Row: Purl.
Next Row: Knit.
Repeat last two rows 5 more times.
Fold the Hem
To fold the hem you will bring the cast on edge up to the needle with the wrong sides facing each other and purl the cast on edge together with the stitches currently on your needle. Here’s how:
Next Row (ws): P12, *insert the right needle into the next stitch purlwise, insert the needle also (from the wrong side to the right side) into the cast on stitch directly below that stitch…
…now purl the two stitches together.**
Repeat from * to ** ten more times.
Cut MC , join Contrast Color (CC), repeat from * to ** to last 23 stitches, cut CC, join MC, repeat from * to ** 11 times, purl to end of row.
Here’s what the wrong side looks like after you’ve folded your hem:
Work the Stripes
*Row 1 (rs): Knit.
Row 2 (ws): Purl.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 thirteen more times. (You’ll know you’re done when there 27 MC rows [or “v”s] between the CC stripe and your needle.)
Next Row (rs): K23, cut MC, join CC, knit to last 23 stitches, cut CC, join MC, knit to end.
Next Row: Purl.
Next Row: Knit.
Repeat last two rows 13 more times. (Again, you should count 27 v’s since the last CC stripe.)
Next Row (ws): P23, cut MC, join CC, purl to last 23 stitches, cut CC, join MC, purl to end of row.
Repeat from * three more times (you’ll have 9 CC stripes total).
Knit the Top Hem
Row 1 (rs):Knit.
Row 2 (ws): Purl.
Repeat last 2 rows six more times.
Create a False Seam
NOTE: Less experienced knitters may find this section a little intimidating. If you’re overwhelmed, don’t worry, directions follow for skipping it. The false seam creates a more tailored edge when you fold over the side hem, but your blanket will still be beautiful without it!
If you decide to skip the false seam:
Next Row (rs): Bind off 12 stitches, purl to end. (173 stitches)
Next Row (ws): Bind off 12 stitches (in purl), purl to end. (161 stitches) Continue the pattern from the ** below.
If you are working the false seam:
Next Row (rs): Bind off 10 stitches, remove the next stitch (which should be the 12th stitch of the row) from the left needle and drop it all the way down to one stitch above the cast on edge.
Now with a crochet hook, pick up all the stitches again, by pulling 1 thread through the stitch on your hook…
…then pulling 2 threads.
Alternate the whole way up the seam, grabbing 1 thread, then 2. When you get to the top, you may have to fudge a little by taking one thread twice in row to ensure that your last stitch is created by picking up just one thread. Put the false seam stitch on your left needle.
Continuing this row: Bind off 2 more stitches, purl to last 12 stitches, knit to end. (173 stitches)
Next row (ws): Bind off 10 stitches (in purl), remove the next stitch (the 12th stitch of the row) from the left needle and drop it all the way down to one stitch above the cast on edge. With the right side facing you, create another false seam. With the wrong side facing you, place the false seam stitch on the left needle and bind off 2 stitches (in purl), purl to the end of the row. (161 stitches)
**Next Row: Knit.
Next Row: Purl.
Repeat last 2 rows five more times.
Next Row (rs): Bind off loosely. Cut the yarn, leaving a 2-yard tail.
Sew the Top Hem
First, weave in all the ends except the bind off tail. (For a neater finished look, weave the MC tails into the side hem rather than into the main body of the blanket.)
With a piece of scrap piece of yarn, use Duplicate Stitch to add 11 stitches to each end of the last CC stripe you knit. This will help you keep your hem nice and straight as you sew it down.
Now fold the bind off edge down to the last CC stripe, wrong sides facing each other and thread the 2-yard tail onto a tapestry needle. Starting at the beginning of the duplicate stitch, sew the bind off edge in place, threading under a bind off stitch and then under the purl bump directly below it (located in the middle of the CC stripe).
The row where you will find the proper purl bumps is marked here by little blue dots:
And here is how you’ll sew the hem down:
With a nice loose tension, sew down the entire bind off edge. Remove the scrap yarn you used to sew the duplicate stitch.
Crochet the Vertical Stripes
With the right side facing you and the top hem oriented so it is the bottom, insert the crochet hook into the left end of what-is-now the bottom CC stripe.
Join the CC and pull a loop through.
Holding the yarn from behind the blanket, insert the hook two stitches above the starting point and pull another loop through.
Pull the second loop through the first.
Continue to insert the hook two stiches up, pull a loop from back to front and then through the stitch on the hook. Be very sure that you keep a loose tension! If you see that your vertical line is distorting the horizontal lines, just try again with a more relaxed grip.
When you get to the last CC stripe, cut the yarn and pull the tail through the remaining stitch.
Make 6 more stripes, each one starting in the 23rd stitch away from the last one.
Sew the Side Hems
First sew down the side edges of both the top and bottom hems.
Then folding the side hem along the false seam, wrong sides facing each other, sew the end of the side hem to the bind off or cast on edge.
Now sew the edge of the side hem down, right along the outside of the nearby vertical CC stripe. Use the CC stripe as a guide to keep your hem nice and straight.
To sew the hem down go under two purl bumps of the blanket…
…then under two ladders of the hem…
…alternating all the way to the end.
On the right side, the vertical CC stripe should be nestled right along the hem line.
To finish, sew the end of the hem to the cast on or bind off edge.
Do the same for the other side hem. Then weave in all the remaining ends and block your Lines and Squares Baby Blanket!
Simple, beautiful and clever. Another excellent design! Thanks, Whitney.
Absolutely beautiful.. At first glance I thought… no biggie.. but at second glace I realized just how beautifully made this blanket was, and the combinations of colors are endless.
So totally going to the top of the list of things I must make as soon as I know a baby is coming!!
Thanks so much for this..
This is a beautiful blanket, just right for my grandson who is due in December. I'd like to use some yarn I already have (knitting from the stash). Did you use absolutely every inch of the Au Natural? (1000 yds) I have some washable wool from Dalegarn in bright blue, but I just have 768 yds of it. Would I have enough? Karen
I love this pattern. I love many patterns on this website but please, please, PLEASE can you format them as PDFs for easy download???? It would be a huge help.
Hi Karen,
Not quite, unfortunately. I used almost all of the 4 skeins of Cricket (about 970 yards). You could try a smaller size, or what about knitting the “background” in wide horizontal stripes for a neat gingham look?
Thanks for your question! Let me know if you have more!
Whitney
Consuelo, we hear you and we are happy to say we are working on it. We hope to be providing PDFs of our patterns by the end of the year. Stay tuned! Thanks for commenting. -Laura
Alternative yarn i can use?
Brilliant and beautiful!
Hi Lancy,
If you click on the link below you can find other Sport Weight yarn options. If machine washing is important to you, I would look at Alchemy's Temple, Madeline Tosh's Tosh Merino Light and Sport, and lastly Cascade's Superwash Sport. If your priority is softness I would check out Blue Sky's Sport Weight Alpaca. It's so nice to knit.
Hope this helps.
Laura
https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/3-knitting-crochet-yarn?filters%5B%5D=4
This is such a gorgeous blanket! I'd love to make one for myself. Is there any way to increase the size so it fits a queen size bed? Thanks
Hi Katrina,
We usually measure a queen size blanket at 90 x 95 inches. So if you're getting 5 1/2 stitches to the inch, you'll want to cast on somewhere around 495 stitches. Be sure to cable cast on for the side hems a number of stitches that will give you a well-proportioned hem. Also, make sure your stitches are divisible by whatever number of stitches you want between your vertical stripes (plus the number of stripes).
It's a very simple looking blanket, but there are some challenges to sizing it up. Please let me know if you have specific questions and I'd be happy to help you out! Sounds like a beautiful idea!
Whitney
I would love to knit this blanket — but for myself! Can you help me size it up for a throw? I was thinking two or three repeats longer and maybe one or two repeats wider using the same yarn as your baby blanket.
Thanks!
Hi Karen,
Some things to keep in mind when you size up your blanket are to make sure that, once the side seams are hemmed, the remaining stitches are divisible by the number of repeats you want to make, plus one (for the final vertical line). You may also want to increase the size of the hems to be proportionate with your new size blanket.
Your plan to increase the number of repeats by two or three lengthwise and one or two widthwise sounds good, although you may end up with more of a crib-size blanket than a throw-size. For a true throw, you may consider increasing 3 or 4 x 2 or 3 repeats.
It sounds like a fun challenge and a beautiful project! Please let us know how it goes and if you have ay questions along the way! Thanks so much for writing in!
Whitney
As always, an absolutely stunning piece. Thank you!
Absolutely love the simplicity of this blanket I was looking for a printable version of this pattern, but there’s no link to it. When I try to print it by copying, it overlaps the instructions and some of the navigation links, making the instructions unreadable. Is there any way to get a cleaner copy for printing?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Pamela-
We are working on making our site easier to print from but in the meantime we recommend using printfriendly.com
Thanks for getting in touch about this!
Best-
Molly
Very creative!
Just getting ready to cast on, but how many meters of the red skein do you actually end up using?
Hello Kelley!
Unfortunately since this was a pattern written a while ago, we don’t have the exact yardage that we used. We do know that we had lots of the skein left over! Happy knitting! -Alyson
Hi,
I’m a pretty new knitter. I really want to make a blanket, and this blanket looks very neat. On a scale of 1-10, how easy is this to knit?
Also, what is this stitch called?
Is this knit 1 purl 1 all throughout?
Hello Sona!
No, the pattern is primarily done in stockinette stitch, which alternates full rows of knitting and purling, not individual stitches. Knit 1, Purl 1 would yield a rib pattern and not a smooth texture like that of this lovely blanket. Thanks for writing in so we can clarify! Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks! -Alyson
Hello Sona!
This blanket uses standard striping for the horizontal stripes and then dropped stitches that are then picked up again in a contrasting color in order to create the vertical stripes. The entire blanket is knit in stockinette stitch with an added knit-hem border. Due to the border, I would say this blanket is advanced beginner, but there aren’t any techniques that are especially complex or difficult!
I would give it a shot and please don’t hesitate to write in again should you have more questions! Thanks! -Alyson
Hi Alyson, I’m confused – it doesn’t appear that there are any dropped stitches to create the vertical stripe. The pattern indicates the dropped stitches are only used to create the false seam. Have I misread the pattern?
Hi Judy,
Thanks for writing in! You are correct, the dropped stitches are only used to create the false seams and the vertical stripes are done with surface crochet over stitches that have not been dropped.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Hi,
I know this tutorial is from a long time a go, so this may be a long shot, but do you have photos of how the crocheted vertical stripes look on the back (WS)? I love this design and might give it a try for my next project!
Helen
Hi Helen,
Thanks for writing in! In the pictures above, you can see a partial image of the back that gives you an idea of what the crochet lines look like. Under the Sew the Side Hems section, the 3rd photo shows what part of one of the crochet lines looks like on the back.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I love this! I’m a beginner, but am giving it a go anyhow! I’m finding the fold the hem part a little confusing, is there anyway to get some more pictures or some more details? Thank you for this beautiful pattern!
Hi Kayla,
Thanks so much for writing in and for the kind words! While we don’t have a video for this exact step, you may find our video for a 3-Needle Bind Off helpful! There are a few difference in the video from the hem in the blanket – namely, you will be purling instead of knitting, and you won’t be binding off the stitches as you go – but otherwise the basic technique is the same.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi,
I am a beginner knitter and was wondering if you had a video of how to fold the hem after the cast on?
I’m not sure how to achieve this.
Thank
Hi Christele,
Thanks for reaching out! Although we used a slightly different technique to accomplish it, our Knit Hem video does show how to fold up and finish a knitted hem – I think it will be quite helpful!
Best,
Julianna
Dear purl Soho team,
What a lovely pattern! I am nearly done and very happy with the result. I am at the crocheting portion of the pattern and find it very difficult, I find myself turning the blanket back and forth for every stitch and battling back the still rolled up side of the blanket. I am contemplating switching to duplicate stitch… Any reason this wouldn’t work as well? Thanks in advance,
Aileen
Hi Aileen,
Thank you for your post, though we are so sorry for the frustration crocheting these seams caused! You could certainly use duplicate stitch for this design element instead, and I think that is an excellent solution.
I hope this helps you get back on track with your blanket, and please feel free to let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Margaret
What specific technique did you use to weave in the ends; both for MC and for CC? Did you try to hide as much as possible in the hem or not? Thanks!
Hi Mieke,
Thanks for reaching out! I’d recommend taking a look at our Weaving In Your Ends tutorial. Any of the techniques for stockinette stitch would work great for this blanket! And for a neater finished look, you can absolutely weave the MC tails into the side hem rather than into the main body of the blanket. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili