New Super Easy Baby Blanket
One of our most popular projects over the years has been the Super Easy Baby Blanket. When I made it over four years ago, I was newly pregnant and full of dreams for the tiny baby who would be wrapped up inside. Now, that that baby is old enough to write his name, we thought it was time for an update to this wonderfully straightforward pattern!
Faye, whom you may know (and love!) from shopping at our store, suggested this time trying the Super Easy Baby Blanket with Koigu’s Kersti Merino Crepe. Since in the last few years Faye, too, has become a mother, she thought Kersti’s ultra springy loftiness would be perfect not just for a soft and cozy blanket, but also for a comfy play mat.
Plus, since Faye is one of Purl Soho’s very first employees, she has spent nearly a decade with Koigu, contemplating its vast array of colors, playing with combinations and developing favorites. So she already had up her sleeve a beautiful summertime palette that starts with the blues of the cool ocean, passes into the bright light of the horizon and then rises to the hot flames of the sun. Spectacular!
If you know how to cast on, knit and bind off, you’re ready to start your own Super Easy Baby Blanket! And if you’re curious about the original, you can check it out right here. Enjoy both!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoSuperEasyBabyBlanket. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- A Super Easy Baby Blanket requires 7 skeins of Koigu’s Kersti Merino Crepe, 100% Merino Wool. Each skein is 114 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 798 yards required.
These colors, from the top, are:- 2200
- 1240
- 2180
- 2100
- 0000
- 2171.5
- 1043
- US 7 (4.5 mm), 24- or 32-inch circular needles
GAUGE
20 stitches and 40 rows (20 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch
Size
Finished Dimensions: 24 inches x 28 inches
Note
To get the same nice, neat edge as Faye, just slip the first stitch of every row knitwise with the yarn in back. When you’re changing colors, knit the first stitch instead of slipping it.
Pattern
With a US 7 needle (or size required by you to achieve the correct gauge) and the first color, loosely cast on 120 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Knit every row until you have knit the entire skein (which should be about 4 inches).
Switch to the second color at the beginning of the next row, and knit every row until you have knit the entire skein (or until this stripe measures the same as the first stripe).
Repeat with each color, making sure to always switch colors on the same side.
After knitting the seventh color, loosely bind off.
Weave in the ends and you’re done! Super easy!
NOTE: We slightly changed this pattern on October 28, 2014 to reflect the experience of our readers over the years.
How many skeins would I need if I just wanted to alternate two different colors?
Hi Haley-
You will need 3 of one color and 4 of the other. There is one skein per stripe.
Thank you!
Faye
Question about slipping the first stitch of each row and switching colors– how do you slip the first stitch when you're changing colors? I understand how to slip the stitch and I know how to switch colors, but I'm confused about how to do both at once.
Thanks!
HI Adele,
Good question! When you switch colors, you should knit the first stitch of the new color instead of slipping it.
Thanks for asking!
Whitney
Hi,
I just bought the kit from you guys to make this blanket. I cast on 130 stitches and completed 31 rows which is 15.5 garter stitches and the first color of wool is over! i have read the pattern over and over and cannot understand why this would have happened. Im trying to have this completed soon for my friends baby shower. Please help!
Thanks!
Averyl
Avery- pattern calls for 120 stitches, not 130. This will make a significant change in the length of the stripe.
Hi Averyl-
I'm so sorry to hear you're having this issue. Can you check your gauge? If you are getting less than 5 stitches per inch your yarn will not go far enough.
Can you measure how many stitches you are getting per inch and let me know?
Thank you!
Molly
I would like to do this in girl colors with dark, medium and light pink. Could you suggest 3 colors that would look nice together. I have been to the colors and I cant figure out colors that would look nice like that. Thanks.
Hello!
I hope to get a reply because I'm really confused.
I understand how to slip the first stitch and change yarn but doing both at the same time kinda confused me. I know you have already answered Adele's post on this question.
I can understand the instruction but my question is
How about the last stitch? Your instruction is to knit the first stitch with the new yarn but you didn't mention bout the last stitch? Should I knit it?
Hope to hear from you soon! I'm stuck at switching to the second color.
Thank you so much!
Hi Yvonne,
You knit the last stitch, just as you do for every other row.
Thanks for asking and please let us know if you have any other questions!
Whitney
Hi there- I appreciate reading the the questions and answers here in the comments! I didn't see my issue addressed. My gauge seems to be right on, but I'm only getting 18 or 19 ridges per color/skein. Would you recommend adding an eighth skein to get the correct length? Thanks!
Hi Elana-
Yes, that would solve the problem. Would you mind checking your gauge? If you are getting the appropriate gauge and this is still happening to you could you let us know. We want to make sure you got the proper amount of yarn to begin with. Please let us know!
Thank you!
Molly
I just finished my first attempt at the blanket (only my second knitting project ever!). Anyway, my finished blanket is only 23 x 25.5 inches. It is a bit small for a baby blanket. I look forward to making another blanket. It was a fun beginner project and the yarn is beautiful! Should I just add stitches and another ball of yarn next time or should I move up to a size 8 needle? Thanks for the help!
Hi Giannina-
Thanks for writing in. You need to do a gauge swatch before you start the next blanket to make sure that you're getting the correct gauge, which in this pattern is 5 stitches per inch. It sounds like you are getting more stitches per inch (which results in a smaller blanket.) I would recommend that you go up a needle size or two until you are comfortably geting 5 stitcher per inch. Once you are getting the correct gauge the blanket will end up the right size.
Thanks for your question!
Molly
I'm a knitting newbie; this is my very first knitting project and I have a question about changing colors. The edge where I changed to my second color looks kind of messy in that a few of the color#1 stitches spill into the color#2 area. I switched colors by knitting the first 3 stitches with both yarns together. Is there a better way to switch colors that results in a cleaner switch? Thanks for your help. I'm loving this project so far!
Hi :),
New knitter here. I just made my first hat with circulars – first time using them too, so I'm not understanding how just knitting won't create knit stitch, instead of garter.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Hi Tara-
When you are knitting back and forth, and not in a circle as you did with your hat, and you knit every row the result is garter stitch. Give it a try and you'll see!
Please let me know if you have any more questions!
Molly
Help!
I just ran out of my second color of yarn after only 19 garter rows and I don't understand why. For my first color, I had enough yarn for all 22 rows with a few yards of yarn left over. I'm using the Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe with a size 7 needle. I'm getting 5.5 stiches per inch. I understand that the extra 1/2 stitch per inch will make my blanket smaller than intended but why would I be short on yarn? Any suggestions on what could have gone wrong?
Hi Tamar,
Instead of knitting the first few stitches with both colors together, you may want to just cut the old yarn (leaving at least an 8-inch tail) and start the next row by knitting the first stitch with just the new color. It may look a little loose and messy at first, but when you weave in the ends, that problem will be resolved!
Also, to let you know, in garter stitch, when you change colors, one little pop of the new color shows up in the old color, an inevitable glitch that shows your blanket is hand knit!
Thank you for your question and please let us know if you have more!
Whitney
Great blanket. Do I need to use circular needles?
Hi Marni-
This blanket is not knit in the round but we do recommend the circular needles because the cable that connects the needles holds the width of the blanket better than two straight needles. You just treat the two ends of the circular needle as two separate needles.
Thanks for your question!
Molly
I learn so much from everyone’s questions and answers. Thank you!
This blanket looks so beautiful! I would love to knit it for my soon to be arriving baby. Can you recommend any similar but slightly more affordable yarns? I realise the garment may look lovely because it is such nice yarn and colours but if there is an alternative I would be interested to know. I am in the UK. Thank you!
Hi Helen-
This patterns is pretty specific to this particular yarn since you knit to the end of the skein for each color so unfortunately it’s not super easy to change the yarn. But you could certainly try using any washable DK weight yarn that you like!
Thanks for getting in touch and sorry we can’t be of more help!
Molly
How do you slip the stitch knitwise with the yarn in back?
Hi Kari,
You first make sure the working yarn is at the back of the work (the way it is when you knit a stitch, as opposed to when you purl a stitch and the yarn is at the front of the work). Then put the right needle into the first stitch on the left needle as if you’re going to knit (i.e. through the middle of the stitch in an away-from-you motion). Now simply bring the stitch from the left needle to the right needle. That’s it! You’re not making a stitch here, just slipping a stitch from the left needle to the right.
Please let us know if you have any other questions and good luck!
Whitney
Hello. I am looking to make this blanket in a palette of greens and blue for my toddler nephew. I was looking at using Blue Sky Cotton, but I want something easily washable- and I would prefer a cotton. Do you have any other recommendations for a yarn. I will make it larger also, so a thicker yarn is fine. Thank you for your help.
Hi Stephanie-
The Blue Sky Cotton would be a great option, you can machine wash it and you can even double it if you want to make it thicker. Our Chevron Baby Blanket uses it doubled on a size 11 needle. You can see that pattern here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2011/09/15/whits-knits-chevron-baby-blanket/
I made a baby blanket from the Blue Sky Cotton for my now 9 year old niece before she was born, it’s been washed many times and it’s still beautiful!
Thanks for your question!
Molly
Hi! I have a question regarding substituting the Blue Sky Cotton. Would you recommend following the pattern but doubling the yarn and using a size 11 needle as in the Chevron Baby Blanket, or would you use a single strand of yarn and a size 7 needle as you would if using the Kersti Merino Crepe? Or does it just depend on how thick you want it to be? Thank you!
Hi Su-
I would do a gauge swatch to see what you like. The Blue Sky Cotton usually uses a size 7, 8, or 9, so I’d start there. I don’t know that I’d recommend doubling it for this blanket. Also, since you’ll have a different gauge and different yardage you’ll have to play with the cast on number to get the dimensions right.
Good luck with the project and please let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
Thank you Molly!
Wanted to share with anyone who is interested in using the Blue Sky Cotton that I cast on 120 stitches using size 9 needles and on the first color got 24 garter stitch ridges. Also, I tend to knit tightly so the size 9 needles worked better than a smaller size.
Problems with the pattern. 130 stitches size 7 needle knits to gauge but the finished measures are off. Width is 28 inches. As well, the first color knits 16 ridges, second colour is well beyond that – I am still knitting and it will probably be 25 ridges. I note that others are having problems with the pattern – suggest you check it. If I knit up all of the yarn in the skein the stripes will not be consistent in size. Buying a kit is more costly, but assumed all of the problem solving would have been done.
Hi Bev-
I’m so sorry to hear you’re having problems with this pattern! We recently changed it a bit to reflect what we have been hearing from our customers about how many ridges they were getting per skein.
In your case, it sounds like you are getting a slightly bigger gauge than recommended since 130 stitches is yielding a width of 28 inches. (130 divided by 28 is 4.64 which means you are getting 4.64 stitches per inch and not 5.) But that is fine, as long as you don’t mind having a slightly wider (and thus shorter) blanket. However, that also means that you will get less rows and ridges per skein, which seems like it’s why your first color stripe was short.
It also sounds like you got a very long second skein of yarn! Yarn yardage is measured by weight so it’s never exact and two skeins of the same yarn can have slightly different yardages. We’d recommend in this case that you stop knitting with it and switch to the next color when you reach 16 ridges to keep all of the stripes the same size.
I really hope this helps! If you have any more questions or concerns please let us know. You can also email us directly at customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com.
Thanks so much for getting in touch about this!
Best-
Molly
I love love these colors. What a cute and easy blanket. The size noted is quite small.. I have a toddler rather than a baby. If I wanted to make a blanket about twice the size, should I just buy two kits and adjust the pattern? Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Kimberly-
The funny thing about doubling the size of blankets, if you want to double both the width and the length, is that you need quadruple the yarn! So yes, you could buy four kits. Or you could use a larger yarn to make a bigger blanket. We have a version of this pattern that uses our Super Soft Merino and comes out larger. You can see that pattern here: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/9234-Purl-Soho-Super-Soft-Merino-Super-Easy-Crib-Blanket
Thanks for getting in touch and please let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
How would I knit a name onto this blanket? Would I have to switch to stockinette for one skein to make the letters legible?
Hi Hope-
I wouldn’t do a stockinette section here because the edges would curl and the gauge would be different for that section. I might embroider the name separately onto a piece of fabric and then hand sew it onto a corner. Otherwise I might just experiment with embroidering on the garter stitch. It could be cute! You might want to do a little garter swatch to see how it will look before you sew into the actual blanket.
I hope this helps. Thanks so much for getting in touch!
Molly
how many grams in a skein please? Need to know how much weight of wool to buy per colour. I’m from Australia 🙂
Hi Hayley!
For this blanket, each skein was 50 grams. I would probably suggest to go by yardage – you need at least 114 yards per color.
Happy Knitting!
Thomas
Hi Hayley,
Could you tell me what wool you ended up using?
Hi there! How heavy is this yarn? I’m making blanket for a baby to be born in Arizona in June! I love these colors though, so if it’s not too heavy…could it work? Thanks!
Hi Lauren!
The yarn is a DK weight wool. It might be too warm for outdoors in the summer. However, I come from the south as well, and I’m sure that the air conditioning in Arizona is strong enough most places that this blanket would be very appreciated!
Happy Knitting!
Thomas
I would like to make this bigger to fit a crib. 22 x 51 how do I figure out how much extra yarn to buy?
Hi Stacy!
One easy way to make this into a crib blanket is to use Worsted Weight instead, and you can follow our crib blanket pattern here!
Otherwise, your dimensions are roughly double in length, and about the same in width – you’d need about double the amount of yarn.
Happy Knitting!
Thomas
Hi there! Trying to make this blanket and have a question about the colors listed. The bottom color-1043 seems darker here than over on the other page. Not like a smidge- I mean like a whole different color? I don’t see one that looks like the color there. Can you help me find a good match? Thanks for your help!!
Erin
Hi Erin-
Since this yarn is hand dyed it comes in a little different every time! The dye lot of 1043 that this blanket was originally made with was particularly dark and, unfortunately, hasn’t come in that way again. We might recommend color 1045 which you can see here: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/870-Koigu-Wool-Designs-Kersti-Merino-Crepe-Solids
Please let us know if you have any more questions and thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
HI I just finished this blanket from the kit and love it but now wonder if I need to wash it and what instructions to give them for care?
thanks
Hi Rene!
If you used the Kersti – the yarn is listed as “Hand-wash only” on the tag. I would wash it by soaking it in water, with a rinse-free detergent. Then, press some of the extra water out in a towel and lay it flat to dry!
Thanks for your question!
-Thomas
Hi! I’m making this blanket and I think i would like to add another blue, to make it a little larger and add some deep colour in the bottom, which color will you suggest to add? I have the kit, so my last one is the 1043, maybe the 2323 or the 1003?
Thanks!
Hi Sofia!
That’s a wonderful idea! I would suggest the 1003 as a beautiful addition.
Happy knitting!
Thomas
I am a total beginner, so please bear with me. Just to clarify…if I want to double the size of this blanket I need to purchase 4 kits, correct and therefore quadruple the instructions, correct?
But that wouldn’t mean cast on 480 stitches, right? How exactly do you quadruple a pattern?
Cami
Hi Cami-
You’re on the right track but you don’t need to quadruple the pattern in the way you’re thinking. You do need to get 4X the yarn because you are making it both twice as wide and twice as long. That means that you need to cast on twice as many stitches (so 240 instead of 120) and knit each color section twice as long (roughly 8 inches- but you don’t have to worry about this number too much since you’ll just be knitting all 4 skeins of every color.)
I hope this makes sense! Please let us know if you have any more questions~
Molly
Hi There! What’s the best way to switch to a new color for this blanket? Knot the two colours together and keep going? Sorry for the novice question!
Hi Nicole-
To start a new color finish one row with the previous color and leave a 6-inch tail of yarn. Then starting with another 6-inch tail, start knitting with the second color. You will weave in the ends at the end of the project. Always make sure to switch colors on the same side of your work because, as you’ll see, the wrong side of the transition looks different than the right side.
Here is a tutorial on weaving in ends that might come in handy: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2011/07/14/weaving-in-your-ends/
I hope this makes sense and please let us know if you have any more questions!
Molly
i would like to make this in a color way of grays, white, coral and teal. I will need to order online – without seeing in person. Could you suggest which yarn/colors to use?
Thanks for your help!
Tracie
Hi Tracie,
Thank you for your question. The yarn used in that pattern is the Koigu Kersti yarn: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/870-Koigu-Wool-Designs-Kersti-Merino-Crepe-Solids
I’ve put together a color palette I think you might like starting with coral moving into whites and grays and ending in teal. Here are the color numbers of the yarns I’ve collected in order.
1133, 1111, 0000, 2403, 2409, 1045, 2130
If you need any further assistance feel free to call us at the store 212-420-8796.
Jake
I’ve made a few knit afghans. Does slipping the first stitch prevent the afghan from stretching sideways when finished? Thank you.
Hey Merrilee,
Great question! Slipping the first stitch provides a cleaner selvedge on your knitting and can help a little with curling. If you are trying to prevent your piece from stretching I would recommend adding a border to the whole piece. A simple crocheted edging or an icord do wonders for keeping your knitting in place.
Thanks!
Jake.
My baby has been using this blanket, which I made with Kersti yarn, for a while and I’ve been putting off washing it because I don’t know the best way to do it. What do you recommend? Can it go in the washer on a delicate setting? what about drying? Thanks!
Hi Tamar-
Yes, you can wash this on a gentle cycle and air dry it flat. Thanks for your question, please let us know if you have any more!
Molly
Hello,
I am in Australia and having lots of trouble finding this yarn. Is there anything else you could recommend?
Thanks for the pattern. Such a lovely blanket.
Hi Amelia-
You can do this with any DK weight or light worsted weight yarn. Here is a link to all of the yarns we carry that fit that description:
https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/3-knitting-crochet-yarn?filters%5B%5D=5
Alternatively we ship to Australia all the time! Here’s some info about our shipping: https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/shop/shipping
Thanks so much for getting in touch and good luck with the project!
Molly
Hi. I love this kit. Do you have any other colours or any other blanket kits for sale at the moment?
Hi Olivia,
It’s so wonderful to hear you love the kit! We have released the Super Easy Baby Blanket project in multiple different yarns including out very own Super Soft Merino and Worsted Twist. There are many color ways of all these as well available in kits! You can browse all those wonderful options here;
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/category/knit/projects-knit/home-projects-knit/blankets-decor-home-projects-knit/
Happy Knitting!
Jake
I have knitted the easy baby blanket and was thrilled with it. Could you help me adjust the stich sizes to make neonatal blanket size 20×20 inches and the yarn I would need. Thanks, june
Hi June,
Thank you for your comment. To achieve a 20”x20” blanket there are 2 options. You can either use the same type of yarn and adjust your cast on number to 100 stitches or you can use a yarn that knits up at 6 stitches per inch. The Koigu KPM yarn is a fingering weight that would achieve a similar gauge so you could follow the pattern as written. You can browse our color selection here; https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/410-Koigu-Wool-Designs-Koigu-Premium-Merino-KPM
Hope this helps and don’t hesitate to write back if more questions arise.
Happy Knitting!
Jake
How long would you say this takes to knit if you’re someone who knits at a moderate pace? I always seem to shy away from larger knitting projects as I’m worried I’ll never get it done!
Since it’s a simple stitch, I’d think it makes it go a little faster?
Hi Kerridwen,
Thanks for the question! The nice thing about this project is it only uses knit stitches. Once you get into a groove the knitting will go faster and faster so if you can dedicate some nice chunks of time on the weekends to the project I estimate the project can possibly be done in a month or two.
Happy Knitting!
Jake
Dear Friends,
Thank for your “comment-reply” pages. After reading all the replies
I have decided that I will try to find success in knitting this baby blanket. You letting everyone read the questions and answers have given me courage. I will be purchasing a “Kit” no matter the price.
I feel that I will learn much by knitting this baby blanket. Thanks again
Grammy Em
please i want pattern to make this baby blanket but i don’t know how to get the pattern please get back to me as soon as possible.
Hi Martha,
Thank you for the comment! If you’d like to get a downloaded PDF or printer friendly version look to the right hand side of this page and click the print icon. You will be prompted to either print the pattern or you can click the PDF icon to download the pattern.
I hope this helps and feel free to write back if you need anymore help!
Happy Knitting!
Jake
Hello, thank you for this nice pattern! I have a question: I can see in the first picture that the wrong side of the work gets a little “line” of old color in the begining of the new color stripe. Is there a way to avoid that? Thank you ver much, Ana.
Hi Ana,
Thank you for the comment! That’s the nature of doing stripes with garter stitch, all of our samples have the same detail. The only way to avoid this is to do a different stitch pattern like stockinette.
I hope that clarifies things and feel free to respond if you have anymore questions!
Happy Knitting!
Jake
Can you use baby double knitting wool??
Hey Angela,
Thank you for the comment! I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean by baby double knitting wool? Is there a particular brand of yarn your referring to?
If you wouldn’t mind clarifying so I can best aid you with the project I’d appreciate it!
Thanks!
Jake
Instead of the yarn that is used for the blanket i use double knitting wool..would it work just as well??
Hi Angela,
Thanks for the prompt response! You can use any type of yarn for this blanket project. You will just want to make sure your using needles that are appropriate for the yarn, which the tag should specify. If you need to use a different needle size than the US 7 used in this project then you will want to make a gauge swatch to find the right number to cast on. We have a great reference tutorial for making a gauge swatch and how to yield all the necessary information for starting a project; https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2006/08/29/swatching-for-gauge/
I hope this helps answer your question and let me know if there’s anything else I can help with!
Good Luck!
Jake
Can I use a moss stitch instead of knit in alternating sections? i.e. first color knit, second color moss, third knit, fourth moss and so on? Do I have to make any adjustments to pattern?I am slip stitching the first stitch of every new color.
Thank you,
Susan
Hi Susan,
Thank you for the comment! I think that will make a very texturally interesting and exciting variation on the pattern! It isn’t necessary to change anything but I would recommend casting on an odd number of stitches and slipping the first stitch in the moss stitch sections. That way you can start every row with a slip stitch and then a knit stitch. This will give the piece a nice selvedge and make the knitting nice and easy!
I hope this helps and feel free to respond if you have anymore questions!
Happy Knitting!
Jake
Hello! I was wondering what method of casting on you would recommend for this project? Thanks!
Hi Elisabeth,
Thank you for the comment! I like using a long tail cast on for our baby blanket patterns. I generally find that this is the nicest cast on when doing garter stitch projects.
Happy Knitting!
Jake
Hi there,
Beginner question…if I need to cast on 120 stitches, how much length do I leave for tail end?
Excited about this project!
Thanks,
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
Thank you for the comment! To predict tail length for casting on I usually wrap my yarn around the needle I’m using 10 times. That is about the amount you will need to cast on 10 stitches. Then you can find how much you need by multiplying that piece by 12!
Enjoy the project and feel free to write us back if you have anymore questions!
Happy Knitting!
Jake