Super Easy Baby Blanket In Morning
The one-year old little boy who modeled our very first Super Easy Baby Blanket is now a thriving eighth grader. My, how time flies, but the enduring appeal of this knit remains just the same!
The concept is simple: garter stitch in seven stripes, one skein each. But somehow the sum of those parts is something quite wonderful, a lofty, squishy, and colorful tale!
The occasion for revisiting this classic knit is nothing less than a brand new member of our yarn family. Please welcome Morning! Morning is an unusual blend of 75% organically grown cotton and 25% yak. A light worsted gauge, it has a satisfying weight, a very soft feel, and an incredibly lovely hand. Oh, and it’s machine washable!
But perhaps most relevant to a Super Easy Baby Blanket, Morning comes in 16 beautiful colors that, in 7-skein combinations, create palettes as fresh as a new day! Choose from three, each available in a Super Easy Baby Blanket Bundle that comes in a Purl Soho tote bag with the pattern printed right on it. Handy for giving, super easy for knitting, and a lovely way to start any day!
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoSuperEasyBabyBlanket, and #PurlSohoMorning. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
Our Super Easy Baby Blanket in Morning Bundle includes…
- 7 skeins of Purl Soho’s Morning,75% organically grown cotton and 25% yak. Each skein is 191 yards; approximately 1,337 total yards required.
- A Purl Soho tote bag with the pattern printed on the back
- A postcard of the finished blanket
Choose from three pretty color palettes…
Beach Plum
- Color A: Heirloom White
- Color B: Sweet Apricot
- Color C: Pink Lemonade
- Color D: Pink Radish
- Color E: Purple Allium
- Color F: Mountain Purple
- Color G: Dungarees Blue
Peninsula
- Color A: Araucana Blue
- Color B: Fresh Sky
- Color C: Tender Green
- Color D: Cucumber Ice
- Color E: Heirloom White
- Color F: Grassland Gray
- Color G: Stone Cottage
Piazza
- Color A: Tender Green
- Color B: Cucumber Ice
- Color C: Sweet Apricot
- Color D: Yellow Apple
- Color E: Heirloom White
- Color F: Grassland Gray
- Color G: Stone Cottage
You’ll also need…
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 24- or 32-inch circular needles
Gauge
20 stitches and 48 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch
Size
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 30 inches wide x 37 inches long
Pattern
With Color A, cast on 150 stitches. We used a basic Long-Tail Cast On.
Row 1: Slip 1 knitwise with yarn in back, knit to end of row.
Repeat Row 1 until you have used as much of Color A as you can (approximately 5¼ inches from cast-on edge).
*Next Row: With Color B, knit to end of row.
Continuing with Color B, repeat Row 1 until you have used as much of Color B as you can, ending on the same side you ended Color A.
Repeat from * with Colors C-G, making sure to always switch colors on the same side. For Color G, end with a couple yards left over for binding off.
With Color G, loosely bind off knitwise.
Weave in the ends and you’re done. Super easy!
I have made one of these blankets which is well loved. I also just finished a Loop for Loop blanket and wondered….could I use one of these striped collections but make the Loop for Loop pattern which is a 222 cast on or would it be too busy? (Though I am waiting for the two blues in Morning to come back in).
Hi Janice!
Thank you for your question. We’re so glad to hear your blanket has been well-loved! You could certainly use one of our Super Easy Baby Blanket Bundles for a variation on the Loop-The-Loop blanket. With the 7 skeins included in this bundle, you could make the crib size Loop-The-Loop Blanket, with another stripe added with the seventh skein! I would recommend switching colors once you have worked your desired iterations of the four row pattern repeat, so that a new stripe will start on Row 1. As for the blue shades of Morning, we hope to have those back in stock in September!
I hope this helps with your project planning!
All the best,
Margaret
I was thinking the same thing as Margaret. I did one Super Easy baby blanket. And purchased yarn for another. I’m going to to Loop-the-Loop with Morning I purchased. The yarn is so yummy.
Once you start knitting one of these baby blankets with Morning Yarn, you’ll make another and another. Babies grow and need a larger size, so you will want to enlarge the blanket to accommodate their growth and because their moms will ask for a larger one. They are soft and light enough for toddlers to carry all around the house. Beautiful gift, easy to knit and enough colors to change it up. I might add in a little pattern to the next blanket with a moss or seed stitch every other color. I do wish they would come out will some fall colors….
Hi Mary,
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re so glad that you’ve enjoyed this pattern so much, and we’ll definitely pass along your interest in seeing some fall colors of Morning.
All the best,
Lili
Can I use straight size 5 knitting needles?
I have never used circular needles.
Hi Lena,
Thank you for your question! We suggest using circular needles for this project to accommodate the large number of stitches you will be working for a blanket. Circular needles are just like straight needles, however the ends are connected, which helps to hold more stitches than straight needles can! Using straight needles for this project is possible, however you will likely have very crowded stitches on your needles, and I’d be worried your stitches would fall off when putting your project down, for example.
If you would like to have us demonstrate how to use circular needles, we would be happy to do so over a free 1-on-1 Zoom! If you’re interested, you can book the next available time slot right here.
I hope this helps, and happy knitting!
All the best,
Margaret
I am in the process of making this blanket with similar yarn. I did not swatch before I started. Big mistake. I am on the second to let color and I am already past 40 inches in length. Do you think it would look terrible if I skipped the last color because it would be so much longer than I would have wanted for a baby blanket. I am so annoyed because even though it’s garter stitch it has taken up a lot of time. I appreciate your input or suggestions to make it better .
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for writing in, although I’m sorry to hear that your blanket isn’t turning out as expected! But I think you’ve come up with a great solution. I think that a 6-color blanket will still look just as good as a 7-color one!
All the best,
Lili
Hi. Can you suggest yarn for throw size ? Thanks
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your comment! To make a throw size blanket measuring about 40” wide, you would need 14 skeins of Morning or 2 skeins of each of the 7 colors. We recommend doing a gauge swatch to make sure your gauge matches that of the pattern (20 stitches and 48 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch) and have a guide on that as well in case you’d like more information (https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2020/08/20/all-about-gauge/)! If you’re getting the same gauge, we recommend casting on 200 stitches to create a blanket width of 40”. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
What is the loop to loop blanket?
Hi Nickie,
Thank for reaching out! You can find our Loop-The-Loop Blanket on this page. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Just placed order for the Super Easy Baby Blanket in Morning. I’m a lifetime knitter, so don’t need instructions for how to knit the garter stitch. I would like to know how many stitches to cast on for this blanket for it to be the measurements you list. Then I can determine whether or not to try to make it just a little bit wider or longer…
Thank you! Can’t wait to begin this gift!
Hi Sheri,
Thanks so much for your comment! The gauge in this pattern is 20 stitches and 48 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch using US 5 (3.75 mm) needles, so to make a blanket that measures 30 inches wide x 37 inches long, the pattern says to cast on 150 stitches. Feel free to adjust the cast-on amount and length to your preference! Thanks again for your comment, we’re so excited for you to start your project!
All the best,
Cat
Hi! This is the second time I have knit this blanket. The first time I added the new color at the end of a row before proceeding to the next row where you slip the stitch. From one of your earlier answers, it seems you slip the first stitch of the old color and then add the new color on the 2nd stitch. Is this correct? Thank you!
Hi Camille,
Thanks for writing in! Yes, when adding a new ball of yarn on a row that begins with a slipped stitch, you slip the first stitch (in the old color) and begin knitting with the new color on the second stitch. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
It does and thank you!
Hi! How many skeins are needed to make this blanket for a toddler? And should I increase the number of cast on stitches? Thank you!
Hi Melissa,
That would depend on how large you’re thinking of making this blanket! Do you have a sense of what dimensions you’d like to knit it to? Let me know, and then I can calculate how many skeins to use and how many stitches to cast on!
All the best,
Lili
I just finished my second Super Easy Baby Blanket in Morning. I already bought my yarn for the third. But decided I am tired of making the blanket and would like to use the yarn for something else. Any suggestions for another blanket or baby hats – something that yarn would work for???
Hi Michelle,
Since Morning is a DK weight yarn, most of of patterns designed for DK weight yarn would work great! Here’s a link to our DK weight hat patterns, and to our DK weight blanket patterns. I think that the Classic Ribbed Hat would be particularly successful in Morning!
All the best,
Lili
Hi there. I am a beginner, so this baby blanket seems like a good first project for me. However, I don’t want to use any animal-product yarns; is there a cotton or cotton/synthetic yarn that you can recommend for this project?
Thanks!
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks for reaching out! This is a great pattern for a first project, and I’d recommend using Tulip Cotton, which is a 100% cotton yarn. Since Tulip Cotton is a worsted weight yarn, that means it’s a bit thicker than the yarn we used for this version of this blanket, which is a DK weight yarn. Fortunately though, we’ve already made a version of this pattern specifically for worsted weight yarn, so I’d recommend following that one instead! It’s the same design, just calibrated for a larger gauge. You can find it right here. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Just finished this blanket for my nephew’s baby. How should I tell them to wash it?
Hi Heather,
Thanks for reaching out. We recommend machine washing Morning on the delicate cold cycle and laying it flat to dry!
All the best,
Lili
For gifts, I save the yarn skein label (with washing instructions) and include it with the gift. And I send a photo of the yarn skein label as well.
Are there other stitches or patterns besides garter stitch that would work well with this overall 7 color strip blanket?
Hi Kyrie,
Thanks for reaching out! I think that seed stitch would look great for this blanket. Like garter stitch, seed stitch is balanced on both sides, so it will lay flat rather than curling! It’s also simple enough to not detract from the color changes in the design of this blanket. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
This is my first time to knit a blanket. I read in the comments that the cast on tail is 25-30 inches for 150 stitches. So I am thinking the tail needs to be 30 (width) times 3.5 = 105 inches. Please advise!
Thank you!
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for reaching out. Yes, we recommend using a tail that’s 3.5 times the finished width of the project for your cast-on!
All the best,
Lili
would like to make my baby blanket larger–40 inches wide and 47 inches long. I have bought the peninsula bundle. How many stitches should I cast on for a 40 inch wide blanket (is it 50 itches?) and how many additional skeins should I add to make the blanket wider and longer? In my color scheme I originally substituted Fresh Sky for Grassland Grey and Araucana Blue for Stone Cottage to begin and end the blanket with blues. I am wondering though if I buy a skein of grassland grey and a skein of stone cottage before ending with Araucana Blue and Fresh sky, if that would be enough to make it 47 inches (basically adding two additional colors/skeins) if that would work for a blanket of 40 x 47? Thanks for your help!
Hi Juli,
Thanks for reaching out! At the gauge of the pattern (20 stitches and 48 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch), you would need to cast on 200 stitches for a 40-inch-wide blanket. You will need two skeins of each color (14 skeins total) you plan on using if you would like to make the blanket with evenly-spaced stripes. If you’re alright with having a few stripes be wider than the rest, then you would need 12 skeins in total, so 5 additional skeins. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, why does this mention round needles? I am very new so apologies if I have misunderstood something!
Hi Laura,
Thank you for writing in! No need to apologize at all, that’s an excellent question! We recommend circular needles for this pattern to accommodate the large number of cast-on stitches for the width of the blanket. Even though straight needles can be used for projects that are knit flat, they would not be long enough for projects like blankets where you’ll be knitting a lot of stitches. For that reason, circular needles are a much better option for such patterns! For reference, the width of this blanket is 30″ so that’s why we recommend 24″ to 32″ circular needles; this way, the cast-on stitches will be able to fit comfortably on the needles. I hope this helps! Please let us know if any other questions come to mind!
Warmest regards,
Cat
Hello, I knitted one of these blankets several years ago, and somehow if got a big hole in it. Do you have any recommendations on a tutorial for fixing the hole?
Thank you!
Hi Marcia,
We do! You can find our Basic Mending Tutorial at this link. If the technique shown isn’t the right fit for the hole in your blanket, then I’d recommend sending a photo of the hole to customerservice@purlsoho.com. We can take a look at it and give advice from there!
All the best,
Lili
I’d like to make a smaller “blankie” for a toddler. How many skeins and stitches would I need to cast on for a smaller version of the blanket?
Many thanks!
Hi Judy,
Do you have an idea of how small you’d like this blankie to be? If you let me know some approximate dimensions, I would definitely be able to calculate a cast-on number!
Also, were you thinking of using all 7 colors still? If so, then you’d still need to order 7 skeins, but if you wanted to use fewer colors, I could calculate that once I know your intended dimensions.
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lily,
I’m using three colors (Mt Purple, Purple Allium & Dungaree Blue). I was thinking 15X18 or thereabouts. Whatever will work with these three colors.
Thank you!
Judy
Hi Judy,
Thanks for letting me know! You definitely have enough yarn for that size, and if you knit it at the same gauge as this pattern (20 stitches and 48 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch), then you would need to cast on 75 stitches for the 15-inch width. Then, just knit with each color for 6 inches each. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
It does. Thank you!
Could you recommend a substitute yarn for this blanket that is machine washable AND dryable? I don’t know any young mothers who would lay out a blanket to dry. Thank you.
Hi Mommo,
Cotton Pure would be a great machine washable and dryable option for this blanket! Since it’s sportweight though, you’ll need to cast on a few more stitches in order for the blanket to come to the correct dimensions.
All the best,
Lili
Hello! How should I stitch to get the edges clean like in the photos?
Hi Kati,
Thanks for reaching out. The pattern for this blanket includes instructions for the edges, so you do not need to do anything extra! At the beginning of each row, you will slip the first stitch knitwise, which helps keep the edges consistent. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi there! Do you knit length wise or width wise for this pattern? I cast on 150 stitches which is coming to 37 inches long and it’s not looking like one skein will make it to 5 1/4 inches wide.
Hi Anna,
Thanks for writing in! The length of the cast-on edge should be the width of the blanket. If you’re noticing that your blanket is wider than expected, I would recommend measuring your gauge. It’s likely that your gauge is too large, and you may need to use smaller needles in order to match the gauge of the project! I’d recommend making a gauge swatch in order to find the best needles for this project.
All the best,
Lili
Hello! I want to do the Super Easy Baby Blanket In Morning using Heirloom White, Yellow Apple, Grassland Gray, Cucumber Ice & Tender Green. What would be the length of each row? In which order would you suggest I use them? Would 1 skein of each color be enough?
Hi Susie,
Thanks for reaching out! You would be able to make a smaller blanket with just 1 skein of each of those 5 colors, but if you’d like to make a blanket that’s the same size as our original, you’d need 2 skeins of each color.
There are a few options in terms of the exact size, if you decide to go smaller, but I’d recommend making an approximately 25-inch by 31.75-inch blanket. To do this, you would need to cast on 125 stitches and knit with each color until the skein runs out (which will be after approximately 6.35 inches).
As for the order of the colors, here’s what I like best: Tender Green, Heirloom White, Grassland Gray, Cucumber Ice, Yellow Apple. But when you receive the skeins, I’d recommend playing around with the order before you start knitting to see what your preference is!
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Lili
Thanks, Lili. I already have 1 skein of each color. I will play around with them to decide what order to use. Thank you for your help. It’s been very useful.
Hi,
I don’t quite understand the color changes. Do you not finish the last row with the color you have been using and actually switch to the new color 5 or so inches before you finish the row? Doesn’t that create a weird line? Why not finish to the end of the row and then change the color? thanks!
Hi Jane,
You should finish the row you’re on before changing colors! The instruction “approximately 5¼ inches from cast-on edge” means that the height of your stripe in the first color should measure about 5¼ from the bottom of the blanket (cast-on edge), not from the side edge of the blanket. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Hello! I’ve knit many super easy baby blankets in the past and I’m just starting to crochet. I recently bought this kit and would love to crochet it! How many stitches would you suggest in crochet? I see the crochet blanket in worsted twist suggests 104 stitches but I wasn’t sure about proportions with this yarn. Thank you so much!
Hi Karena,
That’s so exciting that you’re learning to crochet now! To figure out the number of stitches you should chain at the beginning, you will want to first crochet a gauge swatch in pattern. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like and cast on the nearest whole number. I would recommend choosing a width that’s slightly smaller than the pattern indicates, since crochet uses up more yarn than knitting, and a smaller width will help your blanket remain proportional.
I hope this helps, but please let me know if you have any other questions, or if you’d like help with any calculations!
All the best,
Lili
Hi there. I just starting knitting this blanket, and have a question. Do you slip a stitch knitwise at the beginning of each and every row? The way I read the instructions, the slip is only for the first color, which makes no sense to me.
Thanks for any help!
Hi Christine,
Yes, you slip the first stitch of every row knitwise!
All the best,
Lili