Knitting is one of my favorite things to do in the world…but really, the only things I’m good at making are blankets (my baby hat was kind of a disaster and ended up looking more like a Bizarre Pom-Pom Elf-Cap). That’s OK, though, because while blankets are pretty time-intensive they’re also super relaxing to make once you get the hang of them.
All I did to make this blanket (which is being shipped off today to Morgan, who’s expecting a daughter in just a few weeks) was cast on 100 stitches*, knit and knit and knit (no purling) until I had a 36″ x 36″ square (the typical size for a baby blanket), and then cast off. So easy.
The reason I chose not to knit-purl or create a pattern like I did for this basketweave blanket: when you choose a variegated yarn** (one that’s dyed lots of different colors) like the one pictured here, the color variations basically create a pattern for you; there’s no need to add any texture because it’s visually interesting as is.
As a final touch, I reserved some extra yarn to create a matching “ribbon”.
*The number of stitches that you’ll want to cast on will vary depending on the weight of your yarn and the size of your needles. To figure out how many stitches to cast on to get a 36″ x 36″ blanket, try knitting a small swatch and counting to see how many stitches are in four inches, and then multiplying that number by 9.
**For a baby blanket, make sure that you choose a washable yarn. I made my first baby blanket out of cashmere – I blame the hormones for that particular error – and almost cried when it was accidentally thrown into the washing machine and more or less ruined.
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