How to Knit a Baby Blanket with Mindful Needles

Baby blankets are fun knitting projects. Every knitter feels immense joy to see a baby snuggled in the creation of one’s hard work. Knitting a baby blanket is fairly easy and quick. But, of course the time spent on knitting one depends on the stitch pattern and the size of the project. But otherwise all you need is yarn and knitting needles. There is not even the need of a particular pattern as it is fairly basic to calculate and design. Making a blanket is beginner friendly, much easier than making a garment. If you have needles from the Mindful Collection or believe in the mindful practice of knitting, a baby blanket is just another reason to create another beauty with the craft.

So, let’s get started.

Step 1 - Choose the blanket size. 

Blankets come in different sizes depending upon the use and the recipient. There is a wide range of options even for the little ones deciding upon the age of the child. Before you cast on stitches, decide the size of the blanket you're going to make. This will help you decide your yarn and knitting needles.

To help you decide, here’s a quick chart on common sizes for newborn, infant, toddler and baby blankets.

Step 2 - Choose your yarn.

Once you have the size in mind, the next step is to choose the yarn. For babies, cotton and wool are popular options but acrylic is also a good choice given the wide range of colors, and ease of knitting and maintaining the yarn. You can refer to our guide on knitting acrylic yarn.

Choosing the right yarn is important as the yarn's weight determines how big your stitches will be and even how much time it will take to finish the project. You can choose different yarn weights. A new knitter will find it easy to work with worsted-weight yarn in multiple colors or even a chunky-weight yarn. If you are a seasoned pro, then yarn from your stash no matter the weight or fiber can be used to create a colorful piece. Here are some recommended yarns to use for a baby blanket.

• Super Fine or Fingering yarn is good for light blankets that can be knit with US 0 – 3 knitting needle sizes. It will be a time-taking project but the finished piece will be a true beauty.
• Fine and Sport weight is perfect for a light yet cuddly blankets. You can work with US 3 – 5 needle sizes.
• Yarn weight in light Worsted or DK (Double Knit) is ideal for warmer, yet still light blankets. It is the perfect yarn weight for beginners and requires needles in US 5 – 7 sizes.
• Yarn in worsted weight is slightly heavier but very easy to work with. The common size US 7 -10 works for knitting this yarn.
• Bulky yarn is quick to knit but can be very heavy for a baby. You have to consider the baby’s age and use when taking upon this yarn weight. The needle sizes are above US 10.

Step 3 - Choose your Knitting Needles 

Knitting needles comes in a wide range of sizes from US 0 to US 20. The needle size you choose will depend on your yarn as we mentioned above. All yarn labels mention the knitting needle size that best matches it but you can always experiment with a size smaller or bigger.

Now for your baby blanket, the best options are circular knitting needles, fixed or interchangeable as long as you have the cord length to accommodate all the stitches. Refer to our guide onknitting flat with circular needles. The circulars allow accommodating a huge number of stitches in hundreds. With an interchangeable circular needle set you also get the freedom to join two or more cords, accommodating stitches for blankets and bigger projects. Be it the circular needles or the specially designed sets from the Mindful Collection, you get to enjoy stainless steel knitting needles along with an inspirational word imprinted on the needle tip that helps the knitter focus on the meditative aspects of the craft.

Just like knitting needles, get your knitting accessories ready. Make sure to have stitches markers, a darning needle, scissors and more to assist with your craft.

Step 4 - Planning the Pattern

In knitting, all stitch patterns are based on the knit and purl stitches. Basic stitch patterns such as garter is a pattern or all rows of knit stitches while stockinette is a pattern of alternate rows of knit and purl stitches. You can make a blanket in a garter or stockinette with a border of garter for a basic baby blanket. The Seed stitch is a perfect pattern for baby blankets as the little ones enjoy sensory touch and the stitch has a look of raised stitches. Learn how to knit seed stitch with our previous blog. The Moss stitch also has a similar look and is often confused by knitters. You can explore other textured stitches.

Step 5 – Making a Gauge Swatch 

With the yarn and knitting needle you have selected for the project make a swatch in the stitch pattern. Though a blanket can be forgiving in regards to gauge, it is always recommended to start a project with a gauge swatch. This is important for many reasons. First, you get an idea of how the project will look. Second, you can estimate the quantity of yarn needed. Third, the swatch can help you get to practice before you start the actual project.

Step 6 - Cast on

Cast on stitches according to your plan or in a way how wide you want your knitted blanket to be. Use any method you prefer. If you have too many stitches or different stitch patterns, use stitch markers to divide the cast on.

Step 7 – Knit the Blanket 

Knit the pattern according to the stitch pattern you have planned. As we discussed above you can knit a blanket with the basic garter stitch or stockinette or textured patterns. A basic garter blanket can be made colorful with many different yarns. For stockinette change colors or use a multi-colored yarn but have a neat edge with a garter edge or I-cord edge. Make sure to keep neat edges for the blanket. You can refer to our guide on mindful tricks to make neat edges.

Step 8 – Bind off 

Once the blanket is wide and long as you wanted then it’s time to bind off. Like cast on, there are many ways to bind off the stitches. Make sure to work a method that matches the cast on.

Step 9 - Weave in Yarn Ends 

Your baby blanket will have as many yarn ends as many times you’ve changed colors or new yarn balls in addition to the cast-on tail and bind-off end. For different stitch patterns, there are different ways to neatly hide those tails. Refer to our guide on how to weave in yarn ends with a darning needle.

Step 10 – Block your blanket 

Blocking is an important step in knitting. Even if your blanket does not require blocking, it will certainly require a wash and straightening of those edges.

With this, get started and make those cuddly baby blankets.