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!

The Materials

• 7 skeins of Koigu's Kersti Merino Crepe, 100% Merino Wool. These colors, from the top are: 2200, 1240, 2180, 2100, 0, 2171.5, and 1043.

• A US #7, 24 or 32-inch circular needle.

To buy all of this yarn together, just click here for our New Super Easy Baby Blanket Kit! (Needles not included) 

The Pattern

Gauge

5 stitches = 1 inch in garter stitch

Finished Size

26 inches x 30 inches

Pattern Note

To get the same nice, neat edge as Faye, just slip the first stitch of every row knitwise with the yarn in back.

Begin

With a US #7 needle (or size required by you to acheive the correct gauge) and the first color, loosely cast on 130 stitches.

Knit every row until there are 22 garter stitch "ridges" (1 ridge = 2 rows).

Switch to the second color at the beginning of the next row, and knit every row until there are 22 ridges.

Repeat with each color, making sure to always switch colors on the same side.

After knitting 22 ridges with the seventh color, loosely bind off.

Weave in the ends and you're done! Super easy!

Comments

[erin kate]

so beautiful !

[Ruth]

Simple and stunning. I love making Baby Blankets, Throws etc., but they never sell very well at my Craft Fairs here in the UK.

I can't understand why people pass them by? !

[Lex]

Are the 2171.5, and 1043 yarns the colors in the picture of the yarn/blanket? In my online basket they look much different (and very similar to each other). I checked the Koigu website and the 1043 looks much grayer and less turquoise than it does in the project journal.

[karen blackburn]

beautiful. i'm purchasing yarn and getting to work straight away. can you tell me about the selvages? in the photo, it looks as if the last or first stitch may be slipped? thank you!

[Robin Holden]

I notice in the picture, you have a lovely 'edge' beginning and ending of each row. Could you tell me - do I just garter stitch every stitch, or is the first stitch 'slipped' at the beginning of each row? You seem to have a lovely 'twist'to the first stitch.

[lucy]

LOVE this blanket. I made one for my toddler a year ago and it's still his go to blankie. I would love to do something along this idea but as a throw. Any suggestions? What size, cast on? Math isn't my strong point.

Thank you

[Joann]

My nephew and his wife are having a baby this Fall and this looks like a beautiful and easy blanket I could manage to make for the new little one! I generally don't use wool though. Could you suggest a plant based yarn that would be good for this blanket?

[Tracey]

Just wondering if you slipped the first stitch of each row? It looks like you might have. Also, any tips for keeping the edge clean where you make the color change? It is so simple and so beautiful!

[purl bee]

Hi Lex,
The colors listed are the ones shown. Since Koigu is hand-dyed, sometimes there is a bit of variation from dye lot to dye lot.
Thanks for commenting.
Laura

[purl bee]

Hi Karen and Robin and Tracy,
Y'all have good eyes and attention to detail! Faye did slip the first stitch of each row, knit-wise. That is what gives the edge that smooth, finished character.

Tracy,
As for changing colors, we have a tutorial on weaving in ends which you might find helpful. Here is the link: http://www.purlbee.com/weaving-in-ends-tutorial/
Thanks for writing in.
Laura

[purl bee]

Hi Lucy,
Are you looking to make a traditional throw (approximately 60 inches wide)? At 5 stitches to the inch you would want to cast on 300 stitches. Since this would make the blanket a little more than twice as wide, you are going to need more than one skein of each color to keep these same proportions.
Let us know how if turns out!
Love the idea.
Laura

[purl bee]

Hi Joann,
Great question! I think that Blue Sky's Skinny Cotton would be a lovely substitute. You can find the color options here: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/3823-Blue-Sky-Skinny-Cotton
Thanks for writing in.
Laura

[karen blackburn]

thank you...xo

[Elizabeth]

I have started making a version of this blanket for a soon-to-be-born babe - I've had to do it a bit differently though because I initially only bought one ball of each colour (and how much is a "skein" anyway?), so I'm going to do two stripes of each colour, graduating in to the middle and then out again.

What is the "slipping" that others have commented on? How do I do that? It's a bit late for this project, but I might try it for the next one.

[Nola]

A beautiful blanket indeed. You don't seem to mention in the pattern about the edges on the blanket. Was there something in particular you did to make them so perfect as you were knitting or was there an edging stitch you did when the blanket was completed?

[purl bee]

Hi Elizabeth,
Kersti is approximately 114 yards per skein.

As for the edge. Faye chose to slip the first stitch of each row. Slipping the first stitch means that the first stitch isn't actually knit. Instead, you put the needle into the first stitch as if to knit, but then slide it on to the right-hand needle, without knitting it.
Glad you like the blanket!
Laura

[Elizabeth]

Hi, me again. I'm a little confused. So you count ridges on both sides to make up the 22 ridges? Because the wool I'm using is 100m, which is pretty much equal to 114 yards, but I could only get 11 ridges on one side before the ball was used up. What ply is the yarn you used?

Anyway, I guess I'll just keep going as I am, and see how I go.

[Sarah]

Hi! This blanket looks beautiful! I'd like to make a larger version of this for my toddler - something bigger than a baby blanket, but smaller than a throw - maybe about 35" x 45". Do you have a pattern I could follow for this blanket in that size? If not, can you suggest how many skeins of your recommended merino wool I would need if I cast on 175 stitches, and make each color block approx. 6.5"? Thanks!!

[Kathy]

Isn't Kersti a handwash yarn? Any suggestions for something that is machine washable? Thanks.

[purl bee]

Hi Kathy
Although the tag on Kersti says that it is handwash only, it is machine washable. We've tested it.
Thanks for your question! Purl Bee

[purl bee]

Hi Elizabeth.
Kersti is a DK (Double Knit) weight or Light Worsted weight Yarn which is equivalent to an "8 ply" yarn. For this pattern, Faye is getting 5 stitches to the inch in garter. Are you getting this same gauge?

As for the ridges, you only count the ridges on one side of the fabric.
I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any more questions.
Thanks.
Laura

[purl bee]

Hi Sarah,
What a great idea! If you were to use the same yarn, I would cast on about 175 stitches and knit each of the seven colors for about 6 and a half inches. You would need two skeins of each color.
Let us know how it goes!
Thanks,
Laura

[Elizabeth]

Hi Laura,

Thank you again for answering my silly questions! I have been knitting since I was a tiny girl, but I'm still woefully ignorant.

The gauge is correct - it's 26 inches across, and by the time I'm finished will be 30 inches long. So I'm very confused, but at least it still looks nice, even if it's not exactly the same as yours!

Thanks again! Liz :)

[lucy]

what's the best way to estimate how much of a tail I need to long-tail cast on 175 stitches? I've heard 1 inch = 1 stitch. Could that be right?

[purl bee]

Hi Lucy,
Great question. A good general rule is to multiply the length (so in this case 26 inches) by 3. A 78 inch tail should work for this cast on.
Laura

[Lyndsay]

Hi
This looks lovely but can you let me know why you use a circular needle?

Thank you!

[purl bee]

Hi Lyndsay-

When knitting something very wide like this we use a circular needle to hold all of stitches without having to squish them onto two straight needles. Actually- we tend to use circular needles for most of our knitting projects because they are less bulky than straight needles.

Thanks for your question!

Molly

[Lyndsay]

Thanks for your help Molly!

[karen blackburn]

I loved knitting mine. Thank you for the great pattern and inspirational colors!
http://bit.ly/Se6jZa

[Kathleen]

Is there a way to order all of this yarn through your store? I tried to click through but didn't see many of the colors available? Thanks!

[purl bee]

Hi Kathleen-

Yes! You can call our New York City store at 212-420-8796 to see if they have all the colors available and they will be happy to ship to you. Keep in mind that we open at noon EST and close at 7pm.

Or you could contact our webstore (they are based in California) and they will also be happy to let you know when the colors you want are coming in. You can email them at customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com

Thank you so much for your question and please let me know if you need anything else.

Molly

[Annie]

Just ordered the Koigu yarn but the blues don't resemble the colors in the blanket. THey'e much less intense and very pale.

[purl bee]

Hi Annie-

I'm so sorry to hear that you aren't satisfied with the colors. If you'd like to exchange them please contact our webstore, customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com and let them know your issue. Thank you for getting in touch.

Molly

[Nac]

Because it is a baby knit, I really want a yarn that is machine washable for practical reasons. Do you know if this yarn is machine washable? Does it come out okay in the wash?

If not, can you suggest another natural yarn for a baby (either wool or plant based eg cotton, bamboo etc). I really like the colours in this blanket which is why I am drawn to it.

Thank you!

[nac]

Oh! Just read previous comments more carefully and saw that yarn is machine washable. Thanks!

[graham]

could you possibly do this same pattern in seed stitch?

[purl bee]

Hi Graham-

You certainly could! Thank you for your question!

Molly

[jacqueline]

Hi,
I am very excited about making this as a big throw! I know I need to get two of each skeins but I would also like to use bigger needles - maybe a 10 - so that it knits up a little faster. Can you recommend how many stitches to cast on with a 10 and how long of a circular needle that would require?
Many thanks!
Jacqueline

[purl bee]

Hi Jacqueline-

We actually just posted a lap sized version of this blanket that uses a size 10 needle. You can check it out here: http://purlbee.squarespace.com/super-easy-lap-blanket/

Thank you for your question!

Molly

[Ann]

Hello,
I fell in love with the sample of this blanket in your store and chose my own palette on the spot! I loved working with the vibrant colors so much that I also ordered from your online store another palette of brights simulating the rainbow. It is just so much fun to knit! I am almost finished with the first blanket and ready to give it to my niece for her baby. I see in previous comments that you have machine washed the Kersti Koigu. How would you suggest doing that? Thank you so much for this wonderful and fun project!
Ann/Michigan

[purl bee]

Hi Ann-

You can machine wash (on a gentle cycle) and tumble dry koigu! We have never had it shrink!

Thanks for the question!

Molly

[Christina]

Hi -

I wanted to add an extra skein of 1043 when I purchase the kit for this blanket this week but when I look at the shop there seem to be two types listed for the color. It looks like:

k 1043 (18) (12 available)
k 1043 (23) (3 available)

Is this about dye lot? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[jen]

Hi Christina,

That is correct! The number in parentheses notes the dye lot. The photo is of the actual lot.

Thanks!

Jen

[Christina]

Hi,

One last thing - I noticed on Bear's Rainbow Blanket that the Koigu Premium Merino in the darker colors needed a vinegar bath - is that true of these Kersti Merino Crepe colors as well?

thanks!

[purl bee]

Hi Christina,

Yes, it wouldn't hurt! The same is actually true for most hand dyed yarns. The reason I pointed it out for the Rainbow Blanket is because each color is surrounded by white, which is a particularly ripe situation for bleeding!

Thanks for asking!
Whitney

[Amanda]

Had the same issue as Annie above. Ordered the kit and the yarn looks nothing like the photos. The blues are very pale, and one of the orange skeins is a neon hunter orange.

[purl bee]

Hi Amanda-

I'm so sorry to hear that the colors aren't what you wanted! Please contact our customer service department: customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com to and they can help you with this issue.

Thanks for writing in!

Molly

[Jessica]

What I really appreciate about your store and the patterns you share is how you balance gorgeous yarns with simple patterns so as to show off the yarn. I think less is more with them.
I'm adding this to my list and once I've tackled the gorgeous, very colorful wrap (the seed stitch one) I ordered, this is next.
Thank you, really :)

[Megan]

I love this blanket. I'm highlighting it tomorrow in a post on the blog for www.knittingatplay.com

http://blog.crochetatplay.com/

[Sarah]

Hi there,

So about the circular needles and slipping first stitch of each row--does that mean that slipping the stitches will keep the blanket at regular thickness rather than creating a kind of tubed/double thick blanket? (Does that question even make sense?)

I just was doing an infinity scarf which is on circular needles and is basically a tube, and then the two ends attach. But slipping the stitch here would keep it flat, similar to using 2 regular needles, right? The circular needle helps to give you more space to work, but not to make it a tube....is that what's going on?