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Are you looking for a decorative Afghan baby blanket knitting pattern? These colourful throw blankets are useful items to place on the carpet for babies to play on. This is an easy pattern that is all done in garter stitch so it is very beginner friendly.
Click the image of the blanket to download the free pattern
As I love to knit I am always looking for new projects to do. When there was news recently of a new baby in the family I was keen to find something different to make for this little one. I was drawn to this bright throw as it can be used for quite some time as she grows up.
Contents
Where Do You Get the Pattern?
Lion Brand Designers have made this project available to download at no cost – just click the image above to be taken to the website.
Details About the Pattern
The project is totally done in garter stitch so ideal for new knitters to tackle.
You start off by knitting a central square around which the design is based. After that stitches are picked up along each of the edges of that central square one at a time to make a triangle. This process is repeated and bigger triangles are knitted each time so creating a bigger and bigger blanket. Finally, a series of borders are knitted.
Stitches You Need To Know How to Do
The designer for this project – Ubaldo Feliciano-Hernandez – has set it at a beginner skill level.
The skills needed to be able to do this project are
- Cast on and off
- knit stitch and understanding of garter stitch – ie knitting every row
- Decreasing using the knit 2 stitches together method – k2tog
- how to increase – ie knit into the front and back of a stitch – kfb
- how to pick up stitches – this is easy to do – see the video below if you’re unsure
Video Tutorial on How to Pick Up Stitches
Yarn To Use?
The recommended yarn for this project is the Lion Brand Sport Weight Ice Cream Range Here in the UK this is somewhere between 4 ply and double-knitting yarn. If you did not want to have the self-striping effect from this ice cream yarn then a 4-ply or double knitting should work out just as well.
Needle Size?
For sport-weight yarn, you’ll need 3.75mm (US 5) single-point straight needles. When you finish the borders, you will need to comfortably accommodate 148 stitches, so maybe a circular needle (80cm) would be needed for this stage. If not you will have the weight of the blanket pulling on your wrists.
I like the way the use of the ice cream yarn brings about stripes of colour. It’s a creative design that beginners can do. It has the added benefit of pushing them just a little to learn how to pick up the stitches on the garter stitch edges of the fabric.
