Loom Knitters Circle Magazine

Patchwork Baby Blanket
by Faith Schmidt

This blanket was designed and knitted while awaiting the arrival of my 8th baby. I really enjoy making blankets on the knitting board because the double knit is so nice and thick and soft, and things knit up so quickly. I also liked this particular design because it can be made in smaller sections on a shorter board, making it more portable. This pattern gives you a lot of leeway in choosing what colors you like best and how to arrange them. It’s also a great way to use up some of your yarn stash, always a plus for those of us who have yarn hidden away in interesting places!

Pattern Information

Materials

Knitting Loom: Small gauge double sided knitting board with at least 36 pegs. The 18” Authentic Knitting Board set at standard (1/2”) spacer setting was used in the sample.

Yarn: 345 yards each of CA, CB, and CC of worsted weight yarn. The amount needed of CD for 3 striped squares and border varies depending on the border option chosen. One 7 oz. skein (364 yards) should be sufficient. Red Heart Super Saver was used in sample.

Notions: Tapestry Needle, Knitting tool, Crochet hook size F or G for binding off and size J if making the single crochet border, Measuring tape

Gauge: 11 stitches by 14 rows over a 4” square in Stockinette stitch.

Abbreviations:
Cast on—CO
Bind off—BO
Knit with stockinette stitch—K
Color A—CA
Color B—CB
Color C—CC
Color D--CD

Pattern Notes:

A note on yardage: When I initially planned the blanket, all the squares were going to be solid. I found while knitting that one 7 oz. skein of Red Heart Super Saver yarn was not quite long enough to completely knit three squares. Rather than buying more yarn, I decided to make striped squares and incorporate the fourth color that is also used for the border. Doing it this way allows you make the blanket with four skeins of the Red Heart yarn. If you wish to make all solid squares, you will have to purchase 2 skeins each of CA, CB, and CC.

A note on color: The design of this blanket is more in the choice and placement of colors rather than the stitch pattern. This is a fun place to try different combinations of colors you might not normally put together. When I choose the colors for this blanket, we didn’t know if the baby was a boy or girl. I wanted a blanket that could be used for either, so I decided to go with the traditional “baby” colors (blue, pink, yellow, and green), but with a twist. Rather than choosing pastels, I went with brighter variations of these colors and used: Cornmeal (yellow), Delft Blue (blue), Light Raspberry (pink), and Light Sage (green). This made for a fun, vibrant blanket that any baby would love. Experiment with different colors to see what looks good together. If you are unsure, knit small squares and lay them out to see how they look. You could also use more or fewer colors than the pattern calls for. Make it a crazy quilt by using a different color for each square!

Other ideas: Try turning some of the squares on their sides for more visual interest. When making the striped square, vary the order of the colors. This blanket would also be the perfect size for a lap blanket. To make a larger blanket, simply knit more squares. Each square is approx. 12”x12”. You can also experiment with different stitches if desired. Just remember that the squares may not turn out the same size.

Finished size is approx. 36”x35”, excluding the border.

You will be knitting two (2) squares each with CA, CB, and CC. You will also be knitting three (3) squares with CA, CB, CC, and CD in a stripe pattern (13 rows of CD and 9 rows each of CA, CB, and CC). This is a total of nine (9) squares. The entire blanket is knit in stockinette stitch.

CO 36 stitches using the stockinette cast on, leaving a long tail for sewing up the squares later.

K 40 rows (13 rows of CD and 9 rows each of CA, CB, and CC if doing the striped square).

BO, leaving a long tail to sew up the squares with later.

BO the cast on end.

Repeat for remaining squares

When all the squares are completed, arrange them in a color pattern that is pleasing to you. Sew the squares together with either a whip stitch or the Invisible Seam stitch. I prefer the Invisible Seam stitch. Weave in all loose ends.

You have three options for the border of your blanket.

Single Crochet Border: With CD, work as many rows as desired of single crochet around the edge of the blanket, starting in one corner. Make sure to do approx. 3 single crochet in each corner to keep the blanket flat. This option is shown in the picture above. For instructions on how to do the single crochet stitch follow this link to an article on ehow.com. Click on the pictures to enlarge them. When the desired number of rows has been crocheted, slip stitch into the first stitch and weave in the loose ends.

Knitted Border: Measure one side of the blanket; it doesn’t matter which one. CO the desired width of stitches with CD and K until piece measures the length of that side. BO both ends and sew to the side of the blanket. Make another piece the same length and sew it on the side opposite of the sewn on border piece. Now, measure one of the unfinished edges, measuring both the blanket and the sewn on border pieces. CO the desired width of stitches with CD and K until the piece measures the length of that side. BO both ends and sew to the side of the blanket. Make another piece the same length and sew it on the side opposite of the sewn on border piece. Weave in all loose ends.

No Border: Okay, this is obvious, but you can just leave it as is, or add a blanket stitch with CD around the edge.

About Designer:

Faith is a home schooling mom of seven. In the summer of 2006 she picked up a one dollar spool knitter. From there, she graduated to the larger round looms, and then double sided knitting boards, her favorite type of loom. At the beginning of 2007, she began designing her own patterns, which she finds very rewarding. When she’s not loom knitting, she also likes to read and knit with needles.

Contact Faith.